Born to an Irish mum and a Jamaican dad, Dev Griffin grew up feeling he didn’t fit in either community. He hopes discovering more about his ancestors will help him strengthen his sense of identity and belonging.\n\nOn his first ever trip to Ireland, Dev uncovers the momentous events surrounding the lives of his Irish grandmother’s dad, his great-grandad Frank Weafer, and Frank’s brother Patrick, Dev’s great-great-uncle. Both were involved in Ireland’s fight for independence in the early 20th century. Patrick Weafer marched to Dublin to fight in the Easter Rising, a decision that put him in a gunfight on Dublin’s rooftops and in the middle of one of the most significant events in modern Irish history.\n\nSimilar to his brother, Frank became involved in the republican movement during the Irish War of Independence and had a role in a cycling corps, delivering intelligence messages. Both lived to see the declaration of the Irish Free State.\n\nNext, Dev travels to Kilkee on the west coast of Ireland to learn about his Irish grandfather’s dad, his great-grandfather James Griffin, who was known by his Gaelic name, Séamus Mór Ó Gríobhtha. As he uncovers Séamus’s involvement in the Gaelic League, Dev learns about the battle to preserve Irish culture and language during this period. Dev is astonished by what he learns about Ireland’s history and reveals how proud he is of his Irish ancestors.\n\nFollowing his father’s line, Dev travels to Jamaica. An emotional meeting with his newly discovered auntie Viveine leads Dev to an incredible document from the local Baptist church that reveals the day-to-day lives of his great-grandparents Joshua and Annie Riley, including some rather cheeky details, to paint an astonishingly intimate picture of island life in the early 20th century.\n \nDiscovering his ancestry uncovers stories of bravery, family and love, and Dev can finally claim both his Irish and Jamaican heritage with knowledge and pride.
Source: BBC 1
Series 15: 6. Marvin Humes
DJ, presenter and former member of boy band JLS, Marvin Humes delves into his Jamaican and his English heritage, and finds exceptional stories on both sides of the family. \n\nD ...
09-04-2024
BBC 1
Series 18: 1. Josh Widdicombe
Comedian Josh Widdicombe embarks on a rollercoaster ride through his extraordinary family history. After a less than promising start with an ancestor who was cut out of the fami ...
23-01-2024
BBC 1
Series 19: 3. Matt Lucas
Comedian, presenter and actor Matt Lucas had an exceptionally close bond with his late grandmother, Margot, who came to the UK in 1939 as a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Mat ...
25-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 16: 5. Katherine Ryan
Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan’s investigation of her family history leads her to a Methodist minister and his family in colonial Nova Scotia, cod traders in Newfoundlan ...
18-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 15: 5. Shirley Ballas
Strictly Come Dancing's head judge Shirley Ballas investigates a family story that her maternal great-grandmother abandoned her husband and children for a more exciting life in ...
15-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 18: 5. Pixie Lott
Singer-songwriter and talent show judge Pixie Lott hopes to confirm a family story that she has Italian ancestry from Verona, but instead discovers ancestors battling poverty an ...
14-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 16: 8. Mark Wright
Intrigued by family stories from his granddad Eddie, former TOWIE star and presenter Mark Wright investigates his dad’s side of the family. Discovering Sephardi Jewish anc ...
13-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 17: 4. Ruth Jones
Actor and writer Ruth Jones - Nessa from Gavin and Stacey - investigates her Welsh family’s history. On her mum’s side, she discovers that her great-great-great-gran ...
12-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 15: 4. Boy George
Iconic pop star Boy George grew up in south London in an Irish family. George expects to find a lot of sadness in his family tree. He knows that his maternal grandmother was fou ...
11-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 15: 8. Jonnie Peacock
Paralympic gold medal winner Jonnie Peacock was named for his maternal grandad, who died the year before he was born. Like Jonnie, his grandad was a sportsman - an excellent ama ...
11-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 19: 5. Ralf Little
Death in Paradise star Ralf Little leaves the sun-drenched Caribbean well behind as he heads to the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland to investigate his grandfather ...
06-07-2022
BBC 1
Series 11 - Reggie Yates
Celebrity genealogy series. Presenter and DJ Reggie Yates unravels a complex family history where Ghanaian culture and British colonialism collide.
05-11-2019
BBC 1
Series 16: 8. Mark Wright
Intrigued by family stories from his granddad Eddie, former TOWIE star and presenter Mark Wright investigates his dad’s side of the family. Discovering Sephardi Jewish anc ...
13-09-2023
BBC 1
Who Do They Think They Are?: 10 Years, 100 Shows
The genealogy show celebrates ten years and 100 episodes with a look back at the outstanding moments of the award-winning series.
06-08-2014
BBC 1
Series 15: 1. Michelle Keegan
Our Girl actress Michelle Keegan uncovers some exceptional women on her family tree. On her mother's side Michelle discovers that her Gibraltarian great-grandmother Leonor had t ...
04-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 7 - Bruce Forsyth
Celebrity genealogy series. Entertainer Bruce Forsyth travels to America to investigate claims that his great-grandfather was married to two women at once.
13-10-2014
BBC 1