Who Do You Think You Are? Series 21: here's what you missed

8-9 minute read

By Daisy Goddard | September 27, 2024

A brand new batch of celebs is delving into their family trees. Here's everything you need to know.

Family history fans will be delighted to hear that everyone's favourite genealogy show, Who Do You Think You Are?, has returned to screens for a new series. Previous episodes have seen everyone from Dame Judi Dench to Danny Dyer discover the stories of their ancestors.

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In Series 20 of Who Do You Think You Are?, Bear Grylls, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lesley Manville and more unearthed fascinating details about their roots. Just a year before, Series 19 gave Sue Perkins, Matt Lucas and Richard Osman the chance to do the same.

The show celebrates its 20 year anniversary in 2024 - making this series an extra special one.

Where can you watch the new season of Who Do You Think You Are?

As ever, Who Do You Think You Are? is airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Regular viewers can expect it to appear at its usual timeslot - Thursdays at 9 pm - after which episodes will be uploaded to BBC iPlayer. To ensure you never miss an episode, you'll be able to watch Series 21 on demand on iPlayer.

Who is in series 21 of Who Do You Think You Are?

Here are the famous faces appearing in the new season, and the moving stories that they uncovered.

Episode 1: Vicky McClure

In the first episode, the BAFTA-winning Line of Duty actress learnt about her great-grandfather Harry Millership's experience as a Prisoner of War in Japan.

Christopher William Adach from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Tracing his life back to childhood, Vicky discovers that Harry worked as a miner in Yorkshire from the age of 14. He worked in the pits for 18 years, before serving in the Second World War. Harry's regiment was sent to Singapore in 1941. Just a year later, Harry was taken as a prisoner of war, and transported from Singapore to a POW camp in Taiwan.

Vicky follows in Harry's footsteps, travelling to Taiwan and visiting the mine that he and his fellow POWs were forced to work in. In a tragic turn of events, Harry died in the camp, when he fell down a hole in the mine.

Vicky's emotional journey concludes with a visit to a war memorial that bears her great-grandfather's name. Vicky's family history took her on an unforgettable journey from Nottingham to Taiwan. If your ancestor was a prisoner of war during the Second World War, their name may just appear within our Prisoner of War records, 1715-1945.

Episode 2: Paddy McGuinness

In the second episode of series 21, comedian and TV presented Paddy McGuinness took a closer look at his Irish surname and discovered his grandfather's moving wartime contributions.

Simon P Blackburn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Paddy started the episode with many questions - who were his grandparents and great-grandparents, and does he have Irish ancestors? He begins by delving into the life of his maternal grandfather, James Leonard. Born in 1911 to parents Patrick and Annie Leonard, James was placed in a Cottage Home due to domestic abuse. James persevered despite this tough start to life - in 1939, he was working for an Airplane Works in Bolton. View James' 1939 Register record for yourself.

Paddy then turned his attention to his father's side, learning that his paternal grandfather was William McGuinness. This Bolton-born ancestor had a remarkable life - in 1899, he travelled to South Africa to fight in the Anglo-Boer War. His military records tale a story of true heroism, and Paddy was taken aback when he got the chance to hold his very own grandfather's war medal - linking him closely to a man that he never knew.

Paddy finally discovers his Irish roots, in the form of his great-grandmother Bridget, whose baptism record reveals that she was from Ballina in County Mayo. Paddy's Irish ancestors were weavers, who migrated to the north-west of England in the early 19th century to find work in the textile trade. They moved to Stockport, then found their way to Bolton, where Paddy McGuinness was born and raised.

Episode 3: Melanie Chisholm
The third episode of the season saw ‘Sporty Spice’ Melanie Chisholm trace her roots in Liverpool and Ireland.

Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Melanie first discovered the story of her paternal great-grandmother Mary Bilsborough, who is listed as a moneylender in the 1939 Register.

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Melanie then turned her attention to Mary’s grandfather, Patrick Flaherty, who was born in Croom, County Limerick. A journey to Ireland revealed the hardship faced by Melanie’s tenant farmer ancestors. Hit hard by poverty and famine in the 1840s, Melanie’s relatives moved from the rural village of Croom to Limerick city, then from there to Liverpool in search of work – millions of Irish families made this difficult journey in the 19th century.

Melanie traced her maternal side, also from Liverpool, and uncovered the moving story of her 4x great-grandfather Thomas Keef, who was orphaned at age eight. Despite facing challenges including growing up in a workhouse, Thomas led a long and successful life - the 1851 Census finds him married with three children.

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He worked as a baker, before becoming an insurance manager in Bristol.

Episode 4: Rose Ayling-Ellis

Actress, model, disability rights campaigner and Strictly star Rose Alying-Ellis discovered a story from within the Birmingham branches of her family tree.

