Series 16 of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ has begun. A dazzling array of stars are lined up to dig deep into their familial roots.
Narrated by the Poldark actor Phil Davis, the popular BBC programme explores the family trees of the rich and famous. Highlights of past shows include Danny Dyer, with his discovery that he is a descendant of royalty, and spawned the creations of many a meme. [There’s a hilarious 90-second clip here of Danny’s reactions to the various revelations.
Harry Potter star
This year, willing participants include Daniel Radcliffe, better known as Harry Potter, the Hollywood star Kate Winslet and former X-Factor judge Sharon Osborne. During his episode, Daniel Radcliffe will be looking into his ancestor’s World War One correspondence. Coincidentally, Daniel played a WW1 soldier in the drama My Boy Jack when he took on the role of Rudyard Kipling’s son—John Kipling. The writer’s son disappeared after the Battle of Loos. His body was never found.
Why do people like to explore their family trees
Why are people so keen to discover their family tree? Apart from the happy incident of stumbling on a royal heritage as Danny Dyer, there are many reasons that motivate genealogical research. They include:
- Validating your family stories—most of us have a grandfather, a great aunt or other relative who will make claims for various ancestors.
- Historical events—the flurry of events marking the start and end of World War One triggered many searches through family trees to find out ancestor involvement in the war.
- Tracing family inheritance—to determine a connection to a distant relative who has passed away and seems to have no next of kin. Finders International specialises in validating family trees and finding the next of kin. Please see our services to find out more.
- Finding birth parents—people who are adopted often want to discover more about their biological family.
- Religious reasons—members of the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints) often research their family trees so they can convert ancestors to Mormonism in order to fit with the requirement for life after death.
- Medical reasons—a person might want to look at the risks of getting medical conditions that often run in families, such as type 2 diabetes or certain cancers.
- History—history comes alive when someone has a personal connection. Many parents use family tree exploration to explain history to their children.
The new series of Who Do You Think You Are is thought to start on the BBC in August.
Finders International offer a next of kin tracing service. For more information or to refer a case, contact us on 0800 085 8796 or [email protected].