Channel 5 show reunites Robert with godfather
THE success of the Channel 5 documentary series Jersey and Guernsey has led to one of the local stars of the show being put back in touch with a long-lost family relative.
Patois Tea Room tenant Robert Steen, who featured heavily in the series, has recently been back in regular contact with his 94-year old godfather Gerry Coombes – a keen viewer of the show. The two had not been in touch since 1997, but will now meet up in Guernsey next month after Mr Coombes, who lives in Lymington in Hampshire, got in touch with series producer Daisybeck Studios, which passed on Mr Steen’s contact details.
‘We have spoken 10 or 12 times on Zoom recently, and he has booked a flight to come over here in mid-September for three days, he really enjoyed the Liberation episode,’ Mr Steen said.
‘I saw him a lot when I was very young, and I invited him to my 21st birthday in 1979 and we stayed friends for a little while before losing contact.’
They rekindled their friendship in the 1990s when Mr Steen was running a hotel in the Cotswolds.
‘Gerry and his wife would stay nearby because they were big horseracing fans and would attend the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
‘After I moved to Guernsey in 1997 we lost touch again, but I’m delighted that the show has brought us back into contact with each other.'
He added that this was not the first case he had encountered of viewers of the show wanting to find out more about their family history.
‘A woman at Daisybeck Studios by the name of Melanie Roussel now wants to discover more about her surname as it’s obviously a Guernsey surname. The tea room has had more visitors than ever from all over the UK, nearly all of whom have watched the show.’
Mr Steen also plans to host a tea party in the near future for all the islanders who featured in the series, to toast its success.
‘The exposure it’s given our island has been fantastic, it just shows what phenomenal place Guernsey is to come and visit,’ he said.
