Heartbroken Olivia Colman Learns Of Indian Orphan Heritage | Who Do You Think You Are

Olivia Colman is saddened to hear how her 3x great grandmother Harriet left India and headed on a six month solo voyage to the UK, at less than seven years old. What will she learn next?
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[@poundlandvodka]

"Oh, I hope he's nice!" Olivia, darling, he was a commander in the East India Company. Don't hold out too much hope.

[@edwardkumarkenway1875]

Wow brits are really more rational than their american counterparts

[@edwardkumarkenway1875]

@33kaus holokaust Hollywood kind of makes you otherwise. Now I can see it's an elaborate propaganda machine.

[@turmuthoer]

Well, I can't say anything about the Honourable East India Company, but just because he worked for it doesn't mean he was a bad person. I'm sure most of its employees over the centuries were just normal people who were only in it for the money and couldn't care less about the imperialism side of things.

[@leonamay8776]

@@turmuthoer engaging in morally dubious actions "just" for the money really doesn't make one a nice person. (I used the term morally "dubious" because I am aware that perceptions of morality have of course evolved with time)

[@namefirstnamelast6404]

You don't have to be mean to be a person who lived in the past. What will your primitive present look like to people of the future? I'm sure they will find you as barbaric as you assume this commander of the East India Company was. Or perhaps they will have learnt by then not to judge a person of the past with the eye of the present, and that ONE aspect of a person's life isn't a barometer for their ENTIRE life or character.

[@nanajiloh]

"You're my favourite so far" Oh my gosh, Olivia, you couldn't be any more adorable even if you tried!

[@chloecoe493]

@bye girl She clearly did in the video showing the earlier part of the episode.

[@missp5152]

@hasslfoot Well said. Viewers inability to concentrate on a story line these days beggars belief.

[@makatka]

@bye girl Eee quite the opposite really, you clearly didn't bother to watch everything, but yet decided to comment

[@borahai]

Research scholars deserve acknowledgement.. 💛 To dig in all the documents..

[@solarprogeny6736]

To be fair, documents nowadays are typed into databases, so you just have to look for keywords

[@pamelaspooner8335]

ishei Only a small portion of written/printed documents of human history have been digitized so locating paper records is still a major part of in-depth research. Only very modern documents are originally 100% digital. You often have to still sign paper and that is then scanned.

[@Shamsithaca]

@@solarprogeny6736 No. you are incorrect. No one types in endless information of such ship manifests and newspapers...its just not possible...too much info...the researchers are gold mines and must be recognized for their incredible talent and perseverance.

[@linusp9316]

@@Shamsithaca You're right, but also wrong. Nobody "types" it, but we have OCR (optical character recognition), and millions of ships' documents have been digitized with minimal human input. It took me 15 minutes to find my ancestors' ship records on the Internet. Sometimes humans fix up those records to improve the OCR, but they're often pretty good even without human tinkering.

[@katherinetutschek4757]

Was thinking that too. So nice to just have a paper handed to you😅 Admin staff never get any credit for all the hard and tedious work they do.

[@elsagreen1476]

I teared up when I learned Harriot came back to India. I'm way too invested in this

[@One.Zero.One101]

This story is better than many movies I've watched lately. This one actually has interesting characters and plot.

[@annylopez8118]

I would read the crap out of this novel , someone contact Olivia and write this book

[@TheVeek192]

Go ahead.

[@clarebell5926]

I'm sooooo glad Harriot survived because Olivia Colman makes the world a better place! My heart goes out to Harriot for her young life, and every other child that went through the same thing! It's so sad!! What a strong child for surviving!! xx

[@imaginator13]

"History repeats itself " isn't it true for Olivia who came india to see her heritage just like her great great great grand mother. What fascinating story ❤

[@bluedasher74]

What a fascinating story! It would make a good movie.

[@WhoDoYouThinkYouAre]

Great idea! Who would play Olivia?

[@nlb1138]

@@WhoDoYouThinkYouAre Grandma Harriet in England!

[@sahpem4425]

I thought the same thing! Every bit needs to be a movie or book!

