Who Do You Think You Are? - Episode Guide

Author J.K. Rowling stumbles upon a family mystery on a journey to uncover her maternal French roots; a tale of wartime heroism and actions of a brave ancestor.

Actress and national treasure Julie Walters follows her roots back to rural Ireland. On the trail of her great grandfather, Anthony Clarke, Julie's journey takes her to County Mayo where she discovers Anthonywas at the centre of a revolutionary movement fighting for land rights.

Julie unearths a tale of poverty and tyranny - and ultimately triumph, at a tumultuous time in Irish history.

Actor Brian Blessed has always loved his unusual name - but has no idea where his Blessed ancestors came from.

Born in Yorkshire he'd always assumed his family were northerners, but digging deeper Brian discovers that his roots lie down south. Here he uncovers the story of his great great grandfather Jabez Blessed - a tale of hardship, struggle and survival worthy of Oliver Twist.

New Tricks star Tamzin Outhwaite has always been intrigued by her Italian ancestry. Although she remembers her grandfather Remo, she knows very little about his family.

Tamzin's journey into her Italian past uncovers the rags-to-riches tale of her great-grandfather Adelmo and takes her on an unexpected trip - to a prisoner of war camp.

Brendan O'Carroll ditches his alter ego Mrs Brown to turn detective, as he attempts to track down the men who murdered his grandfather at the height of the Irish War of Independence. Brendan never knew hisgrandfather, who was shot dead before he was born, and the only clues he has to go on are from a newspaper article of the time.

Actress Sheridan Smith has grown up surrounded by a musical family, singing with her country and western duo parents since she was a child. Sheridan is keen to know where her musical talent comes from and is soon hot on the trail of her great-great-grandfather Benjamin Doubleday. She's shocked to discover the dramatic fall in fortunes of this self-styled musical impresario and famous banjoist.

Bake Off star Mary Berry, still going strong at 79, believes she inherits her energy and drive from her father and sets off on a journey to find out more about his family. Along the way she discovers illegitimacy, bankruptcy, and even more astonishingly, a baker.

Actor Martin Shaw never knew his grandfather, Edwin Shaw, who walked out on his family when Martin's father was just a boy. Martin sets off to find out what happened to this elusive character with his only clue a photograph of Edwin as a young man. From a shotgun wedding to the Birmingham Blitz, Martin tries to sort fact from family fiction to discover who Edwin was.

Presenter and DJ Reggie Yates grew up knowing very little about his father's side of the family. Reggie sets out on the trail of his grandfather, Harry Philip Yates. His journey takes him to Ghana, where he unravels a complex family history where Ghanaian culture and British colonialism collide.

Celebrity genealogy series. Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly has always considered himself Scottish through and through, but as he travels to India in the footsteps of his army ancestors, he makes anextraordinary discovery. Not only was his great-great-great-grandfather present at a pivotal point in Indian history, through him Billy's connection to India runs deeper than he had ever imagined.

Twiggy grew up in a close-knit family in London, but her mother told her almost nothing about her relations, not even her grandmother's name. As Twiggy sets off to investigate her mum's family, she discovers that times were tough for them in Victorian London and they didn't always stay on the straight and narrow.

Baker Paul Hollywood grew up very near his maternal grandparents and was particularly close to his grandfather, Norman Harman. The discovery of Norman's service medals sends Paul off on a journey to find out about his experiences in World War II, serving as an anti-aircraft gunner. Paul discovers that, having survived extraordinary danger in Tunisia, his grandfather found himself in the middle of an even more treacherous battle when he was sent to Italy as part of the Allied invasion force. Norman ended up stranded on the beaches at Anzio, surrounded by Germans - with nowhere to hide. Further up his tree, Paul also discovers stoic Scottish ancestry - and a very demanding job!

Actress Jane Seymour grew up in London but knows that her father's side of the family originally came from Poland. She suspects that they suffered in the Holocaust, but has never known what happened. Inparticular, she wants to find out the fate of her two paternal great aunts, Jadwiga and Michaela, and their families. Jane's search for the truth takes her to Warsaw - where she discovers that although Jadwiga managed to escape the ghetto, she was tragically separated from her family - and to France, where she follows Michaela and her family in a terrifying flight to Switzerland as they flee the Nazis.

Actor Derek Jacobi grew up in Walthamstow, where his parents ran a market stall. But a clue in his mother's family tree hints at a more colourful past - his great-grandmother's name was Salome Laplain. Armed with this tantalising detail, Derek discovers that, far from being from humble roots as he had thought, he is in fact descended from a wealthy French Huguenot fleeing religious persecution in France - who had connections to Protestant royalty on this side of the channel.

Jerry Hall knows her father's family were originally from Oldham but wants to find out how they ended up in America. Her journey takes her from the cotton mills of Lancashire to the plains of Texas at the time of the railroads. Once there, Jerry also investigates her mother's side of the family and discovers her ancestors' pioneering roots as they blazed a trail west across America at the time of the Frontier, and a connection to the original pioneer and folk hero - Daniel Boone.

Choirmaster Gareth Malone's passion for singing is in his blood - his parents met singing in musicals, and Gareth grew up surrounded by music. But he wants to know how far back his 'ta-dah' gene goes, and sets off to find out more.

His investigations into his mother's side of the family take him to London's West End, where he finds his great-great-grandfather, a star of musical comedy, performing for the king, George V. But it doesn't stop there - two more generations back and Gareth's journey takes him to the heyday of music hall and a theatre impresario in Dublin.

