Britain's best-loved celebrities trace their family tree to reveal the surprising, extrordinary and often moving stories of their ancestors.

One of the aims of the series is to show how an alternative way of looking at the history of modern Britain and to inspire viewers to consider their families contribution to the making of Britain. For this reason, each celebrity has been chosen so that their journey unlocks a different them in British history.

• Natasha Kaplinsky - follows the struggles of her Jewish great grandparents in World War Two
• John Hurt - hopes to discover the truth about his illegitimate great-grandmother’s parentage
• Griff Rhys Jones - uncovers a tale of drunkenness, violent death, poverty and a dramatic train crash
• Carol Vorderman - uncovers the truth behind her father’s wartime activities
• Alistair McGowan - discovers that several generations of the McGowan family were of Anglo Indian descent
• Graham Norton - uncovers documents that lead him back across the Irish sea to Britain
• Sir Matthew Pinsent - travels to China to uncover ties to one of the biggest characters in British history

Special Features:

• Special episode in conjunction with the BBC’s “Family Wanted” campaign featuring Nicky Campbell, who was adopted a few days after he was born.