[Marc]

Six celebrities trace their family trees to reveal the lives of their ancestors and explore major themes in British social history.

Davina McCall makes some intriguing and shocking discoveries as she delves into her family's past. As a child of divorced parents, Davina, who is half-French, was brought up by her paternal grandmother in England and knows very little about her maternal French heritage. She also wants to find out if there is any truth behind the story that has been passed down for generations, claiming that the English side of her family is descended illegitimately from royal blood.

Davina's grandmother reveals that she believes Davina's great great, great, great-grandfather, James Thomas Bedborough, is the illegitimate son of George IV. The trail does indeed lead to Windsor but not quite in the way Davina expected.

On her French side, Davina wants to find out more about her great-grandfather Celestin Hennion. Her starting point is a medal that was given to Hennion by George V in gratitude for organising security for the monarch's trip to France in 1914. Davina knows her great grandfather was Head of the French police at the time, and decides to head to Paris to find out more.

In Paris, Davina is amazed to discover that her ancestor was famous throughout France and responsible for revolutionising the French police service. She also finds out that he was at the centre of a case that rocked France politically and divided the nation bitterly.



9pm Wednesday BBC1