Actress Anne Reid was close to her father but knows very little about his family. She only has a couple of clues to go on - the name of a house in Scotland and a family story that her father's side were ministers in the church. These clues soon put her on the trail of her great-great-grandfather John Reid - not a minister at all, but a schoolteacher in Fife with a sideline in forgery. When John's forgeries land him in the dock his life takes an unexpected turn - to Tasmania, on a convict ship.

Journalist Frank Gardner was very close to his late mother and is keen to know more about her side of the family. Frank's mother always told him that the family arrived in Britain with the Normans. Frank sets off to discover if there is any truth in the rumour. Along the way, he traces his family tree back to his ten times great-grandfather Sir Michael Stanhope - a knight of the Tudor court - who was accused of treason. But Frank's journey doesn't end there, and he is astonished to discover that his mother's suspicions are closer to the truth than he could ever have imagined.

Journalist Anita Rani never met her maternal grandfather Sant Singh - all she has been told is that he suffered terrible tragedy at the time of India's Partition. Anita's mother also tells her that Sant had another wife and family before marrying Anita's grandmother. Armed with this knowledge, Anita travels to India to see if she can find out more about her grandfather's first family - and discover what happened to them during Partition. It's an extraordinary and harrowing journey for Anita.

Actor and writer Mark Gatiss has always had a love of storytelling and a passion for the ghastly and ghoulish but has always wondered where it comes from. So when he discovers that his mother's side of thefamily goes back five generations to the wilds of Northern Ireland, his imagination is awakened. Mark travels to Ireland, where he untangles a tale of rags to riches and finds out that his family were storytellers and (allegedly) vampire slayers!

Frances de la Tour's family tree holds a tantalising clue which hints at aristocratic ancestors. Hot on the trail of her three-times great grandmother, Frances uncovers a story of a secret lover, anillegitimate child and a landmark divorce case. But the scandal doesn't stop there. Tracing back another generation, Frances uncovers the tragic story of Sophia Delaval - and traces her roots back to Seaton Delaval, the historic family residence.

EastEnders actor Danny Dyer explores his own east end roots in the new series of Who Do You Think You Are? - a journey that will reveal his connections to royalty! The Walford star will trace his family story from poverty and crime in London back through the centuries, with a very surprising result.

Amanda Holden has always heard stories about rumoured French ancestry on her mum's side. Her investigation uncovers an extraordinary Napoleonic-era cross-channel romance.

On her dad's side, Amanda's grandfather's suicide has always loomed large. But when his story takes Amanda to France once again, she's moved to discover how he helped others through a harrowing tragedy.

Wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin describes herself as "a mongrel": the result of her parents' lineages from the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Martinique.

Wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin describes herself as "a mongrel": the result of her parents' lineages on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Martinique.

In Trinidad, she goes in search of the first of her maternal ancestors to arrive on the island from India. Liz then heads to Martinique where her paternal ancestors are said to have owned plantations… and slaves.

What she discovers is more complicated than she could have ever imagined.

Cheryl knows little about her heritage, beyond her sense of herself as a true Geordie.

Tracing her roots in the North East, on her dad's side she discovers a sea-faring ancestor and a family tragedy.

On her mum's side, she recovers the story of her long-forgotten great grandfather:a quintessential Tommy in the First World War, who fought in one of the most famous battles on the Western Front.

Celebrity genealogy series. Ricky Tomlinson is well-known for playing the archetypal Scouser and it turns out that his Liverpool roots run deep. Ricky discovers that he comes from generations of carters, who transported goods on Liverpool's docks when the city was the British Empire's busiest port. Ricky's rage and sorrow build as he discovers how dangerous conditions were for his ancestors, eerily echoing his own fight for workers' rights in the 1970s.

As the "last of the McKellens", Sir Ian admits to a degree of melancholy as he delves into his family history.

But the results pay off richly for one of our greatest actors and civil rights champions. Ian's journey uncovers a theatrical ancestor, a Victorian political activist, and a link to an ancient druidical landmark in the Lake District.

Greg Davies's father made sure that his son was born on Welsh soil so that when Greg became a rugby international, he'd play for Wales.

Fortunately for comedy, Greg showed little talent for rugby; but he retains a sense of connection to his Welsh roots and, two years after his dad's death, wants to know more about them.

Greg gets more than he bargained for when he identifies a wayward great grandfather, but is rewarded when the trail leads further back to the deepest, Welsh-est roots that anyone could wish for.

Actor Warwick Davis owes his big break, aged 11, to his paternal grandmother Edith, who heard a radio ad advertising for short people to appear in Return Of The Jedi.

Warwick takes a non-judgemental approach as he researches the family line stretching back from Edith, finding humanity and humour in some uncomfortable stories.

On his maternal side, Warwick is equally open-minded when he finds out about his great, great, great grandfather: a postman who lived a double life.

Actor Sunetra Sarker sets out to explore the Bengali heritage she ignored when she was growing up in Liverpool.

Starting in Kolkata, Sunetra learns of her great grandfather's courageous activism in colonial Bengal - and of a family connection to Gandhi during the struggle for Indian independence.

Crossing into Bangladesh, Sunetra visits her great grandmother's ancestral home village and discovers the harrowing story of how her family was caught up Bangladesh's 1971 war for independence.

BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth investigates her father's side of the family, and discovers a tragic but inspiring tale of ancestors who risked everything to move to America in search of religious freedom.

Closer to home, she explores a family rumour that her great grandfather worked at Kew Gardens, and is astonished to uncover a horticultural heritage stretching back to the 1700s and pineapples.

Actor Charles Dance has made his name playing aristocrats, including Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones. But the upstairs world Charles inhabits on screen is nothing like his own background as his mum was an under house parlour maid. Charles wants to know if he comes from a long line of servants or if he can uncover some grander origins.

