Journey of DISCOVERY

SUE PERKINS on why finding out about her ancestors was so important

- CAREN CLARK

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

NEW THU, 9PM (TIMES VARY), BBC1 FACTUAL

Sue Perkins admits that she has felt a 'sense of precariousness' since the death of her dad, Bert, who passed away in 2017 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

As TV Times joins the comedian and former host of The Great British Bake Off to talk about her taking part in BBC1's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, which returns for a 19th outing this week, she reveals that the tragic loss sparked her interest in uncovering her roots.

During her investigation, Sue learnt how her paternal grandfather, Albert Perkins, ended up in the workhouse after losing his parents and stepmother as a child.

Meanwhile, her maternal great-grandfather Emil Müller, a London tailor, was interned as an 'enemy alien' during World War One due to his German background, and in Lithuania, the family of Emil's wife, Anna Tislau, faced turmoil in World War Two.

Here, Sue, 52, talks us through her journey into the past...

We're so sorry for the loss of your dad. Why did that inspire you to sign up for the show?

For everyone who's bereaved, you struggle to make sense of the world. When you lose a family member, it feels like you're in a hot-air balloon and suddenly someone's snipped one of the cables.

To recalibrate, I wanted to find out more about him and his antecedents. Also, why am I the person I am? What impact has my ancestry had on my behaviour?

How much did you know beforehand about your grandfather Albert, who vas born in 1875?