The WORST episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?

#1 - John Barnes

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/17/2012

John Barnes sets out to investigate the extraordinary role his grandfather, Frank Hill, played in Jamaica's struggle for self-rule.

#2 - Emily Atack

Season 20 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/6/2023

Emily Atack has showbiz genes – Paul McCartney is her grandma’s cousin! Delving into her family tree reveals a rich musical heritage, a famous whistling aunt and a tragic accident.

#3 - Chris Ramsey

Season 20 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/20/2023

Chris Ramsey has always felt lucky, so he’s delighted to learn it runs in the family as he uncovers the stories of ancestors who survived a deadly WWI battle and won a lottery.

#4 - Dev Griffin

Season 20 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/13/2023

Dev Griffin learns about his ancestry, including momentous stories from Ireland and some very personal details from his great-grandparents' lives in Jamaica.

#5 - Paddy McGuinness

Season 21 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/22/2024

Paddy McGuinness uncovers his grandfather’s vital work in World War II, how his other grandfather was involved in the Boer War and the family’s journey from Ireland to Bolton.

#6 - Shirley Ballas

Season 15 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/30/2018

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 America. What Shirley discovers casts her great-grandmother in a completely new light. On her father's side, Shirley pursues a rumour that she has black ancestors - a trail which leads her to colonial Cape Town and the era of slave trafficking to South Africa via the Indian Ocean.

#7 - David Dickinson

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/4/2006

David's roots are in Armenia.

#8 - Jeremy Irons

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/18/2006

Does Jeremy have roots in Ireland?

#9 - Fiona Bruce

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/9/2009

Fiona Bruce discovers the sad truth behind her great-grandfather's mysterious death, and returns to her family's ancestral home.

#10 - Pixie Lott

Season 18 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/9/2021

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 and hardship in London. On her dad’s side, Pixie learns of her great-grandfather’s harrowing and surprising experience in the First World War. And, wondering if she has any musical genes, Pixie is delighted to discover three generations of military musicians, whose legacy gives her an opportunity to sing with the band of the Household Cavalry.

#11 - Lesley Manville

Season 20 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/27/2023

Lesley Manville is moved to discover a family story of enduring love and is delighted when an ancestor’s involvement in a riot reveals new relatives in Australia.

#12 - Melanie Chisholm

Season 21 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/29/2024

Melanie Chisholm is fascinated to discover that her ancestors include a moneylender, a campaigner for social reform and a family fleeing the famine in Ireland.

#13 - Olly Murs

Season 21 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/19/2024

Olly Murs explores his grandfather’s Latvian roots and discovers his great-grandparents were circus performers, and how a wartime decision led to a tragic family estrangement.

#14 - Twiggy

Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/9/2014

Twiggy grew up in a close-knit family in London, but her mother told her almost nothing about her relations, not even her grandmother's name.

#15 - Jane Horrocks

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/8/2006

Jane looks into her Lancashire roots.

#16 - Jeremy Paxman

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/11/2006

The stern host of BBC2's Newsnight searches for his roots.

#17 - Barbara Windsor

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/2006

Barbara roots extend through East London and Suffolk.

#18 - John Hurt

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/13/2007

John looks into his great grandmother's parentage.

#19 - Tracey Emin

Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/12/2011

Controversial artist Tracey Emin sets out to learn about her East End roots, and is shocked and delighted to discover an unusual heritage.

#20 - Graham Norton

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/11/2007

#21 - Carol Vorderman

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/27/2007

Carol explores her family tree.

#22 - Sheila Hancock

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/18/2006

Sheila Hancock chases after a mysterious woman in a photograph in the search for her roots.

#23 - Rory Bremner

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/2/2009

In Holland and Germany, Rory Bremner delves into the wartime experiences of the father he didn't know very well.

#24 - Robert Lindsay

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/13/2006

Robert's roots take him back to Derbyshire.

#25 - Natasha Kaplinsky

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/6/2007

Natasha travels to Cape Town in search of information about her father's involvement with the anti-apartheid movement during the 1960s. Later, after researching a possible connection with King George the Third, she travels with her Australian cousin Benni to Belarus where some disturbing discoveries are made about the persecution of her Jewish ancestors.