He is also determined to learn about his dad, who died when Charles was four. Charles knows hardly anything about him, not even when he was born. Charles's search for information takes him to the other side of the world to meet close relatives he never knew he had.

Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood reveals his softer side. Heading to his home town of Ballarat in Australia, Craig investigates what happened to his great-great-great-grandfather who risked everything in the Australian Gold Rush. A visit to his beloved 100-year-old grandmother sends Craig in pursuit of another maverick ancestor. Craig's great-great-grandfather Harry turns out to have been the life of the party and, better still, a fabulous dancer.

Celebrity genealogy series. Sports presenter and broadcaster Clare Balding has always been curious about her maternal great-grandfather and the 'thing that has been sort of whispered in the family - could he have been gay?' Getting to the truth of the matter is a challenge when all the evidence comes from a time when homosexuality was illegal. Digging into her father's side of the family takes Clare to New Jersey and New York, where she uncovers an extraordinary dynasty and American roots stretching back generations.

Citizen Khan star Adil Ray identifies as Brummie, British, Muslim, Pakistani and African - his mum came to England from newly independent Kenya with her family in 1967. Heading back to east Africa, Adil traces his mixed Asian and African ancestry across Kenya to Uganda. On the trail of rumours of a link to African royalty, Adil meets African relatives for the first time in the traditional kingdom of Buganda and is amazed to discover the truth about his lineage.

Presenter Emma Willis grew up in Birmingham and loves the city and her fellow Brummies. She wants to find out how deep her roots are there. Further afield, an interfaith marriage in Ireland leads Emma down two very different paths. Violent events force her to confront disturbing truths about one ancestor, while the hard graft and determination of another lead Emma to draw parallels with her own life.

Pop star Lulu attempts to get to the bottom of a family mystery. Her mum, the middle child of seven, was the only one to be given up by her birth parents and raised by another family, but she has no idea why. Lulu travels home to Glasgow, where she uncovers the real-life story of her Catholic grandfather and Protestant grandmother's love affair across the city's strict sectarian divide. Digging deeper, she discovers some dark secrets about her grandfather's past which force her to reassess what she thought she knew about her mum's story.

Fearne Cotton is intrigued by her Welsh great-grandfather Evan Meredith who, despite working down a coal mine from the age of 13, ended up as a chemist in the home counties. Evan never talked about what he did during World War I, and Fearne decides to investigate. She is shocked to discover that Evan risked both his freedom and his reputation by following his conscience, caught up in a catch-22 situation with the authorities which was only broken when Evan took dramatic action. On her mother's side, Fearne finds an ancestor whose extraordinary professional ambition led to an encounter with Queen Victoria but ended in career disaster.

Actor and film-maker Noel Clarke grew up in west London with his single-parent mum, and this left one side of his family tree a mystery to him. His search starts in Trinidad, where both his parents are from, but soon takes him on a trail to other islands, ending on one of the smallest and most beautiful in the Caribbean. There he learns of an extraordinary great-great-great-great-grandfather called Glasgow Bedeau, who was born into slavery. The music Glasgow's enslaved parents and grandparents passed down reveals the part of Africa from which Noel's ancestors were taken.

Best known as market trader Donna Yates in EastEnders, actress Lisa Hammond wants to get to the bottom of why her paternal grandfather Harry Hammond never spoke about his experiences in World War II. She uncovers the moving story of the trauma he endured and his efforts to overcome it. On her mother's side of the family, Lisa is reassured to discover many generations of London stock as she finds the countryside unsettling. But her relief is short lived as, going further back, her investigations plunge her deep into rural Wales.

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

Our Girl actress Michelle Keegan uncovers some exceptional women on her family tree.

Actress Olivia Colman claims to be 'the least adventurous person I know.' As for her ancestors, apart from a rumour that there was a Frenchwoman somewhere in her family tree, Olivia thinks they are largely from Norfolk. Olivia is astonished to discover that she needs to travel to India to find out more about her great-great-great-grandmother Harriot.

Olivia finds records that reveal Harriot was an orphan in 1811 on a ship bound for England from (then) Calcutta. Harriot's father was an an Englishman, but the identity of her mother, who gave birth to her in a remote Indian village, is a mystery Olivia delights in solving.

Comedian Lee Mack was born Lee McKillop in the north of England, just like his McKillop great-grandfather, who was also a comedian, known as Billy Mac. Lee has a few playbills from Billy Mac's variety hall performances, but knows little more about him. Not long into his journey, Lee discovers that his great-grandfather was passionate about more than making people laugh. Billy Mac joined the first ever pals battalion in Liverpool at the start of the First World War and honed his act at the front lines in the Battle of the Somme.

Lee is also curious about his maternal grandad Joe's upbringing - deserted by his unwed mother and raised by his grandparents in County Mayo at the time of the Irish Civil War.

Iconic pop star Boy George grew up in south London in an Irish family. George expects to find a lot of sadness in his family tree. He knows that his maternal grandmother was found wandering the streets of Dublin as a small child and put in a children's home and wants to find out how she came to be in such a dire situation. He's also heard that another ancestor was hanged in Dublin's Mountjoy Gaol and is somehow connected to Kevin Barry who was commemorated in a well-known Irish rebel song. As George uncovers the grim details of what really happened to his grandmother and his great uncle, he also delights in a new sense of his family being truly part of Irish history.

Strictly Come Dancing's head judge Shirley Ballas investigates a family story that her maternal great-grandmother abandoned her husband and children for a more exciting life in America. What Shirley discovers casts her great-grandmother in a completely new light.

On her father's side, Shirley pursues a rumour that she has black ancestors - a trail which leads her to colonial Cape Town and the era of slave trafficking to South Africa via the Indian Ocean.

