Who Do You Think You Are?

EastEnders actor Danny Dyer hopes that he will 'freak a few people out' with his family history. Danny sets out to discover the history of his tough working-class family in the East End of London, but in the process he unearths an extraordinary lineage stretching back to the Norman conquest.

Amanda Holden has always heard stories about a rumoured French ancestry on her mum's side, and her investigation uncovers an extraordinary Napoleonic-era cross-channel romance. On her dad's side, Amanda's grandfather's suicide has always loomed large. But when his story takes Amanda to France once again, she is moved to discover how he helped others through a harrowing tragedy.

Wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin describes herself as 'a mongrel' - the result of her parents' lineages on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Martinique. In Trinidad, she goes in search of the first of her maternal ancestors to arrive on the island from India. Liz then heads to Martinique where her paternal ancestors are said to have owned plantation - and slaves. What she discovers is more complicated than she could have ever imagined.

Cheryl knows little about her heritage, beyond her sense of herself as a true Geordie. Tracing her roots in the North East, on her dad's side she discovers a sea-faring ancestor and a family tragedy. On her mum's side, she recovers the story of her long-forgotten great grandfather:a quintessential Tommy in the First World War, who fought in one of the most famous battles on the Western Front.

Celebrity genealogy series. Ricky Tomlinson is well-known for playing the archetypal Scouser and it turns out that his Liverpool roots run deep. Ricky discovers that he comes from generations of carters, who transported goods on Liverpool's docks when the city was the British Empire's busiest port. Ricky's rage and sorrow build as he discovers how dangerous conditions were for his ancestors, eerily echoing his own fight for workers' rights in the 1970s.

As the 'last of the McKellens', Sir Ian admits to a degree of melancholy as he delves into his family history. But the results pay off richly for one of Britain's greatest actors and civil rights champions. Ian's journey uncovers a theatrical ancestor, a Victorian political activist and a link to an ancient Druidical landmark in the Lake District.

Greg Davies's father made sure that his son was born on Welsh soil so that when Greg became a rugby international, he'd play for Wales. Fortunately for comedy, Greg showed little talent for rugby; but he retains a sense of connection to his Welsh roots and, two years after his dad's death, wants to know more about them. Greg gets more than he bargained for when he identifies a wayward great grandfather, but is rewarded when the trail leads further back to the deepest, Welsh-est roots that anyone could wish for.

Actor Warwick Davis owes his big break aged 11 to his paternal grandmother Edith, who heard a radio ad 'looking for short people to appear in Return of the Jedi'. Warwick takes a non-judgemental approach as he researches the family line stretching back from Edith, finding humanity and humour in some uncomfortable stories. On his maternal side, Warwick is equally open-minded when he finds out about his three-times-great-grandfather - a postman who lived a double life.

Actor Sunetra Sarker sets out to explore the Bengali heritage she ignored when she was growing up in Liverpool. Starting in Kolkata, Sunetra learns of her great grandfather's courageous activism in colonial Bengal - and of a family connection to Gandhi during the struggle for Indian independence. Crossing into Bangladesh, Sunetra visits her great grandmother's ancestral home village and discovers the harrowing story of how her family was caught up Bangladesh's 1971 war for independence.

BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth investigates her father's side of the family, and discovers a tragic but inspiring tale of ancestors who risked everything to move to America in search of religious freedom. Closer to home, she explores a family rumour that her great grandfather worked at Kew Gardens, and is astonished to uncover a horticultural heritage stretching back to the 1700s and pineapples.