Returning: Who Do You Think You Are?

A brand-new season of Who Do You Think You Are? returns to SBS in May and will feature Manu Feildel, Miranda Otto, Pat Rafter, Kathy Lette, Wayne Blair, Melissa Doyle, Stephen Curry and Heather Ewart tracing their genealogy.

Bernadine Lim, SBS Commissioning Editor for Documentaries said: “Who Do You Think You Are? is one of SBS’s most beloved and successful series. Through the deeply personal stories of some of Australia’s biggest stars, the program explores the universal desire of wanting to understand our past and where we came from. A fascinating and colourful journey that is often described as life-changing for those involved, the new season of Who Do You Think You Are? promises to captivate and entertain.”

Trekking to isolated parts of Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom, the USA, New Zealand, and France, they unearth secrets and stories that profoundly change their understanding of their own family, and ultimately their sense of self. Our celebrities delve into a history that is deeply personal yet has universal reverberations.

In the heart-wrenching first episode of the new season, acclaimed chef and TV personality Manu Feildel travels back to France to discover generations of culinary excellence in his mother’s family and reconnects with his father in an emotional reunion.

In episode two, internationally renowned actor, Miranda Otto, from one of Australia’s most celebrated acting dynasties, uncovers a life-changing secret about her dad, Barry Otto. Fierce feminist author, Kathy Lette sets out on a global quest from Norway to USA to find like-minded formidable female mavericks in her family tree in episode three.

Kathy said “What surprised me the most was how complicated and interesting my ancestors were. You don’t tend to think of them as living, breathing people but they were dealing with all the same personal issues we deal with. Love, loss, lust and so to put the flesh on their bones as a writer particularly I found absolutely intriguing and compelling.”

In episode four, actor and director Wayne Blair uncovers the little-known story of his Woppaburra ancestors from Queensland’s Keppel Islands and discovers an extraordinary twist in his paternal ancestry. Wayne said, “I think this journey has made my perception evolve about my family and it has become more layered and that’s what I’ve loved the most.”

Former World Number One tennis champion Pat Rafter is seeking to find some rapscallion ancestors in his family tree in episode five. Encountering a fiery troublemaker, he also confronts a violent past.

In episode six, journalist Melissa Doyle sees her family tree come to life as she discovers the first of her paternal ancestors to cross the ocean to Australia, and on her maternal side, to travel to New Zealand. Melissa said “It’s taken them (my ancestors) from being names in history and on the family tree to actual once upon a time living, breathing, working humans who were doing everything for their family. It’s just brought them to life; it’s definitely taken them from black and white to colour.”

Actor Stephen Curry shakes down his maternal family tree, in episode seven, only to uncover more than he bargained for including a courageous, whistle-blowing goldrush banker. Of the experience, Stephen said “I appreciate now having answers that I never even knew I was looking for.”

In the final episode of the season, award-winning journalist and popular host of the ABC’s “Back Roads”, Heather Ewart, takes a deep dive into her family’s roots and discovers a religious extremist and a shameful family secret.

Who Do You Think You Are? is produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia for SBS.

7.30pm Tuesday 7 May on SBS.