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The Best Episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?

Every episode of Who Do You Think You Are? ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?!

The Best Episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?

A British genealogy documentary series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.
  1. Background image for John Simpson
    9.5/10(40 votes)

    #1 - John Simpson

    S10:E10

    Veteran BBC news reporter and world affairs editor John Simpson always thought his great grandfather was Samuel F Cody, famous for being the first person to fly in Britain and a Wild West entertainer. It was only later that John discovered that his great grandmother, Lela King, had run off with Cody, taking her children with her. John follows the trail of his adventurous great grandmother and her life with Cody, the cowboy turned aviator. He also investigates what happened to the husband Lela left behind, John's real great grandfather, and makes a shocking discovery.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Alistair McGowan
    9.4/10(42 votes)

    #2 - Alistair McGowan

    S4:E5

    Alistair McGowan explores his heritage from his father's side, investigating what 'Anglo-Indian' means by a journey to India.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Nigel Havers
    9.4/10(42 votes)

    #3 - Nigel Havers

    S10:E2

    Nigel Havers takes a look at his mother's line and travels to Cornwall to learn about a tale of illegitimacy worthy of a period drama. On his father's side, he ends up in Colchester where he learns a tale of the Victorian equivalent of an Essex taxi driver made good, who ends up losing everything though.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Marianne Faithfull
    9.4/10(44 votes)

    #4 - Marianne Faithfull

    S10:E9

    Singer and '60s pop icon Marianne Faithfull had a difficult relationship with her mother, Eva. In this film Marianne investigates Eva's earlier life, as a dancer in 1920s Berlin- the era immortalised in the film Cabaret. Marianne also discovers her half-Jewish mother's precarious existence in Vienna during World War Two and investigates whether there is any truth in the rumour that the family was involved with the Austrian Resistance.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Mary Berry
    9.4/10(43 votes)

    #5 - Mary Berry

    S11:E6

    Bake Off star Mary Berry, still going strong at 79, believes she inherits her energy and drive from her father and sets off on a journey to find out more about his family. Along the way she discovers illegitimacy, bankruptcy, and even more astonishingly, a baker.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Patsy Kensit
    9.3/10(48 votes)

    #6 - Patsy Kensit

    S5:E1

    Patsy's late father was a villain. Jimmy Kensit was deeply involved with the most notorious gangsters of 1960s London: the Krays and the Richardsons. Reggie Kray was even godfather to Patsy's brother. Apprehensively, Patsy embarked on an investigation into her father's murky past, to understand the roots of his criminality and to discover how far back 'the family trade' goes. Patsy met up with a criminologist who had unearthed a copy of her father’s criminal record, revealing the true extent of his crimes. She was then shocked to uncover documents in the National Archives that show her grandfather was also a prolific criminal. After more research, Patsy was at last relieved to discover that her great-grandfather, though impoverished, was an honest walking stick maker. Tracing her roots even further back, an amazing document in Goldsmith's Hall revealed how the Kensit family, once affluent artisans, first fell into terrible poverty. Ultimately Patsy made the emotional discovery that rather than descending from a long line of villains, one of her ancestors was a remarkable vicar who dedicated his life to helping the poor.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Who Do You Think You Are?

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  8. Background image for David Suchet
    9.2/10(52 votes)

    #7 - David Suchet

    S5:E6

    Confusion reigns in David Suchet's family history. Was his father's father German, Russian or Estonian? Was his name Suchedowitz, Suchet or Shoket? David’s mother's family is equally confusing. Was her grandfather really a French photographer? And why did another ancestor's ship sink off Norfolk? David travels across Europe hoping to find some answers.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for John Hurt
    9.1/10(57 votes)

    #8 - John Hurt

    S4:E2

    John looks into his great grandmother's parentage.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Minnie Driver
    9.1/10(48 votes)

    #9 - Minnie Driver

    S10:E3

    Hollywood actress Minnie Driver is on a mission to find out more about her late father, Ronnie, and his family's background. Minnie's parents were not married, and Minnie only discovered when she was older that her father had a wife and another family all the time Minnie's parents were together. Minnie knows her father was awarded a medal for his role in the battle of Heligoland Bight during World War Two, but is shocked to discover that he apparently threw it away. She sets out to investigate why her father would relinquish such an honour. The trail leads Minnie to relatives she never knew existed, and she discovers a kindred spirit in the family.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Derek Jacobi
    9.1/10(54 votes)

    #10 - Derek Jacobi

    S12:E3

    Actor Derek Jacobi discovers that he is descended from a Huguenot fleeing persecution.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Jeremy Paxman
    9.0/10(49 votes)

    #11 - Jeremy Paxman

    S2:E1

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

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Brian Blessed
    9.0/10(53 votes)

    #12 - Brian Blessed

    S11:E2

    Actor Brian Blessed has always loved his unusual name but has no idea where his Blessed ancestors came from. Born in Yorkshire, he'd always assumed his family were northerners but, digging deeper, Brian discovers that his roots lie down south. Here he uncovers the story of his great-great-grandfather, Jabez Blessed - a tale of hardship, struggle and survival worthy of Oliver Twist.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for David Tennant
    8.9/10(94 votes)