[@janwijbrans6289]

Rusty Kink

[@ILSAB]

This is exactly what I thought

[@Bonobanos]

i like to imagine that besides looking for a husband, harriot had gone back to India to find her mother and that even at 3-4yrs old she had clear memories of that time w her mother

[@LanceCorporalKitty]

I want to believe that too

[@a1b2ghosh]

@Julia Mimi yes i doubt any money or support was offered to her "local" mother. A young Indian girl in that era with a child born out of the wedlock. I doubt see "voluntarily" gave the child up. I dont think she had much choice either way.

[@tim2269]

Perhaps her mother performed Sati.Not something popular to report but its a possibility.Im sure it was on the mind of the historian who reported these findings.

[@rik73764]

@@tim2269 Very unlikely, as they were not married. Also as he was an Englishman he was most likely buried, not cremated.

[@ranganathanjg3717]

@@tim2269 No way Sati wasn't practised that time...It was long back practised..

[@JARomero88]

"Hopefully it's happy and good, or else I'm leaving" 😂😂😂 she is awesome!

[@sauhardoroy7440]

"this was not the place for single women" and no body thinks about harriot's mom. what she must have faced when harriot's dad died and harriot was taken is beyond my comprehension

[@nicoler1183]

"She's the best fisherman on the ship!" Gah! She's so adorable!

[@mrrajarshi1]

Olivia in Kolkata researching about her roots... how fascinating...

[@sumedhasamaga9114]

That's my professor!

[@jaybell1390]

..... and.... Jeez!

[@wickandde]

Harriet's life sounds so facinating! Would love it if we're a book or a move!

[@amandah.2202]

There is s book

[@dhanushr04]

@@amandah.2202 can I please get it's name

[@edwardkumarkenway1875]

The history of Bengal( specifically Calcutta) and London was a quite bittersweet one.

[@hammun6]

"You're my favourite so far." Olivia cracks me up!

[@mycroft983]

Isn't good to see how lovely Olivia is seem so real and natural...Lovely Lady

[@DhruvMalikk]

So much of India and England history together..

[@subhu678]

she is like, "You're my favourite so far" That was so cute😍🙈

[@andreas.bottanova3056]

What a life! What a story! Like a mix of "Little princess" and "the secret garden" - should be made into a book or a movie🥰

[@ananya1721]

I was just going to point that out!!

[@hibafassifihri3420]

olivia: getting seriously emotional the dude: imagine her all alone! read the room !!

[@TatianaOConnor]

Who else is living Harriet's journey with Oliva? :'(

[@vamanosninja4143]

I relate to her because I'm also half South Asian.

[@purabi123]

Me

[@MT-ih6vq]

I adore Olivia Coleman. I'm also half anglo Indian, so this got me in the heart.

[@vidya198326]

Anglo-Indian already states ur half n half.. U can't be half of that! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@obisan666]

I bet Harriet had Olivia's personality and empathy x

[@markstewart4501]

Obviously Olivia won't see this, but I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing her feelings of connection and concern. Somewhere in all of this I hope we/I learn that we all have this inside us.

[@nomdeplume2213]

Harriets father must have rly loved her and her mother for him to not only tell his family about her but tell them about her enough to make them love her as well. Just imagine spending thousands to bring your great niece whom youve never met to your country. She wasnt some illegitimate secret, she was loved immensely. Her story is bittersweet. She has 2 loving parents one minute and loses both of them the second.

[@kooolkidninjamaster]

For sure. Mind you it helps to have been named after her grandmother. Poor child but realistically she had a better life in England just because of the money

[@lynneleclerc7376]

Olivia Colman is such a lovely person! I really enjoyed watching this.

[@frenchartantiquesparis424]

Olivia is so lovely..... she is very attached to her ancestor.

[@johnaddison3147]

Congratulations on your Oscar Olivia.

[@staticcentrehalf7166]

So what we're saying here is that she's got the lot; insanely talented, funny, humane and possessed of a fascinating back story.

[@Elwene2fr]

Olivia is so sweet and pure. She keeps amazing me everytime. She looks like such a nice woman, I just wish more could be like that

[@vamanosninja4143]

The third guy was funner than the others. Funny that Olivia said he's her favourite so far. :p

[@tomad919]

What a genuine sweet person Olivia is.

