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

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox television Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004, in which celebrity participants trace their family history. It is made by the production company Wall to Wall. The programme has regularly attracted an audience of more than 6 million viewers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> More than ten international adaptations of the programme have been produced.

Episodes

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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.<ref name="wdytya NC">Template:Cite episode</ref>

The theme tune was composed by Mark Sayer-Wade, who also provided the background music for earlier episodes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Lit). 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Sveriges Television, the Swedish public service broadcaster, aired a Swedish version called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Template:Interlanguage link (Template:Lit) of the programme started. 17 series have been produced between 2010 and 2024. From 2005 to 2008, four series of the programme {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Lit) were broadcast on Dutch television. In 2019, a spin-off under the name Verborgen Verleden van Nederland (Template:Lit) 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
• In January 2011, the Norwegian TV station NRK began airing the Norwegian version, called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
• Starting on 9 January 2012, Finland's national public broadcasting company, YLE, has aired 15 episodes of the Finnish version, called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, in which local public figures searched for their origins.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• In the United States, the show premiered on NBC on 5 March 2010, with Lisa Kudrow as executive producer the series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In January 2013, Czech broadcaster Czech Television began broadcasting their own version of the programme, called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Lit).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• In 2015, Rede Globo launched its own version of the show, entitled {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Lit). It was released as part of the variety show Estrelas, presented by Angélica. The first celebrity to participate was Miguel Falabella.

International versions

Country	Local name	Network	Air dates
Template:Flag	Who Do You Think You Are?	SBS One	January 2008 – present
Template:Ubl	Who Do You Think You Are?	CBC Television	11 October 2007 – 31 January 2008
	lang}} (Who Are You?)	ICI Radio-Canada Télé	8 November 2013
Template:Flag	lang}} (The Secret of the Family)	ČT1	9 January 2013
Template:Flag	lang}} (Do You Know Who You Are?)	DR1	15 September 2010 – 17 March 2012
Template:Flag	lang}} (Who Are You?)	Yle TV1	9 January 2012
	lang}} (The Secrets of My Family)	MTV3	15 February 2021 – 3 May 2021
Template:Flag	lang}} (Back to the roots)	France 2	1 September 2010
Template:Flag	lang}} (The Secret of My Family)	Das Erste	31 March 2008 – 28 April 2008
Template:Flag	Who Do You Think You Are?	RTÉ One	15 September 2008 – 19 October 2009; 6 September 2018 – present
Template:Flag	lang}} (Template:Transliteration) (Who Do You Think You Are?)	Channel 1	4 February 2010
Template:Flag	Template:Ill (Hidden Past)	NPO 2	29 September 2010 – present
Template:Flag	Template:Ill (Who Do You Think You Are?)	NRK1	January 2011 – 2017
Template:Flag	lang}} (Family Secrets)	TVP1	November 2006 – March 2007
Template:Flag	lang}} (A Death Wish)	Național 24 Plus	1 January 2019 – present
Template:Flag	lang}}	RTP1	15 January 2013
Template:Flag	lang}} [ru] (Template:Transliteration) (My Family Tree)	Channel One Russia	1 July 2009 – 12 February 2011
Template:Flag	Who Do You Think You Are?	SABC2	31 May 2009
Template:Flag	lang}} (Who Do You Think You Are?)	SVT1	Spring 2009
Template:Flag	Who Do You Think You Are?	Template:Ubl	5 March 2010 – present

Similar programmes

BBC Cymru Wales has a similar series called Coming Home, made by Yellow Duck Productions, which features celebrities with a Welsh background.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>YouTube Armstrong and Miller - Who Do You Think You Are Spoof Published on 18 Nov 2007 Template:Webarchive accessed 15 July 2017</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Series 1–4 are available on Region 4 DVD.

Series	Release dates		DVD extras and bonus features
	Region 2	Region 4
1	5 March 2007	17 September 2008	Unseen Footage, First Steps to Researching Your Family
2	4 September 2007	12 November 2008	Unseen Footage
3	12 January 2009	18 March 2009	Template:N/a
4	3 August 2009	20 May 2009	Special episode in conjunction with the BBC's "Family Wanted" campaign featuring Nicky Campbell, who was adopted a few days after his birth.
5	1 February 2010	Template:N/a	Three behind-the-scenes features
6	6 September 2010	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
7	7 March 2011	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
8	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
9	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
10	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
11	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Who Do They Think They Are?: 10 Years, 100 Shows
13	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
15	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Template:N/a	Template:N/a

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.<ref name="bafta.2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

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External links

• Template:BBC programme
• Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine BBC
• Who Do You Think You Are? Story
• Template:BBC Online
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