Victoria Pendleton: the Olympic hero discovers resilience deep in her family history

Hayley McQueen uncovers a pivotal decision in her family of footballers past

In the latest episode of Questions & Ancestors, host Alex Jones sits down with renowned sports broadcaster Hayley McQueen to delve into her family roots and dig into her Celtic heritage. From a family of footballers, including her father, legendary Scottish international Gordon McQueen, Hayley shares her long-standing curiosity about rumoured connections to Ireland and speculation about Viking ancestry - but is any of it true?  Guided by Ancestry’s senior genetic genealogist, Laura House, Hayley’s story is pieced together through historic records, birth and death certificates, and AncestryDNA analysis. The investigation uncovers a pivotal migration story, moving newspaper articles and a proud heritage. Don’t miss how a "wild card" name search may have finally revealed the truth about her family’s Irish past. To see the newspaper article featuring Hayley’s grandmother Mildred McQueen, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QwCyriTlwtY?si=ThR7pN7fK5l6Fmjg Subscribe here for your weekly dose of Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones and read more at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/] Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones is brought to you by Ancestry and produced by Telegraph Media Group. CREDITS  Host: Alex Jones Senior Genetic Genealogist at Ancestry: Laura House, MSc.   Telegraph Media Group Executive producers: Tom Gadd, Andrea Paterson, Vanessa Woodgate Creative director: Jonathan Clayton-Jones Video producer: Ed Emsley Biscuit Jim Executive producers: Kellie Redmond, Geoff Jein #telegraph #hayleymcqueen #ancestryuk #ancestrydna #familyhistory #familyhistoryresearch #dna #partnerships #podcast #alexjones #campaign #ad #celebrityinterviews #celebrityinterview ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Adrian Lester: a genetic journey to long lost African origins

In the latest episode of Questions & Ancestors host Alex Jones sits down with multi-award-winning actor and director Adrian Lester to explore his Caribbean heritage and family links to Jamaica. Adrian shares his motivation to find out where his family was taken from during the transatlantic slave trade, noting that for many, "history stops at the point where people were trafficked". There are centuries of family history that are likely to remain a mystery.  Guided by Ancestry’s senior genetic genealogist, Laura House, an AncestryDNA analysis traces Adrian's bloodline back to specific countries in Africa and connects him to thousands of living relatives, providing a springboard to search for more answers. Don’t miss the moment Adrian sees how a "jigsaw piece fits in" and his assumptions about his origins are shifted. To see Adrian’s DNA Origins results revealed, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aVSNRmQaMAQ?si=IPLad7voCT_bUEbV Plus, in this episode, Alex Jones explores her own genetic origins — is she really as Welsh as she believes? Subscribe here for your weekly dose of Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones and read more at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/] Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones is brought to you by Ancestry and produced by Telegraph Media Group. CREDITS  Host: Alex Jones Senior Genetic Genealogist at Ancestry: Laura House, MSc.   Telegraph Media Group Executive producers: Tom Gadd, Andrea Paterson, Vanessa Woodgate Creative director: Jonathan Clayton-Jones Video producer: Ed Emsley Biscuit Jim Executive producers: Kellie Redmond, Geoff Jein #telegraph #adrianlester #ancestryuk #ancestrydna #familyhistory #familyhistoryresearch #dna #partnerships #podcast #alexjones #campaign #ad #celebrityinterviews #celebrityinterview ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Victoria Pendleton: the Olympic hero discovers resilience deep in her family history

