Barbara Windsor Shocked By Matchgirl Conditions | Who Do You Think You Are

Barbara Windsor looks into her great grandmother, Mary Ann Ellis, who was a matchbox maker at the Bryant and May factory in Bow in the early 1880’s. Barbara discovers how Mary was likely involved in the matchgirls strike of 1888. This was one of the first significant strikes in English industrial history.
▶ SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE 🔔 : bit.ly/WDYTYAyt
Barbara Windsor traces her maternal grandfather to the East London docks and finds that his mother was a matchgirl at the Bryant and May factory. Barbara's father's family has generations of Cockneys, mostly labourers or costermongers and barrow boys. She discovers that her mother's ancestors were Irish, leaving Cork after the potato famine and that she's related to the artist Constable.
📺 All episodes of Who Do You Think You Are are now available on iPlayer bbc.in/3Wiqs9w
▶ J.K. Rowling | Who Do You Think You Are?: bit.ly/JKRowIing
▶ David Tennant | Who Do You Think You Are?: bit.ly/DavidTenn
▶ Martin Freeman | Who Do You Think You Are?: bit.ly/MartinFre
▶ Gary Lineker | Who Do You Think You Are?: bit.ly/GaryLine
In each episode, one of Britain's best-loved celebrities traces their family tree to reveal the surprising, extraordinary and often moving stories of their ancestors.
We publish new videos twice a week with the most memorable moments from the show. Subscribe now and click on the bell 🔔 to get notifications every time we upload a new video!
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER ⇨ / wdytya_uk
CHECK OUT THE WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE WEBSITE ⇨ bit.ly/WdytyaBBC

[@danfreeman5301]

Thank you Barbara for half a century of laughter and titillation. R.I.P.

[@Davidjohnson-o6g]

Bye the time she died it was 70 years in showbiz 😁

[@danfreeman5301]

@@Davidjohnson-o6g Good...I have 20 more years to enjoy 😛

[@Charlie-nd9ef]

@@Davidjohnson-o6g 🤔 Huh?

[@Charlie-nd9ef]

How did she pass?

[@Davidjohnson-o6g]

@@Charlie-nd9ef alzheimers

[@betsypeery9775]

So very proud of them, thank you for paving our way beautiful women!

[@ChristineInNornia]

The working conditions were awful😞 God Bless you Babs, Rest in Peace🕊💖

[@charliegirlize]

Such a nice lady and so funny. She made so many people laugh. I love her in the Carry On films 💜

[@sarahpiaggio2693]

So you had to be from the poorest slum to consider working in the match factory because of the danger. Where they lived was also rife with crime. So the women who worked at the matchstick place were determined not to get into crime even if it meant a 16 hour shift and all the dangers. That's real dignity and integrity.

[@Laura55sere]

I’m 73, my grandmother worked in that match factory in London, she used to fill up the boxes, if they rattled they would be made to fill them so they wouldn’t.

[@bailey2913]

Loved this lady, reminds me of my auntie, from a great generation RIP

[@GlobetrotterBR]

Life was very hard in the old days for most of people.

[@Katc78]

She is so brilliant! She is so like my family, a true cockney with Irish ancestry. Love it!

[@ukgirlinlv]

Me too.

[@ukgirlinlv]

Ahhh our little cockney sparrow bless her.

[@exdus235]

One of Ms Windsor's best segments. 🤗

[@sagittariusmoon1043]

Barbara is just wonderful isn't she 👀 xx the way she speaks takes me back to being the with my nan x

[@CheekyFest]

Barbara never used a computer in her life?! wow!

[@alisonnorcross951]

But she could remember her lines and was elequant( sp)

[@cjblue5373]

Because it was all written down on pieces of paper for her!!

[@feyrol42]

She was from the silent gen, she was already a middle aged woman when computers hit the public. Plus, she was rich maybe she didn't feel the need to learn and she was rich enough that wouldn't impact her life in any way.

[@karmatingz5797]

Lol, We present the Do family...Barbara was so funny bless her. Looks like they both had the same humour. Lol

[@liamclose8779]

Aww miss Barbra! Scott is amazing!! He was so in love with her even when she had Dementia! Surprising with the age gap. Proba gentlemen!

[@666janet]

Lovely lady so down to earth RIP Babs xx

[@mutoidliz2320]

Can’t Believe she passed 😭

[@alisonnorcross951]

Bless Barbara Windsor. Lovely Lady

[@lafillenoir]

How proud her ancestors would be to see how Barbara turned out and was beloved by many. Bonus she has some Irish in her :)

[@dia9491]

Such strong women. Wow.

[@madonnawayne4130]

Matchbox makers. Never knew that, I only thought of match girl sellers. There is a world of history that poor destitute workers contributed to.

[@alisonnorcross951]

I can see how helpful great grandma looks like Barb. Sweet couple those 2.

[@claireybobs2362]

Aww Babs ❤️ we miss you xxx

[@jennasanders4211]

I want the full epoisode 😢 r.i.p babs x

[@velvetindigonight]

Agreed..................... I've tried to buy series 3 of which this is part on ebay but it's very rare and the only one for sale is rediculously expensive. I think the BBC should have shown this again or maybe not out of respect to her family......? It would be nice if they added it to the next series in her memory though maybe asking her husband first? Enjoy PS Funny where watching these leads after doing some research I have just bought the book The Blackstreets by Mary Wise all about the 'Old Nichol' which was cleared and rebuilt in the late 1800's none of the original tenants could afford it though and so were dispersed throughout London. Same think happened to 'The Rookery' just off New Oxford Street...........

[@jennasanders4211]

@@velvetindigonight i love anything to do with the eastend even thoighh am a scouser

[@heyokaempath5802]

Old Nichol Street...quite a rookery in its day. She really was an Eastender! Loved her. RIP luv.