DJ, presenter and former member of boy band JLS, Marvin Humes delves into his Jamaican and his English heritage, and finds exceptional stories on both sides of the family. Deep in the Jamaican countryside, Marvin's discoveries about the lives of his black ancestors during the time of slavery turn his expectations upside down. In England, Marvin's follows the trail of his great-grandfather about whom he knows almost nothing. But Marvin's research reveals a hero, who overcame a traumatic childhood to play a part in one of the most dramatic events of the Second World War.

Robert 'Judge' Rinder follows the story of his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, hearing first-hand testimony of the horror of Nazi forced labour camps as well as of the hope offered by a new life in Lake Windermere. Investigating the dark mystery surrounding his great-grandfather leads Robert to a small town in Latvia, where he uncovers a story of mental illness and trauma which will ultimately, he hopes, lay some ghosts to rest.

Paralympic gold medal winner Jonnie Peacock looks back through the generations and ends up captivated by his four-times-great-grandmother.

First up is Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who discovers that the robbery of his great-grandfather's Hatton Garden jewellery business was far more dark and dramatic than he ever imagined, while a cache of his great-great-uncle's letters reveal a heart-wrenching First World War love story.

Actress Naomie Harris's dramatic discoveries in this edition of the show in which celebrities research their family trees inspires her to anger, sadness and tears of joy. On a journey from Trinidad to Grenada to Jamaica, she learns of her great-great-great-great- grandfather's involvement in the exploitation of so-called liberated Africans shortly after the abolition of slavery, is delighted to discover the identify of her African five-times-great grandmother, and uncovers a family story of tragic poverty in Jamaica's capital of Kingston.

In a first for the series, father-and-son comedy double-act Jack and Michael Whitehall join forces to investigate their family tree. They discover the tragedy that left Jack's great grandfather (Michael's grandfather) an orphan. And tracing their line back to Wales in the 1830s, they find out about a Tory ancestor's role in opposing the Chartist movement for wider voting rights.

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet follows a rumour of Scandinavian ancestry on her late mother Sally's side of the family and is delighted when it turns out to be true and that she has Swedish heritage. However, her joy turns to tears and anger when she uncovers the extreme hardships her ancestors endured, from famine to flogging and imprisonment. Switching to her father's side of the family, Kate finds a drummer boy in the Grenadier Guards and, this time, an unusually positive encounter with prison.

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan's investigation of her family history leads her to a Methodist minister and his family in colonial Nova Scotia, cod traders in Newfoundland, and eventually to her English roots in Dorset.

Comedian Paul Merton was very close to his late mum, and he knows that her Irish parents died when she was very young. Her father was a shadowy figure said to have been lost at sea. Paul pieces together his grandfather's story and discovers that he was involved in some of the key events leading to Irish independence in the 1920s, and that the true circumstances of his death were different from the story that has been handed down. In London, on his father's side, Paul traces a great-great-grandmother who was sent to prison for her part in an assault... involving a banjo.

Sharon Osbourne is open about her less-than-idyllic childhood and her remote relationship with her mother, but as she delves into her maternal family history and uncovers the difficult circumstances of her mother's and grandmother's lives, she is moved by what she discovers, from family break-up to a brush with the law. Further back, Sharon is astonished to discover that her great-grandmother was born in the United States, but as Sharon digs deeper in to the story she realises it's a case of the American Dream gone wrong. Sharon's great-great-grandparents, lured by the promise of work in a cotton mill town advertised as paradise, found the harsh reality very different.

Intrigued by family stories from his granddad Eddie, former TOWIE star and presenter Mark Wright investigates his dad's side of the family. Discovering Sephardi Jewish ancestry and a master swordsman living in late 17th-century Andalucía, Mark's journey takes him to Spain where he's astonished to finds out how his nine-times great-grandfather survived the terror of the Spanish Inquisition, while a less fortunate relative was burned at the stake.

Doctor Who and Broadchurch actor Jodie Whittaker investigates her family history. On her dad's side, she looks into a romantic story she has been told about how her beloved grandmother Greta came to be given the middle name Verdun - also the name of a First World War battle fought shortly before Greta was born. The truth Jodie uncovers about Greta's eldest brother's sacrifice in that war is far more poignant than the family myth. On her mum's side, Jodie gets to the bottom of how her great-great-grandfather worked his way up from child labourer in a Yorkshire coal mine to mine owner, and how his sons kept the family's mines open during the biggest miners' strikes of the 1920s.

Actor, comedian, talent show judge and children's author David Walliams delves into his family history. First, he learns of his paternal great-grandfather's prolonged and traumatic experiences on the battlefields of the First World War. The damage to his mental health condemned him to a lifetime in what was then known as a lunatic asylum. On his mother's side, David uncovers the story of his great-great-grandfather, who was blind as the result of invasive eye surgery. David is amazed to find out that his ancestor became an entertainer - first a street musician and then a travelling showman, running fairground attractions with the help of his wife and children.

Actor and writer Ruth Jones confesses to a passion "to share the wonderful characters in Wales" and she finds several in her own family tree.

On her mum's side, Ruth discovers Welsh mariners who travelled the world. On her late dad's side, Ruth learns that her grandfather Henry Richard Jones was a leading figure in the Medical Aid Societies of South Wales, a forerunner of the NHS.

Ruth discovers how her granddad's work led him to lobby the Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan - a fellow Welshman who became known as the father of the NHS. Locally, Ruth's grandad was remembered for his devotion to his fellow men and women.

As Clarissa in Silent Witness actor Liz Carr was all about attention to detail. Likewise, Liz is delighted to get forensic about her own family history, in Who Do You Think You Are?

"I love crime, of course!" beams Liz, while investigating a rumour that an ancestor was involved in some sort of assault.

