Two-time Bafta Award-winning genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? returns to BBC One with another star-studded line up. The new series launches on BBC One on Thursday 26 May.
Sue Perkins, Richard Osman, Matt Lucas, Anna Maxwell Martin and Ralf Little follow in their ancestors’ footsteps in this new five-part series with stories of bravery, loss, heartbreak, sacrifice, resilience and joy filtering down through the generations.
- Sue Perkins – English actress, broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer. Originally coming to prominence through her comedy partnership in Mel and Sue, she has since become best known as a radio broadcaster and television presenter, notably of The Great British Bake Off.
- Richard Osman – television presenter, producer, novelist and comedian. He is the creator and co-presenter of the BBC One television quiz show Pointless.[1] He has presented the BBC Two quiz shows Two Tribes and Richard Osman’s House of Games and served as a team captain on the comedy panel shows Insert Name Here and The Fake News Show.
- Matt Lucas – English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2007, 2020) and Come Fly With Me (2010–2011).
- Anna Maxwell Martin – British actress. She has won two British Academy Television Awards, for her portrayals of Esther Summerson in the BBC’s 2005 adaptation of Bleak House and “N” in Channel 4’s 2008 adaptation of Poppy Shakespeare. She is also known for her roles as DCS Patricia Carmichael in BBC One crime drama Line of Duty (2019–present) and as Kelly Major in Code 404.
- Ralf Little – English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
In the opening episode presenter, comedian and (we learn) enthusiastic boxer Sue Perkins investigates the poignant story of her orphaned grandfather and a great grandfather interned as an ‘enemy alien’ during the First World War.
In the second episode, quiz show presenter and crime novelist Richard Osman learns that one of his ancestors ended up entangled in a notorious murder trial.
Actor, comedian and presenter Matt Lucas wants to know more about his Jewish grandmother Margot, who came to the UK from Germany in 1939. The Holocaust looms large in what he discovers, in both Berlin and Amsterdam. Actress Anna Maxwell Martin discovers a harrowing story of separation in her grandfather’s childhood which is redeemed by family solidarity, and actor Ralf Little is delighted to discover a footballing legacy and a deeper connection to his hometown of Manchester.
“We are pleased to be back with a brand new series of Who Do You Think You Are. It’s great to see some of our most loved celebrities trace their family history through these remarkable journeys, and their compelling stories. It’s such an extraordinary series, one that has story and heart at the centre, with a real resonance that brings history to life and shines a light on who and where we are now.”
Carl Callam, BBC Commissioning Editor for Documentaries
“Who Do You Think You Are? is back with another line-up of Britain’s best loved celebrities delving into their family trees, taking us from Brighton to Berlin, Manchester to Amsterdam, and Scotland to Lithuania.
“In an extraordinary array of stories they uncover a Victorian murder trial, personal tragedy, sporting triumph, and families fleeing for their lives and caught up in the tide of war. The stories are at once unique and universal – a reminder of our shared history and how it has shaped who we are today.”
Colette Flight, Executive Producer for Wall To Wall
Source & Picture Credit: BBC
Picture: Sue Perkins Appears in Who Do You Think You Are?