[@laura6954]

I LOVE Olivia's sweet chuckle after the guy said "interesting little tittle tattle"

[@cesaroviedo6345]

I need Harriot's life as a movie

[@michellemahar9030]

What a warm person she is! And I am so glad that her relative's fortunes turned around.

[@cloudsparrow7729]

Olivia "I'm usually in everything" Colman, is just awesome. Moving story, too

[@knox273]

I love her so much that she not only came to india but to the city where i live in. I really wish i would have met her

[@AlanHope2013]

Olivia is a sweetheart in everything she does.

[@Not_a_Saint9891]

This should be a tv drama series

[@DeborahWalkerXOXO]

People are suggesting a movie but this really deserves a little mini series

[@yossyxo]

She is an extraordinary woman. 💓

[@deepz513]

They should make a film out of her great great grandmothers story..and she should play the role❤️

[@SarahDawnable]

I could watch Olivia Colman do anything. What a gem

[@tatikto]

What a compassionate woman

[@rosemarieconklin4683]

It's strange you dont personally know your ancestor but you still feel sad for them same thing happened to me when I found out my granny was in a orphanage love Olivia

[@mukundadasnarayanappa6214]

It's great to know that such old documents are still maintained and researched by scholars . Appreciate Mrs Olivia Colman's perseverance in taking so much interest in knowing her ancestors. Very interesting to watch and listen . Thanks again.

[@helenmcdonald3627]

olivia colman is one of the warmest sweetest genuine funny and talented actresses, i would love to be her friend what a betterplace the world would be if there were more like her. she llights this world up

[@mrguillemot]

Have adored Olivia since The Green Wing...so nice to see that she has such a lovely soul 😍

[@HIBYROSE]

Calcutta is my home, and had I ever known tht this oscar winning, talented, brilliant actor Olivia Coleman had visited, I'd have went to lengths to get a glimpse of her. To know that this lady walked the streets of my city, aah! After I watched "The Crown" I had such a deep appreciation for Coleman's acting genius.

[@foxycinnamon7307]

I just love her! I love her story & I'm dying to know how Harriet's story turns out!

[@miapax1962]

What a lovely big hearted person you are to be so moved by your ancestry😍🙏❤️So happy Harriet had a love-filled life later xxx

[@nishantk3459]

these stories are all so exciting... never experienced history that is so personal...

[@ritishp]

Man watches The Crown - Season 3 on Netflix KZbin : Suggest this man to watch Olivia Coleman's journey to India to find her roots !! 😀👍

[@mohammedhussain4907]

A truly heartwarming story

[@rachelring2542]

So exciting and not even my family!!

[@medhanayak_]

Oh I'm from Kolkata (then calcutta) and I wish I could have met this beautiful human❤️

[@nerysjones7333]

This story would make a great film

[@lindapesnell5723]

❤️ Thank You ❤️

[@Eileen62h]

I couldn't love Olivia more ❤

[@jin_stix.a8679]

This would make such an interesting movie

[@andynixon2820]

She's wonderful .

[@vamanosninja4143]

Harriet's father and first husband were both named William and both died in July. Weird!

[@mimi1578tube]

This is so amazing! It would be so amazing if they would make a movie about little Harriette!

[@vamsikumarkallem2909]

From today onwards, I'm writing a book about my mom. Everything about her. I'll even include the latitude and longitude of the place she's born. I don't want my future generations to struggle to find my mom's information like them. I've been creating my family tree . I'm gonna turn it into a beautiful animation and just pass it to my future generations. I gathered few families' information on my own. I've met them on marriages and family gatherings. Now I'm gonna ask my mom for the detailed information. This feels really really exciting to store the information of our families in detail..... 🖖 Live long and Prosper y'all. From India 🇮🇳.

[@aksayinishah2509]

that's an incredible idea!!

