Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

Episodes

Main article: List of Who Do You Think You Are? episodes

The first two series were broadcast on BBC Two and the first was the channel's highest-rating programme of 2004. This led to episodes being shown on BBC One from the third series onwards. The current narrator, as of Series 14 in 2017, is Phil Davis. Mark Strong took over from David Morrissey after the first series, which was nominated for "Best Factual Series or Strand" in the 2005 BAFTAs. Cherie Lunghi was the narrator between Series 10 and 13.

In the first series, the last ten minutes of each episode featured presenter Adrian Chiles and genealogical researcher Nick Barratt giving tips on tracing a family tree. In 2007, a special episode was broadcast in conjunction with the BBC's "Family Wanted" campaign featuring Nicky Campbell, who was adopted when he was just a few days old.

The theme tune was composed by Mark Sayer-Wade, who also provided the background music for earlier episodes. The music in later episodes was provided by Julian Hamlin, Edmund Jolliffe, Mark Russell and Mike MacLennan. Theo Elwell is the current composer, as of Series 20 in 2023.

Other countries

The TV format of the series has proved popular around the world and the BBC has licensed it to many foreign television companies who have produced their own individual versions.

• TVP1 has aired a Polish version, called Sekrety rodzinne, which was broadcast from November 2006 to March 2007.
• In September 2007, a series of a Canadian version, consisting of 13 episodes, aired on CBC Television. In 2015, Radio-Canada produced a French version titled Qui êtes-vous?
• An Australian version aired on SBS in January 2008 after six episodes of the BBC version had been shown. The BBC programmes were those featuring Stephen Fry, Bill Oddie, Julia Sawalha, Jeremy Clarkson, Gurinder Chadha and Nigella Lawson.
• In 2008, Das Erste of ARD aired the German version titled Das Geheimnis meiner Familie (). It aired for four episodes featuring Marie-Luise Marjan, Armin Rohde, Christine Neubauer and Peter Maffay.
• Republic of Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ has aired three series of Irish version of Who Do You Think You Are? in autumn 2008, 2009 and, after a considerable gap, 2018. The Irish version casts Ardal O'Hanlon, Dana Scallon, Rosanna Davison and Diarmuid Gavin.
• Sveriges Television, the Swedish public service broadcaster, aired a Swedish version called Vem tror du att du är? in 2009. Later that year, in May and June, they also aired the BBC episodes featuring Stephen Fry, Jeremy Irons, Nigella Lawson, John Hurt and Jane Horrocks.
• On 31 May 2009, South African station SABC2 premiered its own version, split into two parts, featuring local personalities. An American adaptation of the programme premiered on 5 March 2010 on NBC. In Britain, it began airing on BBC One on 13 June 2010.
• In 2010, the Dutch version called ** () of the programme started. 17 series have been produced between 2010 and 2024. From 2005 to 2008, four series of the programme Verre Verwanten () were broadcast on Dutch television. In 2019, a spin-off under the name Verborgen Verleden van Nederland () was broadcast, which highlighted the history of various well-known locations in the Netherlands.
• In September 2010, the Danish TV station Danmarks Radio aired the first episode of the Danish version, called Ved du hvem du er?.
• In January 2011, the Norwegian TV station NRK began airing the Norwegian version, called Hvem tror du at du er?.
• Starting on 9 January 2012, Finland's national public broadcasting company, YLE, has aired 15 episodes of the Finnish version, called Kuka oikein olet?, in which local public figures searched for their origins.
• In the United States, the show premiered on NBC on 5 March 2010, with Lisa Kudrow as executive producer the series.
• In January 2013, Czech broadcaster Czech Television began broadcasting their own version of the programme, called Tajemství rodu ().
• In 2015, Rede Globo launched its own version of the show, entitled A Origem das Estrelas (). It was released as part of the variety show Estrelas, presented by Angélica. The first celebrity to participate was Miguel Falabella.

International versions

Similar programmes

BBC Cymru Wales has a similar series called Coming Home, made by Yellow Duck Productions, which features celebrities with a Welsh background. In 2007, Wall to Wall Media developed You Don't Know You're Born for ITV1. The series saw various celebrities taking on their ancestors' jobs. UKTV broadcast My Famous Family in 2007. The PBS series Finding Your Roots, premiered in 2012, features celebrities discovering their ancestry through a compilation of documents called a "book of life".

A short parody sketch of the programme featured in the first series of The Armstrong & Miller Show in which Alexander Armstrong plays a fictionalised version of himself, discovering that his paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother were a child molester and a brothel-owner respectively.

Another parody sketch of the programme featured in Walliams & Friend in which Harry Enfield plays Queen Elizabeth II, who attempts to trace her family lineage.

Home media

DVDs

Series 1–11, 13, 15 and 16 of Who Do You Think You Are? are all available on Region 2 DVD, whilst a box set of series 1–4 is available, distributed by Acorn Media UK. Series 1–4 are available on Region 4 DVD.

Magazines

In October 2007, BBC Magazines began issuing Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, a monthly publication that includes material from the TV series.

Awards and nominations

The programme was nominated for the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series.

Notes

References

References

1. (16 July 2009). "6.4 million uncover Davina's family history".
2. "Who Do You Think You Are? with Nicky Campbell".
3. "SoundVault - Mark Sayer-Wade - Case Study".
4. "Information, radio, télé, sports, Arts et divertissement". Groupe des Nouveaux Médias.
5. "Who Do You Think You Are? (Irish TV series)".
6. "About The Show (Series 2)".
7. "Who Do You Think You Are? (SA)". TVSA.
8. "Sarja: Kuka oikein olet? Ohjelmat Yle.fi". YLE.
9. Hinckley, David. (February 28, 2010). "Everything now in 'Order' at NBC post-Leno shift". NY Daily News.
10. "Tajemství rodu".
11. (11 July 2007). "Coming Home, Coming Soon". BBC Wales.
12. (28 January 2008). "Coming Home Coming Soon". BBC Wales.
13. link. (21 October 2016 accessed 15 July 2017)
14. "YouTube ''Who Does One Think One Is? {{!}} Walliams & Friend - BBC'' Published on Nov 28, 2016".
15. "AcornMediaUk.com is coming soon".
16. (20 August 2012). ["Who Do You Think You Are? Series Eight DVD]: Alan Carr, June Brown, J. K. Rowling, Larry Lamb, Robin Gibb, Emilia Fox: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk.
17. "Who Do You Think You Are? Series Nine [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk.
18. (22 September 2014). "Who Do You Think You Are? Series 10 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk.
19. "Who Do You Think You Are? Series 11 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk.
20. (6 August 2018). "Who Do You Think You Are? Series 13".
21. (24 September 2018). "Who Do You Think You Are? Series 15".
22. (10 May 2010). "Television Awards Winners in 2010". [[BAFTA]].