My ancestral SURPRISES

LESLEY MANVILLE on unearthing stories worthy of any TV drama in her family tree

- HANNAH DAVIES

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? LAST ONE THU, 9PM (TIMES VARY), BBC1 FACTUAL

Having stepped into the role of Princess Margaret from series five of Netflix’s hit historical drama The Crown, Lesley Manville is acting royalty!

But the Oscar-nominated star learns her own ancestry is far from regal as she uncovers extraordinary family secrets and stories this week for the final episode in the current run of BBC1’s popular genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?

Her journey of discovery takes her to Australia, where her paternal three-times great-grandfather, Aaron Harding, was shipped as a convict in 1831 after rioting for farm labourers’ rights.

Lesley also finds the answer to a long-held mystery as to why her maternal grandparents, James and Harriet, weren’t married when her mum, Nora, was born in 1923: it turns out they already had other spouses.

Here, Lesley, 67, who’s currently playing Robina Chase in BBC1’s Sunday-night wartime drama World on Fire, tells us about her trip into the past…

What inspired you to explore your family tree?

I had ideas about my ancestors and where I’d ‘come from’, and was curious to see if I was right. As it turned out, it was far more complex than I had ever imagined!

Why do you think it is important that you took part in the show?

I wouldn’t say it was important. But I had curiosity in bucket loads and, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to know where they’ve come from and what their family was getting up to long before they were born? I’ve always been curious about people, so when I was given the opportunity to discover my own family history, I jumped at the chance.