We’ve been chatting to Adam Donneky, producer and director of two episodes of Find My Past the TV show, to find out the view from behind the camera.

FMP: What was your role in the series? How did you do this?

Adam: I was one of five producer/directors involved in this series of Find My Past the TV show. I directed two of the 10 episodes looking at stories from the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 and the Whitechapel murders of 1888, attributed to the infamous Jack the Ripper.

FMP: What was the most difficult thing you faced?

Adam: The greatest difficulty that I faced was selecting the three individuals for each episode as there were so many fascinating personal stories from both historical events.

FMP: What was your favourite moment?

Adam: Very difficult to select a favourite moment from the filming process as this series includes so many fascinating individuals. I think I would have to say that the most prestigious moment for me was working with the Dunkirk veterans. Their stories were so remarkable and their attitudes and sense of humour was such an inspiration. I have to thank both the Dunkirk Veterans Association and the Dunkirk Little Ships Association for making it all possible.

FMP: How do you think this series compares with other family history programmes, such as Who Do You Think You Are?

Adam: What I like about Find My Past the TV show is that it gives new insights into stories that we all think we already know.

FMP: What was it like contacting potential participants and how did they react?

Adam: All the participants in my shows found their involvement to be a really positive experience. It was very difficult to keep certain information secret until we had them on camera, but they really enjoyed the suspense of discovering new facts about their ancestors.

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

We’ve been chatting exclusively to Chris Hollins about what it was like to present Find My Past the TV show. Chris tells us about his favourite moments and how presenting the series has encouraged him to research his own family tree.

FMP: Are you interested in history?

Chris: Very much. It was my favourite subject at school when I was a young lad thanks to a great teacher who told the most amazing stories. That’s what I really love about Find My Past the TV show: incredible moments in British history are re-told though the relatives of key figures. History is about moments but it’s also about how people react to these events. As a journalist, I think it’s always open to interpretation – nothing is cut and dry.

FMP: How do you think this series compares with other family history programmes, such as Who Do You Think You Are?

Chris: There are obvious comparisons with Who Do You think You Are? as we are both looking into family histories. Find My Past the TV show, however, follows the families of famous people who sometimes can have led ordinary lives. We follow incredible/famous events in history through the eyes of ordinary people; without fail the relatives are amazed by some of the extraordinary feats of their ancestors. We also go into more depth about a particular event/relative.

FMP: What was your favourite moment while making the series?

Chris: Undoubtedly meeting the veterans from Dunkirk. They say they are very ordinary people but they are far from it. I can’t possibly imagine what these men were facing during the lowest moments during WWII. They were frightened, just as I would have been, but they still ‘did their bit’ for the cause. It was a very humbling experience.

FMP: Which was your favourite episode and why?

Chris: That is a very tricky question. I have, and I’m not just making it up, enjoyed every single programme, for different reasons. Some because of the moment in history: Dunkirk, Battle of Britain and D-Day, others because of the individual stories: Jack the Ripper, Titanic and Suffragettes or because of the discussions that arose from our investigations: Firing Squad, Bounty and Royal Scandal. It’s too difficult!

FMP: Has presenting Find My Past the TV show encouraged you to look into your own family history?

Chris: Yes it has, but I’m not sure I want to, just in case I owe anybody any money or we have a shady past! I will definitely be looking into it very soon.

FMP: Do you have any ancestors that you’re proud of?

Chris: Yes of course. My father was, and always will be, my hero. He came from nothing to play football for England and with my mum, who I am also very proud of, gave us a great start of life. I also think about my granddad who fought in Africa and Italy during WWII.

FMP: If you could be connected to a major event in history, what would it be and why?

Chris: I have always been fascinated by Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire but that may test the findmypast.co.uk website a little too much! I would love to know what my granddad did during the war.

FMP: Are there any other questions you’d like to answer?

Chris: Where my family name comes from. I would love to know what they did for a living. They don’t have to have done anything incredible, but I love social history. I want to know why we are the way we are.

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

Jamie Naden took part in Battle of Britain, the third episode of Find My Past the TV show. Jamie’s great-great-aunt worked as a plotter with the WAAF during the Battle of Britain. Here we talk exclusively to Jamie to find out his experiences of appearing on the show.

FMP: What was the most surprising or emotional moment for you?

Jamie: The most surprising moment for me was definitely finding out that I was going to an air base, because I originally was kept in the dark about the whole thing. That was a bit of a shock. Another surprise was being in the war room and having a go at plotting. That was ridiculously difficult!

FMP: How has being involved in the programme affected you or your life?

Jamie: It’s certainly made me feel very proud of my ancestry.

FMP: Are you proud of your ancestor’s role in this historical event?

Jamie: I’m really proud of my great-great-aunt’s role in the Battle of Britain. I had no idea at all that she played such a pivotal role.

FMP: Do you feel you’ve got to know your ancestor better?

