Seasons & episodes
S11 · E6Mary Berry 2014-09-11 · 60 min
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.
S11 · E7Martin Shaw 2014-09-18 · 60 min
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.
S11 · E8Reggie Yates 2014-09-25 · 60 min
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.
S11 · E9Billy Connolly 2014-10-02 · 60 min
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 an extraordinary 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.
S11 · E10Twiggy 2014-10-09 · 60 min
Twiggy grew up in London but her parents told her nothing at all about her family. She finds out about a history of strong women as well as a hint of crime.
S12 · E1Paul Hollywood 2015-08-13 · 60 min
Paul Hollywood looks into his family's past this week. His journey takes him first to North Africa where his grandfather had only just completed his training when he found himself in Tunisia as part of the Light Anti-Aircraft division tasked with protecting infantry from enemy air attack during a major Allied offensive to take Tunis from the Germans. He then makes his way to Italy where he learns his grandfather was part of the landing force that became surrounded by German forces and trapped on the beaches at Anzio for four months.
S12 · E2Jane Seymour 2015-08-20 · 60 min
Jane Seymour was born Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg and knows that there is Jewish ancestry on her father’s side of the family. She wants to find out about her Jewish great aunts Michaela and Jadwiga and their lives under Nazi occupation.
S12 · E3Derek Jacobi 2015-08-27 · 60 min
Actor Derek Jacobi discovers that he is descended from a Huguenot fleeing persecution.
S12 · E4Jerry Hall 2015-09-03 · 60 min
Jerry Hall knows her father’s family originally came from Oldham, but wants to discover how they ended up in America.
S12 · E5Gareth Malone 2015-09-10 · 60 min
Gareth Malone wants to know how far back his musical gene goes and he attempts to find out more. His investigations into his mother's side of the family take him to London's West End, where he learns that his great-great-grandfather was a star of musical comedy and performed in front of George V.
S12 · E6Anne Reid 2015-09-17 · 60 min
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.
S12 · E7Frank Gardner 2015-09-24 · 60 min
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.
S12 · E8Anita Rani 2015-10-01 · 60 min
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.
S12 · E9Mark Gatiss 2015-10-08 · 60 min
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 the family 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!
S12 · E10Frances de la Tour 2015-10-22 · 60 min
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, an illegitimate 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.
S13 · E1Danny Dyer 2016-11-24 · 60 min
EastEnders actor Danny Dyer hopes that he will 'freak a few people out' with his family history. Danny sets out to discover the history of his tough working-class family in the East End of London, but in the process he unearths an extraordinary lineage stretching back to the Norman conquest.
S13 · E2Amanda Holden 2016-12-01 · 60 min
Amanda Holden has always heard stories about a rumoured French ancestry on her mum's side, and 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 is moved to discover how he helped others through a harrowing tragedy.
S13 · E3Liz Bonnin 2016-12-08 · 60 min
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 plantation - and slaves. What she discovers is more complicated than she could have ever imagined.
S13 · E4Cheryl 2016-12-15 · 60 min
Singer Cheryl traces her roots and discovers a sea-faring ancestor and a family tragedy.
S13 · E5Ricky Tomlinson 2016-12-22 · 60 min
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.
S13 · E6Ian McKellen 2017-01-25 · 60 min
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 Britain's 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.
S13 · E7Greg Davies 2017-02-01 · 60 min
Greg Davies uncovers the deepest Welsh roots anyone could wish for.
S13 · E8Warwick Davis 2017-02-15 · 60 min
Actor Warwick Davis owes his big break aged 11 to his paternal grandmother Edith, who heard a radio ad 'looking 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 three-times-great-grandfather - a postman who lived a double life.
S13 · E9Sunetra Sarker 2017-02-22 · 60 min
Actor Sunetra Sarker sets out to explore her Bengali heritage.