WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

The success of the BBC1 series Who Do You Think You Are? underlines the popularity of discovering family trees in recent years. It also proves that most of us have ancestors who were both rich and poor, and good and bad.

The discoveries are often staggering. Just ask the former great British rower Matthew Pinsent. Who, it was discovered, is a descendant of Jesus! Though it transpired that it wasn't quite the big deal it had initially appeared...

Bubbly actress Barbara Windsor found out that one of her ancestors was the painter Thomas Gainsborough, while actor John Hurt was so unhappy at some of his findings that it looked like he didn't want to delve any further into his ancestral roots! Boris Johnson's past was as colourful as you might expect, and actress Emilia Fox's search featured a story about an ancestor whose notable achievements ended in tragedy and a ruined reputation.

The first series of Who Do You Think You Are? was shown in 2004 on BBC2, and Goodies legend Bill Oddie was the focus of the first episode. The first series of Who Do You Think You Are? was also the BBC2's most popular series of 2004. The series only transferred to BBC1 when the third series was broadcast in 2006.

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