Main content

Ruby Wax

Celebrity genealogy series. Ruby Wax journeys to central Europe to learn about the plight of her parents, who fled Vienna and the Nazis for America in 1938.

Ruby Wax's Jewish parents fled Vienna and the Nazis for America in 1938. 'They took the war with them and brought it to our kitchen,' says the comedian and mental-health campaigner at the start of this remarkable episode.

They raised their only daughter in a dramatically dysfunctional household - Ruby's father was volatile and her mother 'hysterical... screaming in the street.' Ruby wonders if her own mental illness had its origins in her upbringing and the trauma her parents went through, or whether it is in her family's genes.

Ruby journeys to central Europe, where she learns about her parents' flight and the distressing fate of family who remained in Vienna during the war, and she makes a startling discovery about her great-aunt and great-grandmother, which is both harrowing and surprisingly affirming.

6 months left to watch

59 minutes

Signed Audio described

Last on

Fri 21 Dec 2018 15:15

More episodes

Next

You are at the last episode

See all episodes from Who Do You Think You Are?

Clip

Music Played

  • Madrid Pimps

    Intro (Con Javi Aka El Brujo)

Credits

Role Contributor
Participant Ruby Wax
Director Rachel Jardine
Series Producer Sarah Feltes
Production Company Wall to Wall Media

Broadcasts

Featured in...

Curious about your family history?

大象传媒 History has plenty of tips to help you get started.