The popular show Who Do You Think You Are? is back tonight for its 23rd season, with a fantastic group of celebrities exploring their family histories.
This season of the show follows eight celebrities as they explore their family trees, with journeys taking them to places like Australia, Italy, and Kenya to uncover their ancestors’ stories.
Each episode will feature incredible stories of people who have overcome hardship, shown great love, faced tragedy, and demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience.
Up first is broadcaster Zoe Ball, but who else features in the genealogy programme?
Read on to find out more.
Who Do You Think You Are? 2026 line-up
Below is the list of famous faces taking part in this year’s Who Do You Think You Are?.
- Adeel Akhtar
- Amy Dowden
- Harriet Walter
- Joe Swash
- Katarina Johnson-Thompson
- Ruth Madeley
- Toby Jones
- Zoe Ball
Scroll down to learn more about each of them and what their episodes will consist of.
Adeel Akhtar
Age: 45
Job: Actor
Adeel Akhtar is an award-winning actor, famous for his BAFTA-winning performance in Murdered by My Father (2017). He’s also appeared in a variety of other popular shows and films, including Ali & Ava, Showtrial, Sherwood, Down Cemetery Road, Fool Me Once, Killing Eve, and Black Doves.
The series follows Akhtar as he explores his family history, connecting his Indian and Kenyan heritage to a journey from Gujarat and discovering his ancestors were key in building Nairobi.
Amy Dowden
Age: 35
Job: Professional dancer
As a movie and TV critic, I’ve been consistently impressed by Amy Dowden. She’s a fantastic dancer – a British champion, actually – and many of you probably recognize her from Strictly Come Dancing, where she’s been dazzling audiences as a pro since 2017. She really brings a special energy to the show.
In 2023, dancer Amy Dowden was unable to compete due to a breast cancer diagnosis. She shared that doctors had discovered a different type of cancer and she was undergoing chemotherapy.
In a new series, Dowden shifts from dancing to investigating a family murder. The case takes her to a farmhouse and valley in West Wales connected to her family history, and the investigation mirrors her personal experiences in a deeply emotional way.
Harriet Walter
Age: 75
Job: Actress
I’ve always been captivated by Dame Harriet Walter’s work – she’s just phenomenal in everything she does, from films to the stage! You might recognize her from incredible TV shows like Succession, Killing Eve, The Crown, and even Law & Order: UK. More recently, I was completely drawn in by her performances in Archie, Brian and Maggie and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. I was particularly fascinated by her recent work exploring her own family history – uncovering a relative’s secret work during the Second World War and looking into the surprisingly scandalous life of an Italian ancestor. It’s truly compelling stuff!
Joe Swash
Age: 44
Job: Actor and TV presenter
Joe Swash is famous for playing Mickey Miller on the soap opera EastEnders, but he’s also become well-known as a personality on various entertainment and reality TV shows.
I was so thrilled when Joe Swash was crowned King of the Jungle on ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ back in 2008! And then he completely blew everyone away winning ‘Dancing on Ice’ with Alex Murphy in 2020. Now, it’s amazing to see him and Stacey Solomon hosting their own show, ‘Stacey & Joe,’ on BBC One since 2025 – they’re such a lovely couple and totally deserve it!
Throughout the show, he explores his roots, traveling from Little Italy to Southern Italy and discovering a surprising and intense family story involving criminals and a life of lawlessness.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Age: 33
Job: Athlete
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is a talented athlete who competes in both the heptathlon and the indoor pentathlon.
This athlete is a dominant force in combined events, representing Great Britain. She’s won two world championships and two Commonwealth Games gold medals in the heptathlon, along with Olympic and European silver medals. Indoors, she’s a world champion and has twice been crowned European champion in the pentathlon.
Johnson-Thompson delves into her family history in the Bahamas’ Exuma Islands, discovering how her ancestors bravely moved to Miami during a period of racial discrimination and the frightening growth of the Ku Klux Klan.
Ruth Madeley
Age: 38
Job: Actress
Ruth Madeley is a British actress known for her appearances in many popular TV shows like Fresh Meat, Outnumbered, Cold Feet, Years and Years, The Long Shadow, Brassic, Renegade Nell, and Nightsleeper. She’s also been in films like Joy and the TV movie Then Barbara Met Alan.
I was totally hooked by this storyline in the series! Madeley discovers this really old family secret – it turns out someone was adopted way back when. It’s a real mystery, and they have to use DNA tests and do a ton of family history research to find out who this ancestor was. It’s fascinating!
Toby Jones
Age:
Job: Actor
Toby Jones is an actor known for his roles across stage and screen.
You might recognize Jones from roles in popular films and TV shows like Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Captain America, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the comedy Detectorists, the true crime drama The Long Shadow, and recently, Mr Bates vs The Post Office and The Hack.
On the show, Jones explores a family story, traveling from a theatre in Margate, England, all the way to Meerut, India, to learn about his great-great-grandfather’s time serving with the British Army. He uncovers a surprising truth about his family history along the way.
Zoe Ball
Age: 55
Job: Broadcaster
Zoe Ball is a well-known TV and radio personality. She’s famous for hosting popular shows like Live and Kicking, and for her work on BBC Radio 1 and 2.
Ball delves into her family history, tracing her Scottish and Cornish ancestry and uncovering a story of resilience through difficult times, loss, and ultimately, survival.
Who Do You Think You Are? returns on Tuesday 26 May at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah writes about entertainment for TopMob, covering everything from popular TV shows and reality competitions to important documentaries. Before joining TopMob, she worked at The Tab, where she focused on reality TV and celebrity news. She has a journalism degree.
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2026-05-26 11:37