Line-up revealed for new series of Who Do You Think You Are?
Dame Judi Dench, Pixie Lott, Joe Lycett, Alex Scott and Josh Widdicombe among stars set to take part in a new series of Who Do You Think You Are? Dame Judi Dench unearths Danish roots and some intriguing Shakespearean connections, while former Labour Politician and presenter Ed Balls uncovers great bravery and some less admirable conduct. Singer-songwriter Pixie Lott discovers a musical legacy three-generations strong, whilst comedian Joe Lycett discovers a darker side to his family history.
Pundit and former footballer Alex Scott learns about her Jewish and Jamaican heritage, and ancestors that suffered tremendous hardships. YouTuber Joe Sugg discovers a remarkable family history as far back as the Great Fire of London, and comedian Josh Widdicombe traces his lineage back to the Elizabethan and Tudor Courts.
At first, it looks like Ed Balls will uncover an heroic story when he looks into the life of an assistant ship’s surgeon, but the grim reality isn’t quite what he was hoping for. However, he uncovers a more inspiring story when investigating the life of an ancestor who lived through the agricultural depression of the
1820s.
Shakespearean actor, movie star and national treasure
Dame Judi Dench seizes the chance to find out about her forebears in Who Do You Think You Are? starting with her father, Reginald - who never spoke of his experiences during the First World War. Travelling further into her family history, Judi’s investigations lead her to Denmark and nobility, where to her delight she discovers some incredible Shakespearean links.
Comedian and presenter Joe Lycett manages to find humour everywhere, but he discovers a darker family history as he finds out that his two-times-great grandfather was a boy chimney sweep in the 1850s who later joined the Royal Marines and travelled the world, but struggled to process his experiences.
Alex Scott explores the Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side and learns that her great grandad faced down fascism in London’s East End in 1936. She travels to Jamaica to uncover history on the other side of the family and learns of tremendous hardship and suffering, as well as some uncomfortable and upsetting history.
The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? launches on
BBC One this October.