Meena, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rose began her journey at her mum's house in Kent, where she learnt of her 3x great-grandmother, who ran a pub in Birmingham. Without even a name, she headed to Birmingham to piece together the story of this feisty character. Rose and a local historian discover that her ancestor was Agnes Chilton. Agnes ran multiple pubs in her lifetime, including the Aston Tavern, which she managed singlehandedly after the death of her husband Alfred. We found Agnes at the Aston Tavern in 1911.

Turning to the paternal side of her family, Rose discovers that her great-grandfather Harold was one of 17 children. The family lived in Exeter's slums and scraped by on a porter's wage. Rose also learns that James Welland (Harold's father and Rose's 2x great-grandfather) had lost his hand in an accident, and had it replaced with a hook.

A little digging reveals that James lost his hand while working on the railroads. Though he attempted to claim compensation from his employer, James was denied it. Rose was moved by this story of struggle from within her family tree.

Episode 5: Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill

Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis-Hill travelled to Jamaica to learn the story of an ancestor who went from enslavement to owning his own land.

Alasdair Middleton from Rothesay, Scotland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Jess started her journey in the Peak District, where her maternal grandparents live. She delves into a family mystery, revealing how her 2x great-grandmother Emily Maud (known as Maud) left with a suitcase, never to be seen by her children again. Maud’s story proves to be a fascinating one – Jess uncovers that Maud took her husband to court for assault. By 1921, we find Maud in the South Yorkshire Asylum. Tracing her life forward, Jess was moved to discover that Maud later died in a psychiatric hospital in 1970, when Jess’ great-grandfather was 58, and her grandfather was 31.

Jess also made discoveries on her father’s side, who hail from Linstead, Jamaica. Jess traced six generations of her Jamaican ancestors. A will record reveals that her 4x great-grandfather, George Thomas White, who was born into slavery in 1795, left a large sum of money to his children.

Despite the trickiness of tracing records for enslaved people, Jess discovers that George was a cooper on a sugar plantation. After the abolition of slavery in 1840, he saved money to buy land for himself – purchasing 25 acres of the very land that he had been enslaved on.

Episode 6: Olly Murs

Popstar Olly Murs followed the story of a circus performing ancestor overseas to Latvia.

CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

After visiting his dad in Witham, Essex, Olly Murs delved into the story of his late grandfather Eddie, who was born in Latvia. As a child, he was separated from his mother Veronika and travelled to Germany and England with his father Eduard Murs and stepmother Katrine.

Olly's family history took him overseas, to Riga, the capital of Latvia. He visited the circus where his great-grandfather Eduard worked and learned that Eduard and Katrine performed internationally as a double act. He discovered that his grandfather Eddie was born out of wedlock, to a trapeze artist named Veronika, who was heartbreakingly separated from her son during the Second World War. Eddie travelled with his father to a refugee camp in Germany, before being relocated to Harwich in Essex.

Although Olly's grandfather Eddie had always believed that his mother abandoned him, newspaper reports reveal how Veronika searched for Eddie after the war - even attempting to track him down via the International Red Cross. To close out this emotive episode, Olly visited Veronika's unmarked grave. In a story of migration and hope, Olly reflected on the immense struggles endured by his Latvian ancestors.

Episode 7: Gemma Collins

In her episode, TOWIE star and 'Essex royalty' Gemma Collins met a family member that she didn't even know existed...

GemmaCollagen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Gemma began at the home of her mother Joan, who was fostered just two weeks after she was born. She set out to discover the story of her maternal grandmother, also called Joan, and uncovered a long history of mental health issues beginning was Joan was diagnosed with schizophrenia aged 13.

She discovered that her great-grandfather (Joan’s father) was William Williams, born in 1900 to parents William (b.1857) and Thirza (1863). William grew up on what the Daily Mail dubbed ‘the worst street in London’, Dorset Street in East London – it was also where Mary Jane Kelly was killed by Jack the Ripper in 1888. We found Gemma’s ancestor William and his family living on Dorset Street in the 1901 Census.

Gemma discovered that after the death of her 2x great-grandfather William died, his wife Thirza stayed in the East End. With a little digging, we found her in the 1939 Register, living with her daughter at 2A George’s Square. Both women are widows – Julia is working as a furniture polisher, while her 75-year-old mother Thirza is ‘incapacitated’.

Where will your past take you?

Here at Findmypast, we don't believe in leaving the life-changing family history discoveries to the stars. All of us have surprising stories within our family trees - with a little digging, we can uncover things we never would've expected.

The Findmypast team took Laura Collins on an unforgettable journey, tracing the life of her great-grandfather Eli, who lost an arm during the First World War.

You can watch the full video and take a deep dive into Laura's story via the Findmypast blog.

Header image credits:

Christopher William Adach from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons / Carfax2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons / Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.