Liz soon uncovers the truth behind the rumour, discovering that her great-great-great grandfather was involved in an attempted murder in rural Northern Ireland in the 1850s.

Comedian Josh Widdicombe embarks on a rollercoaster ride through his extraordinary family history. After a less than promising start with an ancestor who was cut out of the family fortune, Josh is delighted to discover a courtier with very personal access to King Charles I. From there it's a dizzying journey back to Elizabethan and Tudor nobility, by way of a royal love triangle, through an incredible ancestral line that prompts Josh to ask the expert he meets, 'Be honest. As a historian, are you really jealous?'

Shakespearean actor, movie star and national treasure Dame Judi Dench's journey begins with her father Reginald Dench, who never spoke of his experiences during the First World War, as she tries to find out how he won his gallantry medals. Judi's investigations then take a truly epic turn, leading her to 16th-century Denmark and nobility. Judi also discovers, to her delight, some incredible Shakespearean links.

Presenter and former footballer Alex Scott delves into both sides of her family history. Having known nothing of her Jewish ancestry on her mum's side, Alex is proud to discover that her great grandad was at the Battle of Cable Street in London's East End in 1936, facing down fascist followers of Oswald Mosley. On the other side of her family, Alex's Jamaican grandparents were part of the Windrush generation. Alex travels to Jamaica for the first time in her life, following her beloved nan Philicita's line, and discovers the enormous hardship her great-great-grandmother Henrietta Coombs suffered. Two generations further back, Alex is shaken to learn about another ancestor whose lifetime began during the era of slavery and ended after its abolition.

Comedian and presenter Joe Lycett manages to find humour everywhere, but apart from his Edwardian great grandad – a member of the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes in Nottingham – Joe uncovers a darker family history. Joe finds out that his two-times-great grandfather Robert Wilkinson was a boy chimney sweep in the 1850s. Joining the Royal Marines, Robert travelled the world; but his involvement in razing villages in China following the Opium Wars leads to alcoholism and a breakdown.

Singer-songwriter and talent show judge Pixie Lott hopes to confirm a family story that she has Italian ancestry from Verona, but instead discovers ancestors battling poverty and hardship in London. On her dad's side, Pixie learns of her great-grandfather's harrowing and surprising experience in the First World War. And, wondering if she has any musical genes, Pixie is delighted to discover three generations of military musicians, whose legacy gives her an opportunity to sing with the band of the Household Cavalry.

YouTuber and actor Joe Sugg uncovers some incredible stories in his family tree, with a little help along the way from fellow social media star and big sister, Zoe. Joe, very aptly, discovers a great-great-great-grandfather who was involved in the earliest days of communications technology – in electrical telegraphs. Pushing further back, he finds seven-times-great-grandparents who fled religious persecution in France, and a goldsmith who survived the Great Fire of London.

Ed Balls, former Labour politician, sequinned Strictly dancer and TV presenter, grew up in a family that wanted to make the world a better place. His mother Carolyn's dementia means she can't share their family history with him, so he sets out to discover what kind of characters his ancestors were. Rumours on his paternal side about a link to Nelson's ship HMS Victory lead Ed to Portsmouth and the story of his great-great-great-grandfather William Dunbar, an assistant surgeon. But as he unravels Dunbar's medical career, he unearths a dark history of abuse and horror at a Kent workhouse. On his mother Carolyn's side, he feels a deep connection with Christopher Green, an agricultural labourer put on trial at Norwich Castle after he stood up to defend his livelihood and community.

It's not surprising that Sue Perkins finds plenty of humour in her family tree, even in the poignant stories of an orphaned grandfather and a great-grandfather interned as an enemy alien during the First World War. But when she delves into the German branch of her family, who were living in eastern Europe through the Second World War, she uncovers a harrowing tale of refugees fleeing back and forth across borders between Nazi and Soviet control. It's a reminder for Sue that history is full of real people who "always pay the price for the decisions that the big guys make."

Quiz show presenter and crime writer Richard Osman delves into his Brighton roots and is astonished to discover that one of his ancestors turned amateur sleuth and ended up entangled in one of Brighton's most notorious murder trials. Richard also investigates his grandfather's army career and learns why it gave him a profound belief in the power of education, which he passed on to his grandson.

Comedian, presenter and actor Matt Lucas had an exceptionally close bond with his late grandmother, Margot, who came to the UK in 1939 as a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Matt has never fully understood what Margot experienced as a young woman in Berlin in the lead up to the Second World War, or what became of the close-knit extended family she left behind. Matt's poignant journey takes him to Berlin and then to Amsterdam, where he discovers an extraordinary connection to Anne Frank, as well as the fate of his many family members who fled to neutral Holland only to find themselves trapped as the country was invaded by the Nazis.

Being a mum is a massive part of Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin's life. She is interested in what kinds of parents there were in the family before her, and how this has shaped her own life and the kind of parent she is to her daughters. Travelling to the small town in Northern Ireland where her father grew up, her understanding of her grandparents - who suffered a heartbreaking family tragedy - is turned on its head. On her mother's side, Anna starts with her twinkly grandfather Maxwell, whose name she added to her own to create her stage name. Looking into his childhood, she uncovers a dark history of domestic abuse and family separation. But she also discovers extraordinary familial solidarity and love that changed the pattern for the generations that followed.

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little leaves the sun-drenched Caribbean well behind as he heads to the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland to investigate his grandfather Arthur's experiences during the Second World War. Ralf is astonished to discover that Arthur was caught up in one of the most important battles of the war.

Looking into another branch of his family, Ralf is thrilled to confirm a family rumour that he has a Welsh international footballer on his family tree. Once a serious footballer himself, Ralf's joy turns to despair when he learns that his great-grandfather's devotion to the beautiful game was severely tested by a wave of religious fervour that swept through Wales in the early 1900s.

