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Jodie Whittaker Uncovers her Family History in New Series of Who Do You Think You Are?

The Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, will be exploring her family history in the upcoming series of Who Do You Think You Are?, the ancestry programme which returns to the BBC in October 2020.

The next series is comprised of four episodes, with three of those taking part having links to Doctor Who – aside from Whittaker, the show will feature David Walliams (The God Complex) and Ruth Jones (Torchwood), as well as Silent Witness star, Liz Carr.

Whittaker reflected:

Who Do You Think You Are? took me on an incredible journey through some of my family history. I discovered people and events that I had no idea existed before this. I was lucky to go home and see my mum and dad, lucky to see places I’d never been to before, and lucky to meet and shake hands with (!) some wonderful and intelligent people whose insight into history blew my mind. And only in February did I embark on this journey, and knowing where we are now, it feels even more special to have had this adventure.”

Jodie will learn “the poignant reality behind a family myth surrounding her great uncle’s sacrifice in World War One, while unearthing some uncomfortable truths about her great-great grandfather in Yorkshire.”

Walliams, meanwhile, said:

“I’m delighted to have taken part in the series. I started off the journey knowing very little about my ancestry. In making the programme I found out lots of family history I would never would have learned of. I was pleased to discover that being an entertainer runs in the family.”

Who Do You Think You Are? returns to BBC One in October.

Philip Bates

Editor and co-founder of the Doctor Who Companion. When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything. Writer of The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang, The Silver Archive: The Stone Tape, and 100 Objects of Doctor Who.

Jodie Whittaker Uncovers her Family History in New Series of Who Do You Think You Are?

by Philip Bates time to read: 1 min
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