Who Do You Think You Are? 2026 line-up: Meet the celebrities taking part

Who Do You Think You Are? returns tonight for a 23rd season, featuring an unmissable line-up of famous faces from all corners of the entertainment world.

The new instalment sees another eight celebrities delve into their roots to discover their incredible family histories, taking some across the globe to the likes of Australia, Tasmania, Italy, India, the Bahamas and Kenya in search of their ancestry.

In each episode, viewers will watch on as the stars uncover extraordinary stories of strength, love, tragedy, rebellion 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

Adeel Akhtar. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 45

Job: Actor

Adeel Akhtar is an actor, best known for his role in Murdered by My Father, for which he won a BAFTA in 2017. His other credits include Ali & Ava, Showtrial and Sherwood. He has also had roles in Down Cemetery Road, Fool Me Once, Killing Eve and Black Doves.

In the series Akhtar traces his Indian-Kenyan roots to a sea voyage from Gujarat and stumbles on his ancestors’ pioneering role in the foundation of Nairobi.

Amy Dowden

Amy Dowden. BBC / Wall to Wall Media Ltd / Stephen Perry

Age: 35

Job: Professional dancer

Amy Dowden is a British national champion, best known for being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, where she joined in 2017.

In 2023, Dowden was not part of the main pros line-up due to her breast cancer diagnosis. The Welsh dancer said at the time that doctors had found another type of cancer, and she was having chemotherapy.
In the series, Dowden steps away from the dance floor to solve a family murder, with the investigation leading her to a West Wales farmhouse and a valley named after her ancestor, as well as unravelling an emotional story with powerful parallels to her own life.

Harriet Walter

Harriet Walter. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 75

Job: Actress

Dame Harriet Walter is an actress best known for her appearances in various films and stage productions. In the world of television, Walter has starred in Succession, Killing Eve, The Crown and Law & Order: UK. More recently, she has starred in Archie, Brian and Maggie and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
Walter uncovers a family member’s secret intelligence role during the Second World War and delves into the scandalous life of one of her noble Italian ancestors.

Joe Swash

Joe Swash. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 44

Job: Actor and TV presenter

Best known for his portrayal of Mickey Miller in EastEnders, Joe Swash has also made a name for himself across entertainment and reality TV formats.

In 2008, Swash was named King of the Jungle in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here and in 2020, he won Dancing on Ice alongside Alex Murphy. Since 2025, he and his wife Stacey Solomon have fronted their own television programme, Stacey & Joe on BBC One.

In the series, his journey into his family history takes him from Little Italy to Southern Italy, where he uncovers a dramatic family tale of outlaws and crime.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson

Katarina Johnson-Thompson. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 33

Job: Athlete

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is an athlete, primarily known as both a heptathlete and an indoor pentathlete.

In heptathlon she is a double world champion, double Commonwealth Games champion and an Olympic and European silver medallist. In indoor pentathlon, she is a world and double European champion. She represents Great Britain.

Johnson-Thompson explores her Bahamian roots in the Exuma Islands, tracing her family’s courageous migration to Miami at a time of racial segregation and the terrifying rise of the Ku Klux Klan.

Ruth Madeley

Ruth Madeley. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 38

Job: Actress

Ruth Madeley is an actress who has had various roles across British TV, including Fresh Meat, Outnumbered, Cold Feet, Years and Years, The Long Shadow, Brassic, Renegade Nell and Nightsleeper, as well as films such as Joy and the TV movie Then Barbara Met Alan.

In the series, Madeley unearths a long-buried family secret about an adoption, a mystery that requires DNA testing and meticulous genealogical detective work to uncover a lost ancestor.

Toby Jones

Toby Jones. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age:

Job: Actor

Toby Jones is an actor known for his roles across stage and screen.

Viewers may have seen Jones in Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Captain America, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, BBC comedy Detectorists, ITV true crime drama The Long Shadow, and more recently, Mr Bates vs The Post Office and The Hack.
During his journey on the show, Jones investigates a family rumour that leads him from the Theatre Royal in Margate to Meerut in North India, where his great‑great‑grandfather was stationed with the British Army, and makes an astonishing discovery about his lineage.

Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball. BBC / Wall to Wall Stephen Perry

Age: 55

Job: Broadcaster

Zoe Ball is a broadcaster and presenter, who many will recognise from her lengthy TV career – fronting shows including Live and Kicking – and hosting roles across BBC Radio 1 and 2.

Ball explores her Scottish and Cornish roots and discovers a tale of hardship, tragedy and survival.

Who Do You Think You Are? returns on Tuesday 26 May at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Add Who Do You Think You Are? to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.