Finally, on returning to his hometown of Manchester, Ralf is delighted to learn that another ancestor played a key role in the development of this great industrial city.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a global superstar of musical theatre, still writing and producing blockbuster shows. He has also combined his nose for business with his love of architecture by renovating the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to its original condition. Andrew knows he comes from a musical family, including virtuoso cellist brother, Julian – but he'd love to find out where his showbiz genes and his love of musical theatre come from.

A quick investigation of his own archive reveals a much posher lineage than expected. By following his mother's line, Andrew soon uncovers his four-times great Uncle Peregrine, who played a key role under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Peregrine in turn leads Andrew to his 12-times great-grandmother Katherine Willoughby, a Tudor duchess and powerful player in Henry VIII's court who was later persecuted and threatened with death for her religious beliefs. As her dramatic life unfolds, Andrew is not only astonished by her determination and resilience but delighted to learn of her association with some of Britain's most architecturally important stately homes.

Next, Andrew investigates his father's side – a much humbler line, with both his grandfather and great-grandfather working as plumbers. With the help of his cousin Anne, he discovers his two-times great-grandfather Henry Simmonds was a missionary who dedicated his life to helping the poor and needy. Described as a ‘real working-class hero', Andrew is thrilled to find out that Henry was the author of the first architectural guide to Battersea.

Andrew still wants to uncover any musical links, and with the help of genealogist Laura Berry, he finally traces more musicians in the family, including his five-times great-grandfather Henry who has the curious surname Magito – which Andrew soon learns is Dutch. What follows next is a series of extraordinary resonances with Andrew's own life - an extended family of Magitos, who were not only accomplished musicians, but also showmen and producers making their living by staging the 18th-century equivalent of musical theatre.

But the coincidences don't stop there. More investigation proves his five-times grandfather Henry Magito had a brother, Alexis Magito, who was also a cellist. A trip to Leiden uncovers a long-lost sonata written by Alexis that reveals he was an accomplished composer and player for the cello. Andrew can't wait to return to London to meet with his younger brother Julian and share the extraordinary coincidences of their shared ancestry.

Actress Claire Foy is best known for playing the young Queen Elizabeth in The Crown. Having enjoyed researching the lives of her onscreen characters, she's now looking forward to delving into the lives of her own ancestors.

Claire starts with a visit to see her mum and her 93-year-old grandad. After reminiscing about their Irish roots, her grandad tells Claire the tragic story of his father, Claire's great-grandfather, Charles Stimpson, who was killed on his motorbike. Curiously, Claire's great grandad Charles's place of birth is marked as the rather posh-sounding ‘The Castle' in Carlisle - so that's where Claire heads next.

The Castle turns out to be the site of the military barracks where her great-great-grandparents Henry and Maria Stimpson lived. It's Henry's life as a soldier that leads to another tragic story – his drowning during an off-duty cross-country race. Claire visits the river where he died and is saddened by an accident that also left a widow with five children, who were now homeless and without an income. Claire is heartened to read how the local community reacted to the tragedy, raising money to help them continue their lives.

Next, Claire investigates her paternal side. Her dad David was adopted but was reunited with his birth mother Joyce later in life. Despite having got to know Joyce, he knows nothing of her ancestors, so Claire sets out to find out more.

With help from a genealogist, Claire takes her paternal line back to her three-times great-grandparents John and Eliza Martin and is pleased to see that, just like her maternal family, her dad's line also has Irish roots - John was born in Dublin. Claire is shocked to read a local newspaper story about John's arrest in 1867 when he was accused of rioting in Manchester. Further investigation reveals that John is accused of being present during an attack on a police van transporting Fenian prisoners, in which a policeman was fatally shot. The Fenians were a secret society dedicated to overthrowing British rule in Ireland. If found guilty of this charge of joint enterprise, her three-times great grandfather John would be sentenced to death.

John and his brother William were arrested alongside many other Irish men in Manchester. Despite protesting their innocence, eyewitnesses placed them at the scene. Their trial was national news, and with the help of historian Rose Wallis, Claire slowly pieces together the story of a riveting court case. In a tense courtroom with the odds stacked against them – the lives of Claire's three-times great-grandfather John and her four-times great-uncle William hang in the balance until the stand is taken by witnesses called by the defence - including Claire's three-times great-grandmother Eliza. Thanks to the alibis provided by Eliza and the other witnesses, the brothers are found not guilty.

As she comes to the end of her journey Claire can't help but be grateful to the communities that have rallied and supported her family in times of need.

As an adventurer, wilderness expert and chief scout, Bear Grylls has travelled to some of the most hostile environments in the world, sharing his survival secrets with audiences of millions. Bear is curious about a tendency to ‘follow the path less trodden' so he's now embarking on a journey into his family's history. The trail starts at home where, alongside his wife Shara, Bear explores his paternal grandfather Ted Grylls's old trunk, intriguingly full of documents marked ‘Top Secret'!

Bear heads to Sandhurst Military Academy where his grandfather Ted trained to be an army officer in the 1920s. Here Bear discovers Ted's fascination with all things mechanical – especially tanks. With help from the team at the British Tank Museum, Bear learns how Ted became one of the British Army's biggest experts in armoured vehicles and tank warfare, advising both the British and Americans on how to win on the battlefield and contributing to the success of the D-Day landings.

But it's Ted's job leading top secret organisation T-Force that helps Bear really understand the pressures his grandfather faced and reveal clues about his character. Charged with identifying, tracing and sometimes even kidnapping Germany's best scientists for interrogation by the Allies after the war, Ted had to stay in Europe long after World War II was over, working on a morally complex mission, far from his family.

