Viewers have been left stunned by Harry Potter star Warwick Davis’s dark and diverse family history of syphilis and “blacking up” for entertainment.
The actor, 47, appeared on BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are? on Wednesday night, where he delved into disturbing tales about his ancestry.
Tonight on #WDYTYA @WarwickADavis looks into the dramatic lives of his forgotten ancestors pic.twitter.com/8UrRZn5WBv
— WDYTYA? UK (@WDYTYA_UK) February 15, 2017
The father of four was left both “horrified” and “amused” to find that his great-great-grandfather, Dennis Manning, was a violinist with a travelling troupe who often dressed up as African-Americans to sing songs.
@WarwickADavis' #wdytya is both fascinating and heart breaking at the same time. 🤔💔
— Emma C (@flebsywankenobi) February 15, 2017
But the most sympathy was generated when he discovered how one great-grandparent died in a mental hospital in Croydon of “general paralysis of the insane”, a disease he later learned was the result of syphilis.
Watching Warwick Davis's #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre? I really hate to break it to him what "General Paralysis of the Insane" is caused by 🤐
— Mairead Connolly (@MaryadeIsHere) February 15, 2017
A number of viewers thanked and praised Warwick for sharing the personal stories on national television
What lovely, intelligent, and interesting company @WarwickADavis was for the last hour. Thoroughly enjoyed #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre.
— Robert J Lloyd (@robjlloyd) February 15, 2017
Gt @WarwickADavis #WDYTYA Covered lots: bigamy, WW1 munitions, syphilis, Irish, minstrels, conflicting research feelings & all ends in death
— Jane Roberts (@JaneElRoberts) February 15, 2017
@Historian_19thC @wdytyamagazine @WarwickADavis really was. So many genealogy themes packed into 1 breathtaking hour. Fab episode of #WDYTYA
— Jane Roberts (@JaneElRoberts) February 15, 2017
The star also took to Twitter himself to comment on his experience.
It was quite an adventure discovering my ancestry for #WDYTYA tonight at 8pm on @BBCOne. I'd liken the findings to a 'ye olde soap opera'!
— Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) February 15, 2017
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