Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie

The family roots of Bill Oddie - recorded as William Edgar Oddie on his birth certificate of 1941 - shed an interesting new light on an intriguing era in working class history. For Bill's 19th-century ancestors worked and weaved in the 'dark satanic mills' of Rochdale, toiling in harsh conditions in an environment that seems as distant to us now as the moon.

Colin Jackson

Colin was born and brought up in Wales, but knows that his parents came from Jamaica in the 1960s. Given the range of ethnic backgrounds associated with Jamaica, Colin's quest revolves around trying to piece together his mixed heritage. To help untangle his roots, Colin started his research by taking a DNA test.

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson goes in search of a family fortune and on the way charts the rise and fall of British manufacturing from mid 19th to mid 20th century, through the Kilner Glass company. It was set up by a distant ancestor and did very well, but went bust in the 1930s. Jeremy wants to know what went wrong and where his inheritance went.

Clare Balding

Sports presenter and broadcaster Clare Balding has always been curious about her maternal great-grandfather and the 'thing that has been sort of whispered in the family - could he have been gay?' Getting to the truth of the matter is a challenge when all the evidence comes from a time when homosexuality was illegal. Digging into her father's side of the family takes Clare to New Jersey and New York, where she uncovers an extraordinary dynasty and American roots stretching back generations.

Sheila Hancock

Actress Sheila Hancock believed that her family's history was very boring. But she discovers that her grandfather was a successful manager and guide for Thomas Cook's travel agents in glamorous Milan, and that her great-grandfather was the superintendent of the Western Pumping Station, part of the Victorians' grand sewage scheme.