| Genre: | Documentary |
| Theme Music Composer: | Mark Sayer-Wade |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 20 |
| List Episodes: | List of Who Do You Think You Are? episodes |
| Composer: | Theo Elwell |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Company: | Wall to Wall |
| Last Aired: | present |
Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004, in which celebrity participants trace their family history. It is made by the production company Wall to Wall. The programme has regularly attracted an audience of more than 6 million viewers.[1] More than ten international adaptations of the programme have been produced.
See main article: List of Who Do You Think You Are? episodes. The first two series were broadcast on BBC Two and the first was the channel's highest-rating programme of 2004. This led to episodes being shown on BBC One from the third series onwards. The current narrator, as of Series 14 in 2017, is Phil Davis. Mark Strong took over from David Morrissey after the first series, which was nominated for "Best Factual Series or Strand" in the 2005 BAFTAs. Cherie Lunghi was the narrator between Series 10 and 13.
In the first series, the last ten minutes of each episode featured presenter Adrian Chiles and genealogical researcher Nick Barratt giving tips on tracing a family tree. In 2007, a special episode was broadcast in conjunction with the BBC's "Family Wanted" campaign featuring Nicky Campbell, who was adopted when he was just a few days old.[2]
The theme tune was composed by Mark Sayer-Wade, who also provided the background music for earlier episodes.[3] The music in later episodes was provided by Julian Hamlin, Edmund Jolliffe, Mark Russell and Mike MacLennan. Theo Elwell is the current composer, as of Series 20 in 2023.
See also: Who Do You Think You Are? (disambiguation).
The TV format of the series has proved popular around the world and the BBC has licensed it to many foreign television companies who have produced their own individual versions.
| Country | Local Name | Network | Air Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | Who Do You Think You Are? | SBS One | January 2008 – present | |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | CBC Television | 11 October 2007 – 31 January 2008 | ||
| French: Qui êtes-vous? (Who Are You?) | ICI Radio-Canada Télé | 8 November 2013 | ||
 Czech Republic | Czech: [[Tajemství rodu]] (The Secret of the Family) | ČT1 | 9 January 2013 | |
 Denmark | Danish: [[Ved du hvem du er?]] (Do You Know Who You Are?) | DR1 | 15 September 2010 – 17 March 2012 | |
 Finland | Finnish: Kuka oikein olet? (Who Are You?) | Yle TV1 | 9 January 2012 | |
| Finnish: Sukuni salat (The Secrets of My Family) | MTV3 | 15 February 2021 – 3 May 2021 | ||
 France | French: Retour aux Sources (Back to the roots) | France 2 | 1 September 2010 | |
 Germany | German: [[Das Geheimnis meiner Familie]] (The Secret of My Family) | Das Erste | 31 March 2008 – 28 April 2008 | |
 Ireland | Who Do You Think You Are? | RTÉ One | 15 September 2008 – 19 October 2009; 6 September 2018 – present | |
 Israel | Hebrew: מי אתה חושב שאתה? | Channel 1 | 4 February 2010 | |
 Netherlands | (Hidden Past) | NPO 2 | 29 September 2010 – present | |
 Norway | (Who Do You Think You Are?) | NRK1 | January 2011 – 2017 | |
 Poland | Polish: Sekrety rodzinne (Family Secrets) | TVP1 | November 2006 – March 2007 | |
 Romania | Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Dorință Mortală (A Death Wish) | Național 24 Plus | 1 January 2019 – present | |
 Portugal | Portuguese: Quem É Que Tu Pensas Que És? | RTP1 | 15 January 2013 | |
| Russian: Моя родословная [<nowiki/>[[:ru:Моя_родословная_(телепрограмма)|ru]]] (My Family Tree) | Channel One Russia | 1 July 2009 – 12 February 2011 | ||
 South Africa | Who Do You Think You Are? | SABC2 | 31 May 2009 | |
 Sweden | Swedish: [[Vem tror du att du är?]] (Who Do You Think You Are?) | SVT1 | Spring 2009 | |
 United States | Who Do You Think You Are? | 5 March 2010 – present |
BBC Cymru Wales has a similar series called Coming Home, made by Yellow Duck Productions, which features celebrities with a Welsh background.[11] [12] In 2007, Wall to Wall Media developed You Don't Know You're Born for ITV1. The series saw various celebrities taking on their ancestors' jobs. UKTV broadcast My Famous Family in 2007. The PBS series Finding Your Roots, premiered in 2012, features celebrities discovering their ancestry through a compilation of documents called a "book of life".
A short parody sketch of the programme featured in the first series of The Armstrong & Miller Show in which Alexander Armstrong plays a fictionalised version of himself, discovering that his paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother were a child molester and a brothel-owner respectively.[13]
Another parody sketch of the programme featured in Walliams & Friend in which Harry Enfield plays Queen Elizabeth II, who attempts to trace her family lineage.[14]
Series 1–11, 13, 15 and 16 of Who Do You Think You Are? are all available on Region 2 DVD, whilst a box set of series 1–4 is available, distributed by Acorn Media UK.[15] Series 1–4 are available on Region 4 DVD.
| Series | Release dates | DVD Extras and Bonus Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| 1 | 5 March 2007 | 17 September 2008 | Unseen Footage, First Steps to Researching Your Family | |
| 2 | 4 September 2007 | 12 November 2008 | Unseen Footage | |
| 3 | 12 January 2009 | 18 March 2009 | ||
| 4 | 3 August 2009 | 20 May 2009 | Special episode in conjunction with the BBC's "Family Wanted" campaign featuring Nicky Campbell, who was adopted a few days after his birth. | |
| 5 | 1 February 2010 | Three behind-the-scenes features | ||
| 6 | 6 September 2010 | |||
| 7 | 7 March 2011 | |||
| 8 | 20 August 2012[16] | |||
| 9 | 5 August 2013[17] | |||
| 10 | 22 September 2014[18] | |||
| 11 | 10 November 2014[19] | Who Do They Think They Are?: 10 Years, 100 Shows | ||
| 13 | 6 August 2018[20] | |||
| 15 | 24 September 2018[21] | |||
In October 2007, BBC Magazines began issuing Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, a monthly publication that includes material from the TV series.
The programme was nominated for the 2010 BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series.[22]