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Returning: Who Do You Think You Are?

The always-excellent British genealogy series returns next Sunday night with English chef Rick Stein followed by actress Zoe Wanamaker.

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The always-excellent British genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? returns with new episodes next Sunday night to SBS ONE.

Guests this season aren’t quite as high profile as previous seasons, but the journeys are always fascinating ones.

It kicks off with English chef Rick Stein and is followed by Harry Potter and My Family‘s Zoe Wanamaker (pictured).

Episode 1 Rick Stein
Sunday, 11 April 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Chef Rick Stein’s father Eric suffered from manic depression and committed suicide in the 1960s. Rick sets out to explore his father’s life, from the abuse he suffered as a child during the First World War due to his German ancestry, to the electric shock therapy he received as an adult. Rick also visits his mother Dorothy’s old college and talks to his half-brother Jeremy. Next, Rick travels to China to explore the life of his great-grandfather Henry Parkes, a 19th-century Methodist missionary. Henry was one of the first missionaries to travel into China when the doors were opened following the Opium Wars. Rick learns of the harsh conditions Henry faced and the personal tragedy he suffered.

Episode 2 Zoe Wanamaker
Sunday, 18 April at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Actress Zoe Wanamaker was born in New York, but when she was three her father, American actor Sam Wanamaker, fled to the UK to escape the anti-communist McCarthy witch-hunts. Hoping to better understand her father’s decision, Zoe heads to Washington DC where she visits the FBI headquarters. Here, under the Freedom of Information Act, Zoe gets access to her father’s FBI file, an extraordinary document that reveals the level of scrutiny Sam was under and the very real risk of imprisonment he faced. Wanting to explore the roots of her father’s left-wing politics, Zoe next looks into the life of her father’s father, Maurice Wanamaker, an emigre Russian Jew. Zoe is moved to discover that soon after his arrival in Chicago, Maurice suffered a series of personal tragedies and hardships that almost destroyed his American dream. Finally Zoe travels to Nicolaev in the Ukraine, where she discovers the original form of her unusual surname and the reason why her family originally left for America.

Episode 3 Kevin Whately
Sunday, 25 April at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Kevin Whately, famous for playing working-class characters like Detective Sergeant Lewis in Inspector Morse, has a surprisingly affluent family history. Kevin begins his journey in his home town of Newcastle where he investigates the career of his grandmother Doris, a singer who he believes failed to fulfil her true potential. Doris’s father was the self-made ‘fishing king’ of the north-east, and Kevin next tries to discover what became of his fortune and the business empire he built. Delving much further back, Kevin uncovers an 18th century ancestor who was a turkey trader. Intrigued that he could descend from a Georgian Bernard Matthews, he investigates further, but the truth he uncovers is even more surprising. The trail leads him to the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, and to a vast country estate in Surrey.

Episode 4 Rory Bremner
Sunday, 2 May at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Comedian Rory Bremner didn’t know his father very well, remembering him as a somewhat distant figure who died when his son was 18. Rory knew he was an infantry officer in the Second World War, but thought he had seen little action. At his brother’s house Rory discovers some of their father’s wartime letters, which refer to a battle for the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Rory travels to Holland, where he meets a man who served alongside his father and discovers the pivotal role Major Bremner played in this crucial battle. Next Rory moves on to Germany, learning about the part his father played in the post-war reconstruction, as well as finding out how he managed to find time to get to know the locals.

Episode 5 Fiona Bruce
Sunday, 9 May at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Fiona Bruce’s great-grandfather, Frederick Crouch, died during World War One in mysterious circumstances. The family story is that Frederick failed to duck down when shells began falling nearby, despite the fact everyone else around him dived for cover. But a letter written by Frederick’s widow to her son’s school soon after the war reveals the sad truth behind the story. Another family story about Frederick is that he joined the army to escape his parents. Hoping to understand the reasons, Fiona investigates the life of Frederick’s father, a seemingly respectable Victorian photographer. It soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems with William Crouch, a larger-than-life rogue and star of a celebrated court case.

It premieres next Sunday at 7:30pm on SBS ONE.

16 Responses

  1. I am looking forward to 9 showing the US version as i have seen all the BBC ones and they are great. I am worried though about how the commercial channels love to chuck in so many adds, The BBC one is great and they explain a lot as they go too. As mentioned before it is one of those subjects/shows that dont appeal to all people, that said im also worried that we wont get to see all the epps and Channel 9 will do the usual and stop part way through. Also I noticed it was advertised in the TV Guide as to be showen tonight 21st April and then they put on The Big Bang repeat and say it will be on next week

  2. I missed my favourite program tonight, “who do you think you are” with Zoe Wanamaker, I believe it can be replayed via my computer, will somone please tell me how, it that is true, hope so.
    Thank you very much in anticipation.
    Keith Eveson

  3. The U.S version isn’t too bad. It’s a tad truncated 42 minutes v 60 minutes of the British version and they seem to rush though quite a few details and only seem to focus on the more revelatory stuff. I guess that’s too keep the small attention spans of the yanks occupied, but It’s certainly not a bad adaptation, better than the Australian version IMO.

  4. I love this series, the mix of family dynamics and history make for great television. It will be really interesting to see what Lisa Cudrow’s US version looks like.

  5. No worries, David. My bad. It’ll also be interesting to see how NBC do their version (like theme music, etc) when it airs on Nine. I thought the Australian looked quite good, imho.

  6. Sunday nights at 7:30pm now? The last I saw of the British version, it was running on Saturdays at 5:30pm. It must be doing alright for ’em?

  8. The Kim Cattrall was particularly moving and special. That was in S7 not S6. I’m pleased 9 don’t have the rights to air the Beeb version. I think constant ad breaks would ruin the “journey” aspect of this show.

  9. Thanks for the answer David, I thought I read (online so maybe they didn’t know) that Nine now had the rights to all version of the show to air locally.

    This is one of those shows that you have to be interesting in the subject/person to tune in, but it’s well worth it when you do.

  10. Thanks David for the update!

    Except for Zoe Wannamaker, I missed most of this programme when it was on BBC Knowledge.

    As for Nine having US WDYTYA are they going to use it or lose it? In the US it is on NBC and by all accounts is a success. Perhaps Nine is waiting for the programme to finish there then screen it here. If nothing happens here then maybe SBS could pick it up.

  12. Some of the stories of lesser known subjects can be quite inspiring. The Patsy Kensit episode was one of the best pieces of television I have seen in years. She believed she was from a family of crims and her journey revealed she was descended from a quite revered and respected priest who did a lot to help the poor. She discovers she is standing on his tomb in this church she visits to learn more about him. Very emotional.

  13. Good news David but a couple of Q’s

    – Didn’t Nine have the rights to this now they have the rights to the US (NBC) version, BTW when is that airing?

    – Also I have seen this on BBC Knowledge and they run up to 60 minutes per ep, without ads, like Top Gear does the BBC send out edited copies for other networks around the world?

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