Grandparent

Grandparents are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing creature who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic grandparents, eight genetic great-grandparents, sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents, etc., although the numbers will be lower in cases of pedigree collapse. In the history of modern humanity, around 30,000 years ago, the number of modern humans who lived to be grandparents increased exponentially. It is not known for certain what spurred this increase in longevity, but it is generally believed that a key consequence of three generations being alive together was the preservation of information which could otherwise have been lost; an example of this important information might have been where to find water in times of drought.

In cases where parents are unwilling or unable to provide adequate care for their children (e.g., death of the parents), grandparents often take on the role of primary caregivers. Even when this is not the case, and particularly in traditional cultures, grandparents often have a direct and clear role in relation to the raising, care and nurture of children. Grandparents are second-degree relatives and share 25% genetic overlap.

Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)

Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter, better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular long running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981 until 1984. He was played by Lennard Pearce in the original series, and was portrayed by Phil Daniels in the prequel, Rock & Chips.

The character was grandfather to Derek, the step grandfather of Rodney Trotter, and older brother to Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield). Lennard Pearce's sudden death in December 1984 was written into the series with the death of the character.

Backstory

Born in Peckham Rye, London on 9 July 1909, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to World War I and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1918. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences with his description of the wartime government policy ("They promised us homes fit for heroes, we got heroes fit for homes!")

In 1924 after leaving school, Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was sacked after two days for wallpapering over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamplighter for the London Gas Light and Coke Company but by the 1930s, he was unemployed and living with his parents and his brothers, George, Albert, and Jack, in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936, he and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier to join the French Foreign Legion, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working becoming gun runners during the Spanish Civil War. They were caught by the authorities. Nobby was tortured but Grandad chose to confess everything under interrogation. Both were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. He returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, marrying his wife Violet sometime before the war, and fathering a son, Reg.

Grandad (disambiguation)

Grandad is a male grandparent.

Grandad or Granddad may also refer to:

See also