Jamie: I didn’t know anything about my ancestor before I appeared on the show so it was a totally new experience for me. It was a learning experience from the get go - I loved it.

FMP: If you could meet your ancestor, face to face, what question would you ask them?

Jamie: If I could ask her anything it would probably be whether or not she found it hard to go back to a “normal” life after the war ended. Especially with all the responsibility she had in the battle and the war and all the stress and hardship that came with a posting like hers.

FMP: How did you find out you were going to be in a TV programme about your family history? What was your reaction?

Jamie: My mum asked me if I was willing to do the show after my grandfather had been in contact with her about it. I wasn’t told anything about it being about the Battle of Britain though, so I was pretty blown away when I turned up on set.

FMP: Has it sunk in that your ancestor was involved in such a momentous point in history?

Jamie: Yes it has. It’s hard to imagine it sometimes but it’s an awesome feeling knowing that my family have such a rich history.

Read more about the Battle of Britain episode

Find out more about Find My Past the TV show

Find My Past the TV show is an exciting new 10-part series which unites ordinary members of the public with their ancestors.

Each week, we take three members of the public on a journey to discover how they are related to someone from a significant historical event, by searching the records on findmypast.co.uk. We follow each of them as they uncover who their ancestor is and the part they played in history, before uniting the participants to find out how they are connected.

The show is screened on Thursdays from 20 October 2011 at 9pm on the Yesterday channel, presented by Chris Hollins of BBC Breakfast and Strictly Come Dancing. Each Friday morning, you’ll be able to read all about the previous night’s episode, including which records were used to chart the participants’ family histories.

Find out more on our Find My Past TV show page

On Saturday 28 August the Battle of Britain commemorative flight took place and I was lucky enough to be on board.

The flight was organised by the Battle of Britain Historical Society to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle this year and was sponsored by findmypast.co.uk, along with the John Lewis Partnership and Serco.

Amy Sell, findmypast.co.uk's marketing executive

Fourteen Battle of Britain veterans attended, all of whom are now in their 80s and 90s. There were also 15 war widows on board and members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force who also played an important role in the Battle of Britain.

Here’s Battle of Britain veteran William Walker with findmypast’s marketing manager Debra Chatfield:

The specially chartered British Airways flight took off from Heathrow Terminal Five. We flew over the areas in which the RAF was engaged in combat with the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. The plane flew over the coast of Southern England and the English Channel.

Two surviving fighter planes - a Spitfire and a Hurricane - joined the flight for part of the way. The pilots had flown these aircrafts during the Battle of Britain. Here you can see the Spitfire and Hurricane alongside our plane:

My colleagues Debra Chatfield (findmypast’s marketing manager) and Paul Yates (head of findmypast) were also on board the flight, as well as our two lucky competition winners Sally Hayward and her guest Stuart.

There were a few other notable figures on board the flight: defence minister Dr Liam Fox, South African High Commissioner Dr Zola Skweyiya, Belgian Diplomatic Counsellor Pascal Gregoire, actor Edward Fox and Battle of Britain Historical Society supporter Bamber Gascoigne.

We took this photo of Edward Fox speaking at the champagne reception:

It was a fascinating and memorable day and a fitting tribute to the bravery of the men who fought for our country.

See more photos of the flight on our Facebook page.

In findmypast.co.uk’s July newsletter, we asked you to search our fully indexed birth records and tell us how many people in Hampshire are registered with the last name ‘Britain’. Thanks to all of you who entered - the lucky winner is Sally Hayward from Canterbury, Kent who correctly answered 16.

Sally wins two tickets to the Battle of Britain commemorative flight on 28 August 2010. Congratulations Sally!

The Battle of Britain Historical Society has organised this commemorative flight over the Battle of Britain area to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this year. You can read more information about the flight here.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this year, the Battle of Britain Historical Society has organised a commemorative flight over the Battle of Britain area on 28 August 2010 and you could be a part of it.

Findmypast.co.uk is sponsoring the flight, along with the John Lewis Partnership. British Airways have provided an Airbus A320 which will fly the Battle of Britain veterans over the areas in which they fought in their Hurricanes, Spitfires, Blenheims and Defiants in the summer of 1940.

As well as the veterans and their family members, celebrities and TV and press reporters, there are some seats now on offer to members of the public on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Ticket holders will meet up with the veterans and celebrities at Heathrow at 1pm on Saturday 28 August 2010 for pre-flight drinks and lunch prior to take off at 2.30pm.

The flight will last around two hours and will fly over the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, before proceeding up the English Channel and across the North Sea to the coast of Holland, returning to Heathrow via Belgium and France. Tickets are £475 each, paid for by cheque, or via Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or Switch.

If you’re interested in being a part of this amazing event, please contact Bill Bond M.B.E., General Manager, Battle of Britain Historical Society, Gunthorpe, Melton Constable NR24 2NS. Tel: 01263 861476 or email: billatbobhs@aol.com