Bear also wants to find out more about the life of his beloved, ‘bear hug of a man', grandad Neville. Neville's father and Bear's great-grandfather, Lionel Ford, is revealed to be a loving family man and progressive headmaster who modernised Harrow School. In Harrow's Headmaster's House, where his grandad played as a boy, Bear discovers the truth behind a family tragedy – the death of his great uncle Richard, who died of an infection as a teenager. As a father of three boys himself, Bear is moved to read Lionel's own words about his grief and love for a lost son.

Finally, following his family line back several centuries reveals, to Bear's delight, Scottish ancestry. His habit of walking the dog in a kilt no longer feels fraudulent! A trip to Scotland uncovers the story of Bear's ten-times great-grandfather the Duke of Argyll, whose religious beliefs and devotion to Scotland cost him his head, courtesy of the Scottish maiden, a gruesome type of guillotine. And at his last destination, his mum's dreams of a royal connection come true. At the Argyll Mausoleum, Bear discovers his 21-times great-grandfather is none other than a famous Scottish king.

Kevin Clifton came to fame as a dancer on Strictly, eventually winning the series with his partner in dance – and now in life – Stacey Dooley. Known on set as ‘Kevin from Grimsby', he's proud of his northern roots but wants to investigate a long-standing family rumour from much further afield.

According to his dad, the Cliftons might be related to a mysterious woman called Matooski from the First Nations in Canada.

After discovering from censuses that his great-great-grandmother Emma was born in Canada, and that she was in an orphanage there, Kevin travels to Canada to investigate. He soon learns she spent a year in an orphanage even though her parents were still alive. Solving this mystery uncovers a powerful story of life in one of the colonial towns of Canada and a divorce, which was rare at the time. It made national news, enabling Kevin to read all the details of the case as it passed through the court. Despite allegations of abuse against her husband, Kevin's three-times great-grandmother Grace had her three children taken away, and they ended up in the orphanage.

Tracing Grace's family further back, Kevin heads to York Factory, a remote trading post on Hudson Bay, once the centre of the British Canadian fur trade. It's here that he discovers his five-times great-grandmother is Matooski – one of the very few First Nations women to be recorded in historical documents. Matooski was also known as Nancy and became the ‘country wife' of the head of the trading post, John George McTavish. Nancy, and other women like her, provided indispensable local knowledge and skills that enabled posts like York Factory to succeed.

Nancy was eventually abandoned by her British ‘husband,' and Kevin discovers how she and her daughter Grace, Kevin's four-times great-grandmother, narrowly survived a dangerous river journey inland. By the end of his journey, Kevin finds out that he comes from a long line of skilled and courageous female ancestors who survived – and thrived – against the odds.

Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken are identical twins, medical doctors and science broadcasters. They grew up in London, surrounded by old paintings and documents commemorating a host of characters from their Dutch ancestry. But despite the wealth of the family archive, the twins know very little about their Dutch family history, except how to pronounce their surname correctly and rumours of a connection to Dutch nobility.

A chat with mum and dad provides some intriguing clues, a coat of arms that no-one can translate, a silver shovel that hints at an Indonesian connection and a document about a Dutch sea captain with links to the British Navy. Keen to find out the family stories behind all these familiar but mysterious artefacts, Chris and Xand start with sea captain Jan Tulleken and head to Chatham Docks.

They soon uncover the eventful seafaring career of their four-times great-grandfather Jan Tulleken, a staunch royalist who joined the Dutch navy at 13 and, as war engulfed the Netherlands, was exiled in England alongside his leader, the prince of Orange.

Chris and Xand follow the trail of Jan back to the Netherlands, where they discover how Jan was tasked to protect Dutch trade routes against Algerian pirates – a mission that ended in failure. Undaunted by his tarnished reputation, Jan applied for noble status. Excited to finally get to the bottom of their noble roots, a trip to The Hague's Supreme Council of Nobility brings Chris and Xand firmly back down to earth.

By following Jan's line further back, the twins uncover a letter that reveals an Ambrosius Tulleken, Jan's father and the twins' five-times great-grandfather, who died in Demerara (now Guyana,) which at the time was a Dutch colony. Following this lead reveals a troubling story.

The twins also believe there is a family connection with Indonesia and taking the silver shovel to an expert reveals the story of their three-times great-grandfather Hendrik de Bruijn, a Dutch engineer working on canals in Indonesia who married Maria de la Brethoniere, the daughter of a French coffee baron and an Indonesian woman. Chris and Xand have confirmed their Indonesian heritage and as they learn more about their three-times great-grandparents, the twins are moved to read a document that recounts Hendrik's profound grief after his wife's death, suggesting that this was a marriage of deep love.

For Chris and Xand, it's a journey that has changed them forever, as they've found answers about their name and their heritage that were previously unknown and entirely unexpected.

Comedian and actor Emily Atack knows she is from a long line of larger-than-life entertainers. Her mum is singer, actor and comedian Kate Robbins and Paul McCartney is Emily's grandmother's cousin, making him Emily's first cousin twice removed. Recalling fun days out with the McCartney family when she was little and how Grandad Mike turned every opportunity into a comedy show, Emily sets out to find out more about her showbiz genes.

On her mum's side, Emily discovers how her grandparents Mike and Betty both worked at Butlin's in the 50s – where Betty won a beauty contest. Both became redcoats, entertaining thousands of guests every summer with music and comedy – the perfect outlet for Emily's talented grandparents.

Emily is astonished to read a family letter to her grandad from a teenage Paul McCartney, telling him about his new band and looking for showbiz advice. A visit to Uncle Mike, Paul's brother, reveals even more entertaining stories about the McCartney family.

