11 June 2024
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The line-up of celebrities for the forthcoming series of Who Do You Think You Are? has been announced, with the likes of Mel C, Paddy McGuinness, Olly Murs, and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill set to discover more about their ancestry.
The popular family history show Who Do You Think You Are? returns to BBC One and iPlayer this summer, as another set of celebrities explore their family trees. In the series, seven celebrities uncover family secrets, revealing stories of circus antics, embezzlement, life-changing accidents, the Cold War, and triumphs against the odds.
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- BAFTA-winning actress Vicky McClure discovers her great-grandfather's harrowing experience as a Japanese Prisoner of War.
- Presenter Paddy McGuinness uncovers his grandfather's crucial WWII role and explores his McGuinness heritage in Ireland.
- Popstar Olly Murs delights in his circus-performing ancestors in Latvia.
- Mel C unearths a political activist and stories of surviving the Great Famine in Ireland.
- Rose Ayling-Ellis finds an incident mirroring an EastEnders episode in Birmingham.
- Gemma Collins meets a previously unknown family member, tracing her Essex roots further back than expected.
- Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill learns of her ancestor's journey from enslavement to landownership in Jamaica.
Over the past 20 years, celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, and Kate Winslet have unraveled family secrets, connecting to global royalty and historical figures.
Simon Young, BBC Head of History, said:
"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."
The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? launches on BBC One and iPlayer this summer, produced by Wall to Wall Media and distributed by Warner Bros. International Television Production.