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.
Source: BBC 1
Series 21: 4. Rose Ayling-ellis
Rose Ayling-Ellis came to fame on EastEnders and captured the nation’s hearts when she won Strictly. Since then, she’s used her platform to campaign for deaf rights. ...
05-09-2024
BBC 1
Series 21: 3. Melanie Chisholm
Melanie Chisholm found fame as Sporty Spice in the world-famous girl band The Spice Girls. Today, she’s an award-winning solo artist and believes that her success is partl ...
04-09-2024
BBC 1
Series 21: 2. Paddy Mcguinness
Presenter, actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness knows nothing about his family, except for the name of one of his grandparents. With a surname like McGuinness, he’s pretty ...
29-08-2024
BBC 1
Series 21: 1. Vicky Mcclure
Actor Vicky McClure was watched by millions when she played Detective Inspector Kate Fleming, tracking down corrupt coppers in Line of Duty. Now, Vicky wants to solve some myste ...
22-08-2024
BBC 1
Series 19: 1. Sue Perkins
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 en ...
18-07-2024
BBC 1
Series 18: 6. Joe Sugg
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 ap ...
08-07-2024
BBC 1
Series 18: 3. Alex Scott
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 di ...
12-06-2024
BBC 1
Series 19: 5. Ralf Little
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 ...
24-05-2024
BBC 1
Series 18: 5. Pixie Lott
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 an ...
23-05-2024
BBC 1
Series 16: 8. Mark Wright
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 anc ...
22-05-2024
BBC 1
Series 19: 2. Richard Osman
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 enta ...
03-08-2023
BBC 1
Series 20: 4. Kevin Clifton
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 &lsquo ...
28-06-2023
BBC 1
Series 17: 4. Liz Carr
Silent Witness actor Liz Carr gets forensic about her family history. She investigates a rumour that an ancestor was involved in some sort of assault, discovering that her pater ...
10-08-2023
BBC 1
Series 15: 2. Olivia Colman
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, Ol ...
14-07-2021
BBC 1
Series 19: 3. Matt Lucas
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. Mat ...
25-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 17: 2. David Walliams
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 prolonge ...
17-01-2022
BBC 1
Series 18: 4. Joe Lycett
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 ...
25-11-2021
BBC 1
Series 15: 1. Michelle Keegan
Our Girl actress Michelle Keegan uncovers some exceptional women on her family tree. On her mother's side Michelle discovers that her Gibraltarian great-grandmother Leonor had t ...
04-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 7 - Bruce Forsyth
Celebrity genealogy series. Entertainer Bruce Forsyth travels to America to investigate claims that his great-grandfather was married to two women at once.
13-10-2014
BBC 1