[@daniellinehan63]

Called a sleive in Ireland , one would love to slip back to spend time with ancestors from the way back

[@anujachatterjee6719]

Wow Olivia came so close...I live in Kolkata

[@saforakhimov]

I know Olivia Colman from "Hot fuzz" and I love her from that time. What an astonishing actress. And her story here is very interesting. Love it

[@lynnralph8373]

Olivia I have recently completed a book about my family. My research took twenty years to complete because I visited all the places where they lived. The book was not intended to be a commercial venture but a record for my family since this type of information is easily lost or forgotten. I suggest you do the same. Your story is fascinating. Good luck with it.

[@christinemacmacleod4880]

Harriet sounds like Mary Lennox from a Secret Garden. I hope your great great grandmother had a happy ending like the child in the book.

[@bigmesstheartist5888]

Harriet's story makes a great movie!

[@globalcitizenn]

The Penmanship on those shipping records wow

[@immukku_]

this is amazing

[@pundithkupamanduka6936]

Congratulations on your Oscar!!!

[@DrLoren668]

That's beautiful

[@lesleyoxspring7202]

This is good but I'd like to see the WHOLE show, as that would be interesting. I like getting the whole back story. I do not find snippets enough. Went into website only to find clips, not the whole thing.

[@WhoDoYouThinkYouAre]

Check out the full episode with this playlist - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3myaYhmnNhlqrM

[@joybee5862]

Thank you so much! @@WhoDoYouThinkYouAre

[@yogithashetty2587]

Most brilliant British actress 👏🏻Olivia

[@knox273]

Oh how disappointing. I live in kolkata (then calcutta) i wish i would have met her , i would surely guide her around the city and treat her to some famous bengali dishes or atleast some of my favorite cuisines

[@TonchoBluegrass]

Damn it all to hell, Olivia Colman is delightful!

[@nazlimerick3395]

Excellent story for a film. Stronger than fiction, isn't it?

[@Benyikoko]

Ahww this was such a perfect point in Harriets story!!! Finally some good news 🤭😍

[@aditilalit2155]

Man Harriet's got game!!

[@iwakuraSanta]

I think its cool the Indian people in this video ,can get say I met that oscar winnner

[@SshivamKhopkar]

Nobody cares! Oscars are biased.

[@moonshadow2724]

I am imagining that Harriet met L before they decided to leave to India together... wow ... this is an incredible story

[@The1234567890ashish]

This could be a movie and I'd watch it.

[@kristenkuruugaa7903]

“You’re my favorite so far” 😂

[@Dr.Phoenix]

Imagine yourself in the shoes of young Harriett... Poor girl has suffered so much in life..

[@kaleahcollins4567]

I wish you would have bought a sorry or something to be more connected to ancestral mother I have a feeling that Miss Harriet although she lived most her life in England she ultimately had a strong sense of her Indian culture I have a feeling that she was very Headstrong and never forgot her language nor the smells of the country or the stories that she heard or aunties and uncles back home

[@AS-gy7tu]

I commend the Indians they took efforts

[@kaylaireland3494]

They where paid too, so that's a given

[@davidaparicio3867]

8:07 "Oh i did not know that" if you know what i mean ;)

[@auntvesuvi3872]

💜

[@rohitshinde865]

I just hope that she found out about her mother.

[@remsorian3]

I love you........................NITU

[@ranganathanjg3717]

Lol what's funny is that she walks through the streets of India and nobody recognizes her, imagine her walking through London or NYC..

[@edwardkumarkenway1875]

It's natural.

[@Altamash23]

It would be same if salman khan were to walk between Brits

[@blktauna]

In NYC we do not come up to celebs in the street. It's not cool.

[@BrownRiceBunny1]

I’m from the US and I barely recognize her.

[@EC-dg6ti]

I have no idea who she is

[@Edanasaur]

Olivia is sooo cute

[@cerezacereza8478]

Thought she would like this one. She’s an actress so she’s able to breath life into Harriet. Plenty of fish 🎣

[@jayclawwit6489]

I think they had romance on the ship. I can just feel it.

[@SonnySideInc]

Wish Olivia video were numbered I'm jumping time and getting soilers lol.

[@SAMANTHAPERKINS]

Wish I could see how Harriet looked like, kind of trying to glimpse Olivia through her image. ☺️

[@subarna89]

Wondering how they actually got the records ?