The new series of the UK series of Who Do You Think You Are? is to open with Julie Walters, on BBC One.
The new UK series of Who Do You Think You Are? is almost with us.
Actress and Novelist Julie Walters CBE will be leading this year’s celebrities, as the show celebrates its 10th year in the UK. The BBC One series begins on Thursday 7th August at 9pm.
Other celebrities going under the researcher’s spotlight are: Brian Blessed, Tamzin Outhwaite, Brendan O’Carroll (who has been rumoured since the last series by the Irish Independent), Sheridan Smith, Mary Berry, Martin Shaw, Reggie Yates, Twiggy, and Billy Connolly.
The series will be preceded by a special documentary about the series’ 10 years of genealogy, on 6th August at 10:35pm, that will look back on the outstanding moments from this award-winning series.
If you’re struggling to wait for the series to begin, and you’re in the UK with use of iPlayer, then check out The Secret History of Our Streets for a fascinating look at urban life in the UK.
Sarah Millican wins 67% of the ‘favourite Who Do You Think You Are? UK series 10 episode’ vote, but where did the rest of the celebrities rank? Plus, rumours for series 11 in 2014.
A few months back, I ran a poll on this blog, where you could vote for your favourite episode from the 10th Series of the UK version of Who Do You Think You Are?, with voting split between the first and second half of the series.
Having collated all of the votes together, for all 10 celebrity episodes, there is a clear winner.
Comedian, Sarah Millican, won the poll with 67% of the votes.
Her voting surged after she retweeted the link to the poll.
In her episode, she aimed to find out about her family’s history in the South Shields area of the UK, and also to see if she could find something her family could be proud of. Well, Sarah, (if you’re reading), you can be proud of your poll glory too.
Her nearest rival to this glory came from actor Nitin Ganatra who scored 11%, and in third came actor and singer Minnie Driver with 7%.
If you’re the kind of person who likes pies and charts, you’re in luck:
Gary Linekar and Nigel Havers languished in joint last place, both with just one vote each. Nick Hewer managed to muster two votes – a score that would surely get him fired.
Who Do You Think You Are? UK Series 11 for 2014?
Whilst I’ve yet to see confirmation that the 11th series of Who Do You Think You Are? is coming this year, it was reported by the Irish Independent in November, that comedian and writer Brendan O’Carroll – who is most famous for playing Agnes Brown in ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ – has filmed his episode.
Brendan O’Carrol as Agnes Brown in ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’. Photograph: Alan Peebles/BBC
Not all of the celebrities that I suspected, have appeared in this first half, and some I didn’t guess correctly, or didn’t even guess at all.
Which episode, from this first half of this series, is your favourite? Vote now – the poll closes in 1 month, by which time, we’ll almost be at the end of the series.
Utilising my search skills to see if i can find the celebrities that will feature in the 2013 BBC UK series of Who Do You Think You Are?
The internet is full of the great news and excitement that the US version of Who Do You Think You Are? has been picked up again by network TLC.
This has got me wondering who will be featuring in the forthcoming 2013 series of the UK edition of Who Do You Think You Are?, so I thought that I would employ my research skills to see if I could find out (naturally, I checked Twitter for those on-set spoiler tweets).
Sarah Millican (Comedian)
Comedian and writer Sarah Millican couldn’t be lured into giving any revelations about what is lurking in her ancestry – even after I offered my own prediction:
Gary Lineker (former Footballer, Sports TV Presenter, crisp advertiser)
Gary’s involvement was confirmed earlier in the year, after he tweeted about it, joking ‘..I’m a descendant of The Elephant Man. Would explain a couple of things.’
Filming Who do you think you are. They won’t tell me anything about what we’re doing over next fortnight
One helpful follower pointed out a possible ancestral trait (his ears) that might originate from the African plains!
Prediction: The Lineker ancestors will turn out to have invented the potato, which they originally used to kick around, as they didn’t realise it could be eaten.
Hollywood A-lister, Minnie Driver, turned heads at Stockton Library when filming her episode back in February this year. The article quotes her as researching her father’s family.
In a short series of tweets, she added this (amusing?) snippet of information:
staying at Crathorne Hall in Yorkshire, visiting my Dad’s past. Its basically Downton. Rather sad the dresscode is so informal
In the meantime, while we wait for the new series, turn your speakers on, press play on the video below and close your eyes…. and imagine your very own episode..
History Repeating 