Inspired by the amazing McCartney musical tales, there's only one place it makes sense to visit – Liverpool. While there, Emily discovers that her family's musical roots go all the way back to the brass bands of industrial Britain.

Following on from her musical discoveries in Liverpool, Emily then heads to Wrexham to find out more about her great-grandfather Ted Robbins's involvement in the town's football club. She soon learns he played a greater part in Welsh football than she had originally anticipated, and that he was considered a hero to Welsh football fans.

Emily's dad's family line reveals even more showbiz glamour – her glamorous great-aunt Doreen Atack commanded huge audiences as a theatrical whistler. But before Emily's ancestors developed their skills as entertainers, like so many living in northern towns, they worked in the mines.

By following the family line up to Wakefield, Emily uncovers why her great-grandfather Bill fought so hard to get his family away from the pits. At Nostell in Yorkshire, Emily discovers a story of hardship, dangerous working conditions and struggles with mental health. The lives of her great-great-grandparents, Joseph and Emily Atack, still resonate with Emily over 130 years later.

Born to an Irish mum and a Jamaican dad, Dev Griffin grew up feeling he didn't fit in either community. He hopes discovering more about his ancestors will help him strengthen his sense of identity and belonging.

On his first ever trip to Ireland, Dev uncovers the momentous events surrounding the lives of his Irish grandmother's dad, his great-grandad Frank Weafer, and Frank's brother Patrick, Dev's great-great-uncle. Both were involved in Ireland's fight for independence in the early 20th century. Patrick Weafer marched to Dublin to fight in the Easter Rising, a decision that put him in a gunfight on Dublin's rooftops and in the middle of one of the most significant events in modern Irish history.

Similar to his brother, Frank became involved in the republican movement during the Irish War of Independence and had a role in a cycling corps, delivering intelligence messages. Both lived to see the declaration of the Irish Free State.

Next, Dev travels to Kilkee on the west coast of Ireland to learn about his Irish grandfather's dad, his great-grandfather James Griffin, who was known by his Gaelic name, Séamus Mór Ó Gríobhtha. As he uncovers Séamus's involvement in the Gaelic League, Dev learns about the battle to preserve Irish culture and language during this period. Dev is astonished by what he learns about Ireland's history and reveals how proud he is of his Irish ancestors.

Following his father's line, Dev travels to Jamaica. An emotional meeting with his newly discovered auntie Viveine leads Dev to an incredible document from the local Baptist church that reveals the day-to-day lives of his great-grandparents Joshua and Annie Riley, including some rather cheeky details, to paint an astonishingly intimate picture of island life in the early 20th century.

Discovering his ancestry uncovers stories of bravery, family and love, and Dev can finally claim both his Irish and Jamaican heritage with knowledge and pride.

Comedian Chris Ramsey draws huge audiences to his live comedy shows and also presents a podcast and TV show with his wife Rosie about the trials and tribulations of being married with children. From a South Shields working-class family, Chris feels he has a charmed and lucky life and wonders if his ancestors were as fortunate.

He starts by investigating his great-grandad Dryden Gordon Young, who fought in the First World War. A trip to the military base in Dorset where Dryden trained reveals he fought at Gallipoli, one of the deadliest campaigns of the war. After surviving the battle, Dryden's luck takes a different turn as he avoids fighting on the western front due to a nasty case of scabies and, after being captured, becomes a prisoner of war in Germany. Despite being involved in some of the most dangerous events of the war, Dryden survived to continue the family line.

Chris discovers more good fortune in his family when he learns about his grandad Alf Ramsey, who served in the navy in the Second World War. A trip to HMS Belfast reveals the freezing and dangerous conditions Alf endured during his work on the Arctic convoys, transporting vital supplies from Britain to Russia via the Arctic Ocean. After surviving German bombers and sub-zero temperatures, Alf later became one of the first British servicemen to witness the devastating aftermath of atomic warfare in Japan.

By tracing his family further back, Chris discovers his lucky streak goes back centuries, with the curious story of his five-times great-grandparents Gabriel and Ann's experiences at London's British Lying-In Hospital. One of the few places where poorer women could give birth in safer and more sanitary conditions, it was extremely difficult to secure a place there. In the late 18th century, when his five-times great-grandmother Ann was pregnant, only those lucky enough to pass a rigorous interview and then win a lottery were able to give birth there and help ensure that their children enjoyed a better start in life.

By the end of his journey, Chris's sense of good fortune is firmer than ever. He's here because of a long line of brave and determined ancestors, all helped along by a healthy dose of good luck.

Actor Lesley Manville never knew much about her grandparents but wants to get to the bottom of family rumours surrounding her mum's side of the family. Despite living in a time when having children out of wedlock was a scandalous choice, Lesley's maternal grandparents, James and Harriet, never married - and Lesley and her sister Diana's impression is that their grandfather 'wasn't a very nice man'.

By delving deep into Brighton's local archives, Lesley uncovers a complex story of wartime separation, adultery and the inaccessibility of divorce, which leads to her grandparents' unconventional family arrangement. As the records reveal more details of their lives, Lesley is profoundly moved to discover that her grandad comes across as a kind and loving man.

Tracing back her father's line reveals even more surprises as Lesley sets off to solve what happened to her three-times great grandfather Aaron Harding. With no record of his death, what happened to him is a mystery. A widower with a large family to feed, Aaron protested poor conditions and pay as an agricultural worker in rural Hampshire in 1830 - a protest that would become known as the Swing Riots. As one of the key figures in the riots, Aaron was arrested and subsequently transported to Australia. Lesley follows Aaron's trail to the other side of the world to learn about his final fate and ends up discovering family she never knew existed.