DNA Journey with Ancestry returns to ITV1 and ITVX for a fifth series with six new celebrity pairings who set off in pursuit of where they came from and unearth secrets from their past in a life-changing and emotional voyage of discovery.
Using advanced DNA technology and genealogy, the duos will unlock hidden secrets from their family trees as they discover amazing revelations about their descendants, fascinating stories of unknown ancestors and meet with newly found relatives that spark deep connections to the past and present.
Best loved actors and close friends, James Nesbitt and Sarah Parish are on their DNA journey to delve into their family histories. Both of them have recently lost parents and they’re on a quest to find close family connections.
Sarah says: “My mum always used to say, ‘Life will never give you anything that you can’t cope with.’ And you kind of go, ‘Yeah, there is nothing that I can’t cope with, nothing.’ I so badly just want to dig a little bit deeper to find out, where did that come from?
“When they’ve gone, you wish for just one more conversation. One more chat. All those things that you really wanted to ask.”
James says: “In a way I wish my mum and dad were here to see me go on the journey but I suppose, in a way, they will be with me in a sense…but also they’re never that far away. If I look into the album of my memory, they’re there pretty bright.”
Sarah says she idolised her inspirational headteacher mum and is amazed to find the source of passion for education dates back to the1800s.
“It’s such a shame my mum is not with us anymore because that would have made her life. She would have been so moved.”
James finds his great grandfather was particularly adept at evading the law. However, it’s not long before glory is restored as the duo visit the battleground of the Somme.
“I’m overwhelmed. The eight-year-old boy who remembers his grandad with great love and affection probably knew somewhere that he was in the war but he didn’t want to talk about it. I wondered, ‘Was he a hero?’
DNA Journey with Ancestry is a Voltage TV, Mitre Studios and Ancestry co-production for ITV.
Travelling Through Time to Trace Your Ancestors 