This summer, Who Do You Think You Are? returns to BBC One and iPlayer, celebrating 20 years of delighting and astonishing the nation with Britain’s best-loved celebrities exploring the mysteries of their family trees. Expect more shocking discoveries and revelations, as seven celebrities set out on their ancestral journeys and unveil epic family secrets. Spanning centuries of history, this series will reveal an extraordinary array of stories from circus antics to embezzlement, a life-changing accident, the Cold War, and stirring tales of triumph against the odds. It will take viewers across the UK and around the world including Ireland, Taiwan, Jamaica and Latvia as the celebrities search for answers.
This newest series of Who Do You Think You Are? catches all the celebrities by surprise as they investigate their families’ pasts, not knowing what they might find. BAFTA and RTS award-winning actress Vicky McClure finds out the harrowing story of her great-grandfather’s experience as a Japanese Prisoner of War. Closer to home, presenter, actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness discovers his grandfather’s crucial role during World War Two and investigates his McGuinness surname in Ireland, discovering he nearly wasn’t a McGuinness at all.
BRIT nominated popstar Olly Murs heads overseas to Riga in Latvia and is delighted to discover his circus performing ancestors, revealing that entertainment does in fact run in his blood. Former Spice Girl and musical artist Melanie Chisholm (Mel C) unearths a political activist and the story of how her family survived the Great Famine in Ireland. Actor, presenter and disability rights campaigner Rose Ayling-Ellis unveils an incident which uncannily mirrors an episode of EastEnders, having taken place in a pub in Birmingham.
Elsewhere, emotions run high for Essex-born reality TV royalty Gemma Collins, as she meets a family member she never knew she had and discovers her Essex roots go back even further than she thought. Olympic gold medallist and former heptathlon world champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill travels to Jamaica, where she learns about her relative’s journey from being enslaved to owning his own land.
Over the past 20 years, the series has seen celebrities including the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet, Graham Norton, Danny Dyer, Michelle Keegan, Robert Rinder, Naomie Harris, Bruce Forsyth, Alex Scott, Olivia Colman, Warwick Davis, Daniel Radcliffe, Anita Rani, Reggie Yates and many more going on unique and inspiring journeys to unravel family secrets and delve into their family lineage. Who Do You Think You Are? has revealed connections to global royalty and key historical figures, as well as unearthing uncanny parallels between celebrities and their ancestors.
Simon Young, BBC Head of History, says: “This year we have a stellar line up to mark twenty years of the nation’s favourite social history series. Time and again it proves the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction, while helping us all to understand the history of Britain and the world much better, so it’s clear why our audiences have taken this series to their hearts. I’m so grateful to all the celebrities who have shared their family histories, and to the incredible production team that pulls it all together.”
Colette Flight, Executive Producer for Wall to Wall Media, says: “In our twentieth year on air, we’re delighted to be back with more of Britain’s most popular celebrities investigating their family trees. As always, we’ve revealed extraordinary stories and moments from history that we’ve never told before, and the celebrities have been moved to tears, laughter, anger and joy learning about their ancestors’ lives.”
The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? launches on BBC One and iPlayer this summer. Produced by Wall to Wall Media, executive produced by Colette Flight and series produced by Lucy Swingler. The format is distributed by Warner Bros. International Television Production.