Famous faces discover their roots with Questions and Ancestors from Ancestry! In this episode, host Alex Jones is joined by double Olympic gold medalist Victoria Pendleton and senior genetic genealogist Laura House, to uncover the secrets hidden within Victoria’s family tree. Despite expecting nothing out of the ordinary, Victoria discovers an extraordinary story of resilience in her great-great-grandfather, Trevor Bannister. Born to an unmarried mother and raised with an abusive stepfather, Trevor defiantly reclaimed his maternal identity and channeled his childhood hardships into a life of profound kindness — raising his wife’s orphaned sister and spending his later years helping other orphans. Reframing her own drive and determination through the inspiring legacy of her ancestors, Victoria also shares insights from her new book, The Fear Opportunity.  To see Victoria’s childhood drawing she made of her ambitions (aged 11), watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/btzrgTlBhDw?si=tcps9mYxgK7qh1KW Subscribe here for your weekly dose of Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones and read more at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/] Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones is brought to you by Ancestry and produced by Telegraph Media Group. CREDITS  Host: Alex Jones Senior Genetic Genealogist at Ancestry: Laura House, MSc.   Telegraph Media Group Executive producers: Tom Gadd, Andrea Paterson, Vanessa Woodgate Creative director: Jonathan Clayton-Jones Video producer: Ed Emsley Biscuit Jim Executive producers: Kellie Redmond, Geoff Jein #telegraph #victoriapendleton #ancestryuk #ancestrydna #familyhistory #familyhistoryresearch #dna #partnerships #podcast #alexjones #campaign #ad #celebrityinterviews #celebrityinterview ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Clive Anderson discovers a surprising story about his family tree

Ever wondered if your family rumours are actually true? In this episode of Questions & Ancestors, host Alex Jones sits down with legendary comedian and former barrister Clive Anderson to swap courtroom wits for some serious family drama. Guided by Ancestry genealogist Laura House, a surprising DNA test completely rewrites Clive’s maternal history, uncovering a 19th-century court scandal, severe poverty, and a secret romance with a local baker that changes everything he thought he knew. Plus, stick around until the end when host Alex Jones jumps into the hot seat to investigate her own family legend: is she actually related to the Mayor of Paris, or has a century-old game of telephone twisted the truth? To see Clive’s great-great-grandmother’s Parish Marriage Register Certificate, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MgeQU-z6mhk?si=I0WZ1t8BbFdaKwSH Subscribe here for your weekly dose of Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones and read more at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/] Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones is brought to you by Ancestry and produced by Telegraph Media Group. CREDITS  Host: Alex Jones Senior Genetic Genealogist at Ancestry: Laura House, MSc.   Telegraph Media Group Executive producers: Tom Gadd, Andrea Paterson, Vanessa Woodgate Creative director: Jonathan Clayton-Jones Video producer: Ed Emsley Biscuit Jim Executive producers: Kellie Redmond, Geoff Jein #telegraph #cliveanderson #ancestryuk #ancestrydna #familyhistory #familyhistoryresearch #dna #partnerships #podcast #alexjones #campaign #ad #celebrityinterviews #celebrityinterview ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sally Phillips unravels a mystery family adoption

In this debut episode, much-loved British comedian Sally Phillips sits down with Alex Jones to unpack the answers to the questions she has about her family story, especially the life of her maternal grandmother, May Wheeldon. “We found out at her funeral that she was adopted, and we didn’t know that,” Sally says. Was this really a traumatic part of May’s life that no one had known anything about, or was it just speculation and assumption? Sally explores these unanswered questions with Alex and Laura House, Ancestry’s senior genetic genealogist and family research expert. To see the video of Sally’s grandmother May Wheeldon watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lqsZRhKp-CQ?si=yrdWaoWVnXr9x2Sm Subscribe here for your weekly dose of Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones and read more at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/ancestry-podcast/] Questions & Ancestors with Alex Jones is brought to you by Ancestry and produced by Telegraph Media Group. CREDITS  Host: Alex Jones Senior Genetic Genealogist at Ancestry: Laura House, MSc.   Telegraph Media Group Executive producers: Tom Gadd, Andrea Paterson, Vanessa Woodgate, Alex Kelly Creative director: Jonathan Clayton-Jones Video producer: Ed Emsley Biscuit Jim Executive producers: Kellie Redmond, Geoff Jein #telegraph #sallyphillips #ancestryuk #ancestrydna #familyhistory #familyhistoryresearch #dna #partnerships #podcast #alexjones #campaign #ad #celebrityinterviews #celebrityinterview  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.