[@vermilliongecko]

I wonder if that's where the infamous Nichol gang originated from. They ran a 'protection' racket.

[@BobTheSchipperke]

Yeah for them striking!!!!!!!!!! ❤

[@michaeltaylor8835]

RIP Babs

[@katherinepoindexter4380]

I don't know who she is but she is adorable. ok..now I know who she is..i googled her. I am sad that she died though.

[@RoninofRamen]

Original Broadcast dates in the description please! In this case it's - 6 September 2006

[@lorrainedance2945]

Fantastic

[@siofra3819]

Very sad to think that Maryanne's parents had to leave Ireland due to the famine, were they were not too bad off with the father being a cabinet maker. To then go to the slums and sell matchsticks

[@jaffa74]

I would love to know who the families of industrialists are today..and especially if they are wealthy, and if they know of or give 2 shits about how their generational wealth come about -but think I know the answers already

[@Mrs.TJTaylor]

You said it, Friend! Not to mention the Lords and Ladies and monarchy in general. And people actually respect those parasites.

[@Furienna]

​​@@Mrs.TJTaylor So you want to judge people because they come from a rich family? It is not less unfair than to judge people because they come from a poor family...

[@Mrs.TJTaylor]

@@Furienna Yes, I’d like it to be public knowledge.

[@beaulieuonnp593]

My relative rented his East End hall out to the Match Girls protest

[@vermilliongecko]

Brilliant! Do you know the name of the hall, and does it still exist?

[@HXLproductions]

Rip

[@karmatingz5797]

Thank you. How many parts are there?

[@T1CHE14]

I'm an Ellis in East London, its quite possible I'm related to babs.. Its a nice thought, true or not

[@awomansfriend5784]

I wish she had children she seems so motherly lol

[@KnitzyKitzy]

She talked about having 5 abortions in her book. She really didn’t want children and said she never felt maternal.

[@AngloCatalanProf]

What isnt the playlist in chronological order?????

[@lisamiller8596]

Ellis is my grandmother maiden name on my mom's side

[@hellosweetheart3350]

Someone please tell me how she does her hair like that.?.?!

[@OpheliaSees]

She wasn't shy that she wore wigs, hairpieces and extensions.

[@PtolemyJones]

Interesting, but it seems like matchbox makers were better off than what I had been taught about matchstick girls.

[@jeeperspeepers8323]

Did someone say he was her husband? Did I miss something here?

[@cactusrose55]

Thats what they said.......... 😉

[@christinathom5528]

Hes a baby!

[@mutoidliz2320]

@@christinathom5528 he’s lush 😋

[@christinathom5528]

@@mutoidliz2320 Creepy swamp creature! Wot else cd we expect, lusting after sme1 else's hubby, not cool, just creepy!

[@vermilliongecko]

There was a big age gap between them but they absolutely adored each other, and Scott cared for her when she developed Alzheimer's, right up until her death.

[@leoncarroll7728]

What year was this

[@cynthiablandford6213]

Your husband is hot!! You go girl!!🤩

[@mjb6442]

She passed away last year

[@cynthiablandford6213]

@@mjb6442 So is he available!😁

[@roxanneellis9125]

​@@cynthiablandford6213he's going out with the lady who played rainie in eastenders

[@faithdavis4453]

And this was the so called Great Britain with it's stinking poverty.

[@Bevity]

I think the Great here meant size, not quality.

[@faithdavis4453]

@@Bevity ok

[@vermilliongecko]

Built on the blood, sweat and tears of the poorest.

[@tokenspirit6140]

'daughter of"...maybe?

[@monabrown5184]

She looks to be twice his age.

[@annmitchell4663]

She was.

[@vermilliongecko]

They absolutely adored each other, and that's all that matters.

[@heyokaempath5802]

Mary Ann looks like she was fairly dark...I wonder if she was of Welsh descent

[@alisonnorcross951]

A celt.

[@siofra3819]

She was Irish, born in cork not uncommon In Ireland, all of the smiths, all of oasis, Kevin Rowland, boy George, jimmy carr, paddy McGuiness, Neil Morrissey, dusty Springfield we're all second-generation Irish born to two Irish immigrant parents. The only light haired one is dusty. The majority of Irish have dark hair usually with blue eyes or green even if swarthy skinned but not always

[@kellydalstok8900]

Husband? He looks half her age.

[@QEnKA1989]

He is 😂

[@Mrs.TJTaylor]

And yet, if the wife is a teenager and the man is old as he hills, no one bats an eye. Right? Maybe he married her for her money and she married him for his looks. Quid pro quo.

[@MrTSK27]

Good on her..

[@ShirleyDeeDesigns]

More like a third!

[@sandrapower3250]

He had more money than babs had they loved 1 another so much rest in peace beautiful babs 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@BetaniaAllen]

husband or grandson, I am confused.

[@lindawilliamson4245]

Husband she aborted all 5 of her kids

[@mulokihna]

I looked it up, there is a 26 year age difference between them.

[@mutoidliz2320]

@@lindawilliamson4245 I hope not! That would be criminal!

[@annmitchell4663]

@@mutoidliz2320 She had three abortions in her 20s.and two more later. She also slept with both of the Kray brothers.

[@vermilliongecko]

I'd say you were jealous of their long, happy marriage.

[@pgum123gonowplayread4]

this video has an annoying pitched sound

[@Davidjohnson-o6g]

It has to be altered because of copyright otherwise it would be taken down 😁

[@TheTonialadd]

She’s never used a computer? And her boyfriend looks like her son. That should confuse her future ancestors...

[@voguemist9171]

The juvenile ferryboat continuously bathe because ticket preclinically crack unlike a troubled revolver. innocent, learned pond