‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Season 16 Premieres This July With Daniel Radcliffe, Kate Winslet, Jack Whitehall And More
BBC One’s long-running genealogy show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?‘ will return for a 16th Season this month, and has a great line-up this year, which kicks off on Monday, 22nd July 2019 with Daniel Radcliffe.
The series, which follows various celebrities as they trace their ancestors, has really outdone themselves with this year’s guests. Alongside ‘Harry Potter’ actor Daniel Radcliffe they have Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet, international media personality and music mogul Sharon Osbourne, James Bond star Naomie Harris, comedian and ‘Have I Got News For You’ captain Paul Merton, comedian Katherine Ryan, and television personality Mark Wright. Lastly, comedian and actor Jack Whitehall who, in a first for the series, is joined by his father Michael Whitehall, as they unravel their families’ pasts.
The series will see Daniel Radcliffe uncover his ancestor’s extraordinary and moving letters from World War One, while Kate Winslet delves into her Swedish roots and learns of an army drummer-boy relative. Jack and Michael Whitehall engage in some ancestral political banter as they identify their link to the Newport Rising. Mark Wright’s exploration sees him discover his Spanish and Jewish heritage – and an ancestor tortured by the Spanish Inquisition.
“We’re delighted to have this incredible line-up of stars and to have captured these journeys of discovery as they explore their extraordinary family trees,” comments Executive Producer for show producers Wall to Wall, Colette Flight. “What they uncover is revelatory, moving, often funny and always fascinating. Many of our celebrities’ ancestors were caught up in momentous historical events which we are covering for the first time in the series.”
One celebrity uncovers an ancestor burned at the stake and another unearths a musical assault involving a banjo. From swordsmanship to solitary confinement, diamond trading to cod fishing and one American Dream gone wrong, the celebrities travel to the likes of Grenada, Jamaica, Sweden and Spain, as they learn challenging truths and embark on extraordinary journeys.
Returning to the screens after a triumphant Bafta win, series 16 promises shocking revelations, laughter, tears and emotions like never before, as eight more celebrities explore their remarkable histories and ancestral secrets begin to unfold.
Series 16 was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Director, BBC Content; and Tom McDonald, BBC Head of Commissioning, Natural History and Specialist Factual. The Commissioning Editor is Abigail Priddle.
‘Who Do You Think You Are?‘ returns for Season 16 from Monday, 22nd July 2019 on BBC One.
