New series of Who Do You Think You Are 2024

How to research the topics covered in the series

Following each episode of Who Do You Think You Are? we will include top tips to help you trace the topics covered in that episode, providing useful information on the geographical areas, occupations, useful record types and essential research steps to take to embark on your own family history adventures.

We'll include the top tips below - so bookmark this web page, or sign up to our free enewsletter and we'll share the new tips with you each week.

Follow research tips used by Vicky McClure - to learn about her abandoned baby grandmother in the 1920s and her WW2 great-grandfather who died as a prisoner of war.

Follow research tips used by Paddy McGuinness - to learn about his Spitfire aircraft works grandfather and his Boer War grandfather

Follow research tips used by Melanie Chisholm - to learn about her ancestors' tough times on Scottie Road, Liverpool

Which celebrities are in the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are?

Family history research into the past of seven celebrities will be showcased in this, the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are? We've listed them in alphabetical order by surname below, and the first episode in the new series will feature Vicky McClure at 9pm on Thursday 15 August on BBC 1.

Get your own family history started with a FREE video!

We're also celebrating the new series by offering family historians everywhere a free video on using the popular Ancestry website.

Getting started with Ancestry webinar recording 

With over 30 billion records, Ancestry is a great place to start your family history. Whether you’re new to genealogy or just looking for a refresher, Laura House has some top tips for building your tree, navigating the database, and exploring your DNA results.

SIGN UP AND CLAIM YOUR FREE VIDEO

Who Do You Think You Are? 2024 line-up

• Eastenders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis (Image CC BY SA 4.0)
• Spice Girls Sport Spice, Melanie Chisholm, aka Mel C
• The Only Way is Essex personality Gemma Collins 
• Retired Olympian Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill
• Line of Duty actor Vicky McClure (Image CC BY 3.0)
• Comedian and Top Gear and Question of Sport presenter Paddy McGuinness
• Singer-song-writer Olly Murs

BAFTA and RTS award-winning actress Vicky McClure finds out the harrowing story of her great-grandfather’s experience as a Japanese Prisoner of War. Closer to home, presenter, actor and comedian Paddy McGuinness discovers his grandfather’s crucial role during World War Two and investigates his McGuinness surname in Ireland, discovering he nearly wasn’t a McGuinness at all.

BRIT nominated popstar Olly Murs heads overseas to Riga in Latvia and is delighted to discover his circus performing ancestors, revealing that entertainment does in fact run in his blood. Former Spice Girl and musical artist Melanie Chisholm (Mel C) unearths a political activist and the story of how her family survived the Great Famine in Ireland. Actor, presenter and disability rights campaigner

Rose Ayling-Ellis unveils an incident which uncannily mirrors an episode of EastEnders, having taken place in a pub in Birmingham.

Elsewhere, emotions run high for Essex-born reality TV royalty Gemma Collins, as she meets a family member she never knew she had and discovers her Essex roots go back even further than she thought. Olympic gold medallist and former heptathlon world champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill travels to Jamaica, where she learns about her relative’s journey from being enslaved to owning his own land.

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.”

Colette Flight, Executive Producer for Wall to Wall Media, said:

“In our twentieth year on air, we’re delighted to be back with more of Britain’s most popular celebrities investigating their family trees. As always, we’ve revealed extraordinary stories and moments from history that we’ve never told before, and the celebrities have been moved to tears, laughter, anger and joy learning about their ancestors’ lives.”

Episode Number: 1 - Vicky McClure: Credit: BBC/Wall to Wall/Stephen Perry