More celebrity duos are unlocking their family history in DNA Journey with Ancestry on ITV, including Cold Feet and The Royle Family stars.
With the help of experts, advanced DNA technology and genealogy, revelations are made and fascinating stories of unknown ancestors are uncovered, which also leads to some meetings with living relatives.
Who are the celebrities on DNA Journey season 5?
The cast of DNA Journey includes six pairs of friends, who have previously worked together on TV shows and projects.
• Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, stars of The Royle Family
• Fay Ripley and Hermione Norris, Cold Feet cast members
• Jo Brand and Julian Clary, comedians
• Sarah Parish and James Nesbitt, actors on Harlan Coben's Netflix show Stay Close
• John Simm and Philip Glenister, from Life on Mars
• Sam Thompson and Marvin Humes, contestants on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2023
DNA Journey 2024 release date
The first episode of DNA Journey with Ancestry will air on Wednesday, 9th October 2024, on ITV 1 and ITVX. It will follow actors and good pals John Simm and Philip Glenister as they are given some shocking revelations.
DNA Journey episode 1
The first instalment will see friends and Life on Mars stars John Simm and Philip Glenister take DNA tests to examine their genealogy. John (from Grace and Doctor Who) is shocked when he discovers that the dad he has always known is not actually his biological father and that he has a half-sister that he never knew existed.
According to the MailOnline, he only did the show to support his friend and considered leaving the show after the DNA test revelation. However, he chose to stay on the show and use the experts to help him learn more about his biological father.
"It's turned out to be such a massive thing in my life and all I was doing was a favour for Phil so he didn't have to do it on his own. It spun my world, and everything I thought I knew, wasn't real."
Recalling a conversation he had with his mother before the show, John said, "When they had me, in the Sixties, they were both young. They were together and then they split up and were both with other people and then they got back together and then they had me. And I'd never heard this story before."
As a teenager, John performed with his dad in working men's clubs and found out (in the episode) that his biological father would drink at the same places.
"The thing that blows my mind, me and my dad, we played around here loads of times, we definitely played here a lot and he might have been in the same pub one night and watched me play," he said.
"I can't get it out of my head, because we played this area in the 80s and he was here, and he was in working in men's clubs. It's one of those mad, Back To The Future, Life On Mars things."
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.