The upcoming series of Who Do You Think You Are? will feature a star-studded line-up including Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield, EastEnders icon Ross Kemp, First Dates' Fred Sirieix and pop sensation Will Young. They will be joined by Motherland's Diane Morgan, Irish comedian Aisling Bea, West End performer Layton Williams and TV journalist Mishal Husain when the BBC show returns next month.
Morgan, known for her portrayal of the hapless historian Philomena Cunk, will delve into a touching love story and her ancestor's courageous battle for the rights of their illegitimate children.
Meanwhile, Kemp, who recently reprised his role in Albert Square for EastEnders' 40th anniversary, embarks on a journey to Casablanca to unravel a family mystery, uncovering along the way that his 4x great grandfather served as a drummer boy during the Napoleonic wars.
Oscar-nominated actor Andrew Garfield, 41, is set to take viewers on an emotional journey from pre-war Poland to the Treblinka Nazi death camp and then into the glitz and glamour of early Hollywood. Meanwhile, actress Aisling Bea, also 41, filmed the show while pregnant with her daughter, who was born last summer.
The star of Channel 4's hit show This Way Up discovers that her family history is deeply intertwined with pivotal moments in Irish history, including a violent tragedy, female resilience, and a fervour for Irish independence, reports the Mirror.
Pop Idol winner Will Young, who has achieved four UK number 1s since his victory in 2002, looks into his grandfather's remarkable WWI experience as a Bomber Command pilot and subsequent Prisoner of War in Germany. The 46-year-old singer also explores further back into his lineage, uncovering both villains and royalty.
French-born TV personality Fred Sirieix, 53, embarks on a journey to his homeland to investigate his family roots, discovering a wartime romance that could easily feature in his long-running Channel 4 series First Dates'. Sirieix also uncovers an unexpected link to winemaking, which is sure to impress his barman Merlin Griffiths.
Layton Williams, 30, delves into his London heritage in the upcoming series of, uncovering an unexpected musical link. The stage actor, who dazzled viewers on Strictly in 2023, also travels to Jamaica to explore some unsettling family history.
Meanwhile, Mishal Husain, 52, traces her lineage back to India, where she learns about an ancestor who served as a personal physician to a Maharaja. In a surprising turn of events, the former BBC News anchor, now a Bloomberg News presenter, is sent to the cast coast of America.
Colette Flight, the executive producer, expressed excitement for this year's eight celebrities, promising they will "entertain and captivate" audiences with their remarkable stories when the series begins on BBC1 in April.
She said: "As they discover their ancestors' adventures, triumphs, trials and tribulations, their rich family stories reveal incredible snapshots of history - including one of the greatest villains of Medieval England, the evacuation at Dunkirk, rescuing art looted by the Nazis, and the birth of American Independence."
Simon Young, the head of BBC History, also said the series would be sure to enthral viewers with the line-up. He said: "The stellar line-up this year is a real treat for our audiences. But so is the history, from the shock of a royal ancestor to epic stories of survival. And that's why this series endures, because it hints at the amazing family micro-histories that make all of us who we are."
The show, which first aired in 2004, continues to draw in around 6million viewers per episode.