    #13 - David Tennant

    S3:E4

    David's quest to discover his family take him to the Isle of Mull, and then on to Londonderry, to confront an unexpected side to his ancestors.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Natasha Kaplinsky
    8.9/10(44 votes)

    #14 - Natasha Kaplinsky

    S4:E1

    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.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Jodie Kidd
    8.9/10(48 votes)

    #15 - Jodie Kidd

    S5:E7

    Jodie has often wondered why none of her family ever talked about her mother's grandfather, Sir Rowland Hodge. Although she grew up with many stories about her other great-grandfather Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Rowland's past remains a mystery. Investigations in Newcastle and London soon reveal why, as Jodie uncovers a tale of scandal and political corruption. An exploration of Beaverbrook's ancestors takes her across the Atlantic to Colonial America and a connection to some of the first Puritan settlers.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Sarah Millican
    8.9/10(43 votes)

    #16 - Sarah Millican

    S10:E8

    Comedian Sarah Millican is astonished to discover that her three times great grandfather was one of the first ever divers in the world. Sarah also follows the trail of her four times great grandfather, John Malcolm, to Canada where he worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. John was sent to a remote outpost involved in the fur trade. As Sarah follows in his footsteps, she makes a truly shocking discovery.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Martin Shaw
    8.9/10(43 votes)

    #17 - Martin Shaw

    S11:E7

    Actor Martin Shaw never knew his grandfather, Edwin Shaw, who walked out on his family when Martin's father was just a boy. Martin sets off to find out what happened to this elusive character with his only clue a photograph of Edwin as a young man. From a shotgun wedding to the Birmingham Blitz, Martin tries to sort fact from family fiction to discover who Edwin was.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for Billy Connolly
    8.9/10(57 votes)

    #18 - Billy Connolly

    S11:E9

    Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly has always considered himself Scottish through and through but as he travels to India in the footsteps of his army ancestors, he makes an extraordinary discovery. Not only was his great-great-great-grandfather present at a pivotal point in Indian history, through him Billy's connection to India runs deeper than he had ever imagined.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Boy George
    8.9/10(66 votes)

    #19 - Boy George

    S15:E4

    Iconic pop star Boy George grew up in south London in an Irish family. George expects to find a lot of sadness in his family tree. He knows that his maternal grandmother was found wandering the streets of Dublin as a small child and put in a children's home and wants to find out how she came to be in such a dire situation. He's also heard that another ancestor was hanged in Dublin's Mountjoy Gaol and is somehow connected to Kevin Barry who was commemorated in a well-known Irish rebel song. As George uncovers the grim details of what really happened to his grandmother and his great uncle, he also delights in a new sense of his family being truly part of Irish history.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Boris Johnson
    8.8/10(58 votes)

    #20 - Boris Johnson

    S5:E2

    Boris Johnson knew a certain amount about his diverse family background, but was intrigued by several family stories and mysteries. He was particularly keen to investigate stories associated with the relatives of his paternal grandparents. Boris's grandfather, Wilfred Johnson, had never spoken about the murder of his Turkish father in the 1920s. Boris’s grandmother Irene Johnson (née Williams), known as 'Granny Butter', had always been the subject of derision in the family due to her grandiose claims of an aristocratic French background. So Boris set out on an international journey of discovery to separate fact from fiction.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Emilia Fox
    8.7/10(52 votes)

    #21 - Emilia Fox

    S8:E5

    Silent Witness star Emilia Fox tries to find out how far back her family's acting roots go.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Anne Reid
    8.7/10(46 votes)

    #22 - Anne Reid

    S12:E6

    Actress Anne Reid was close to her father but knows very little about his family. She only has a couple of clues to go on - the name of a house in Scotland and a family story that her father's side were ministers in the church. These clues soon put her on the trail of her great-great-grandfather John Reid - not a minister at all, but a schoolteacher in Fife with a sideline in forgery. When John's forgeries land him in the dock his life takes an unexpected turn - to Tasmania, on a convict ship.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Anita Rani
    8.7/10(41 votes)

    #23 - Anita Rani

    S12:E8

    Journalist Anita Rani never met her maternal grandfather Sant Singh - all she has been told is that he suffered terrible tragedy at the time of India's Partition. Anita's mother also tells her that Sant had another wife and family before marrying Anita's grandmother. Armed with this knowledge, Anita travels to India to see if she can find out more about her grandfather's first family - and discover what happened to them during Partition. It's an extraordinary and harrowing journey for Anita.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for Robert Lindsay
    8.6/10(47 votes)

    #24 - Robert Lindsay

    S3:E2

    Robert's roots take him back to Derbyshire.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Robin Gibb
    8.6/10(42 votes)

    #25 - Robin Gibb

    S8:E7

    Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb discovers how his paternal great-grandfather rose from poverty to become a decorated soldier, and heads to Paisley, Renfrewshire, to investigate a mysterious family breakdown.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"John Simpson" is the best rated episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?". It scored 9.5/10 based on 40 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/25/2013. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Alistair McGowan".