Who Do You Think You Are? series 23 (aka WDYTYA? 23) comes to the BBC this Spring — meet the celebrities

And this time there’s an actual A-Z

Who are the celebrities in WDYTYA? 23

The BAFTA-winning critically acclaimed genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? returns to iPlayer and BBC One in Spring 2026. Produced by Wall to Wall Media, the 23rd series features an unmissable line-up of stars including Adeel Akhtar, Amy Dowden, Harriet Walter, Joe Swash, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Ruth Madeley, Toby Jones, and Zoe Ball.

The next instalment of the hit genealogy show sees another eight celebrities delve into their roots to discover their incredible family histories. Spanning centuries of time, the stars uncover extraordinary stories of strength, love, tragedy, rebellion, and resilience as they journey across the UK from London to Glasgow and global destinations including Australia, Tasmania, Italy, India, the Bahamas and Kenya in search of their ancestry.

You can read summarises of each celebrity’s story in the press release, but we’ve grabbed some of the details to give a flavour of what’s to come.

Adeel Akhtar discovers an amazing family secret, traces his Indian-Kenyan roots to a sea voyage from Gujarat and stumbles on his ancestors’ pioneering role in the foundation of Nairobi.

Joe Swash’s 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 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.

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

Of course there’s a lore more to learn about each, and this is an excellent show to watch at any time. A selection of previous series are on iPlayer.!