DNA Journey season 6 sees three new pairs of celebrities embarking on a time-travelling adventure to explore their respective family trees for ITV1’s genealogy road trip. Yet, when they begin their adventures into the past, they have no idea they will make discoveries that could rival any TV drama.
Here’s everything you need to know…
DNA Journey season 6 release date
DNA Journey season 6 kicks off on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 on ITV1 at 9pm with Life on Mars stars John Simm and Philip Glenister.
Brookside favourites Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston’s episode airs on Wednesday, October 16 at the same time.
Stay Close stars Sarah Parish and Jimmy Nesbitt team up to delve into their respective pasts on Wednesday, October 23.
All episodes will be available on ITVX after transmission.
See below for more on everyone's discoveries.
DNA Journey season 6 — episode guide
Episode 1 — John Simm and Philip Glenister
There’s a dramatic start to the new run of ITV’s celebrity genealogy series when actor pals John Simm and Philip Glenister undertake DNA tests and John discovers that his dad is not his biological father.
What follows is probably one of the most surreal moments of his life, yet it captures his stoicism, humour and grace in the face of the unknown. It also leads to a warmhearted meeting with his half-sister Karen (imagine learning you have a famous brother?).
A fascinating watch and a lesson in supportive friendship, as both men discover previously unknown branches of their family trees.
JOHN’S STORY
Three months before filming began, John was left reeling when a DNA test for the show revealed that his dad, Ron, wasn’t his biological father. While initially unsure about whether to continue taking part, the Grace star decided after speaking to his mum, Brenda, to press on so he could learn about his paternal lineage.
Cameras follow the actor as he travels to Yorkshire to find out about his biological father, Terry Naylor, who passed away in 1998, and met his half-sister, Karen, during the process.
He also discovered that Terry had a close connection with working men’s clubs – the same places where a teenage John used to sing and play guitar alongside musician Ron.
“I decided to take part in DNA Journey as a favour to Phil, so he didn’t have to do it on his own,” shares John, 54, who became a household name playing detective Sam Tyler opposite Philip’s old-school cop DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC’s sci-fi police drama Life on Mars, which ran from 2006 to 2007.
“I wasn’t expecting this. My dad died in 2015, so I asked my mum if it would be OK to find out about my family. And then this revelation came out that my dad is not my biological dad. My mother was floored by the news. She explained how they had split up and were both with other people and then got back together and had me, and a doctor told them the dates were fine.
“It spun my world. I considered pulling out of the show, thinking, ‘This is too big.’ But I wanted to utilise all these experts and do it properly. It’s turned out to be such a massive thing in my life.
“I was close to my dad because, when I was younger, we used to go around working men’s clubs, playing guitar and singing. So it blows my mind that Terry might have watched me play in the 1980s, it’s one of those mad Life on Mars things.
“I’ve had a lot of fun hanging out with Phil as well, but it’s the last time I do him any favours!”
PHILIP’S STORY
As well as supporting long-time friend John on his journey, Philip makes some interesting discoveries about his own ancestry.
His five-times great-grandfather, Samuel Bundock, was an enterprising Essex farmer who made a fortune during the Industrial Revolution, but his will reveals that Philip’s line of the family was only left a token inheritance.
The After the Flood actor also visits East London where he learns that his two-times great aunt, shoemaker’s daughter Margaret Glenister, was a superstar opera singer who went by the stage name Pauline Rita and was one of the theatrical duo W.S Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s leading ladies.
“John seemed the obvious choice to do this with, so I mooted the idea to him. Then I thought, “Maybe this is a mistake”, but he seemed adamant that he wanted to carry on.
“For me, I was completely open to whatever came along. I just wanted to know what connections my family had – whether we’re upstairs or downstairs. I’d like to be upstairs because I’ve played too many parts where I’ve been downstairs!
“It’s amazing how Pauline Rita looks a bit like my niece. Gilbert and Sullivan were the Lennon and McCartney of the time and she’d have been the Elaine Paige of her day! We started at a shoemaker’s and ended up with an opera singer who changed the whole course of musical history. It’s unbelievable! Though I did say to John, ‘Even in this, you have to upstage me!’”
Episode 2 — Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston
With forty years of friendship under their belts, Brookside and Royle Family stars Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston reunite to unearth their family history using DNA and genealogy.
They met when they were first cast as husband and wife in Brookside and bonded over their love of Liverpool, social justice and left-wing politics. Now, they are on a journey that will take them across the UK, reconnecting with lost cousins and unearthing long held family secrets.
Scouser Ricky's story begins with a delightful surprise in the Lake District with an ancestor who worked as a tailor alongside literary greats. While Sue discovers a war hero who fought for homes for returning soldiers and a baronet who was a champion trainer for the king's horses...
RICKY’S STORY
Ricky’s DNA Journey gets underway in the Lake District, as he discovers his family has roots there. Arriving in the stunning surrounds of Ambleside, he’s delighted to be told that his three-times great-grandad, James Hunter, worked as a tailor in the 1840s, most likely crossing paths with literary giants such as Charles Dickens and William Wordsworth as they spent seasons in the town to gather inspiration. But it’s his ancestor’s social conscience that really grabs Ricky’s heart when he realises his relative was instrumental in speaking out for change for those living in poverty…
“I’m really quite pleased to know that. They were obviously not middle class, but they were certainly a little bit above working class, being a businessman, and that fills me with joy actually. I’m made up with that,” says the star. “I love the social injustice business, because it plays a part in my everyday life. I hate to see people being put on. You’ve got to do something, otherwise nothing changes.”
Later, after returning to Liverpool, Ricky is inspired by his relative Jane Cunningham. A trailblazer, who was one of the first ever female journalists in New York in the mid 19th century. Her legacy lives on in a club for women once frequented by Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama, an annual award for journalism, and, most specially for Ricky, her books, which he can hold in his own hands.
“It was my dream to be a writer. I was like a closet writer for years, so this is amazing. You’ve shocked me to the core and I’m quite emotional,” shares Ricky. “What an amazing woman. I’m made up. You’ll never hear me stop talking about this!”
SUE’S STORY
There are shocks in store for Sue too. During the programme she’s brought to a former Conservative Club where she discovers that she’s related to early 20th century Tory MP for Tottenham, William Prescott, who is considered a man of his time - a war hero who fought for homes for soldiers returning from World War One.
“I couldn’t be prouder of him and the qualities he had,” says Sue. “It’s something I’d aspire to. I admire him.”
The surprises keep coming as Sue discovers she’s also related to aristocracy and there’s a Baronet in the family. Sue is ecstatic to connect with William’s grandson, Sir Mark Prescott, 3rd Baronet and a champion trainer for The King’s horse. Not only that, she also traces her family line six generations back in Scotland.
Reflecting on her DNA Journey with Ricky, Sue says: “I know how much social justice matters to you and I think you know it does to me. Everybody we have met, on both sides, has been involved and I feel really proud.”
Episode 3 — Sarah Parish and Jimmy Nesbitt
Actors James Nesbitt and Sarah Parish embark on a quest to find close connections as they dive into their separate family histories.
Sarah discovers the source of her passion for education dates back to the 1800s and her great-great grand-uncle who successfully campaigned to make education possible for every child in Scotland, and James learns about his grandfather's heroic last stand before he became a prisoner of war to the Germans in the First World War.
SARAH’S STORY
Actors and close friends Sarah Parish and James Nesbitt have both recently lost a parent, making this final episode of DNA Journey all the more emotional.
Sarah says: “My mum always used to say, 'Life will never give you anything that you can’t cope with.'
"I so badly want to dig a little bit deeper to find out where did that come from? When they’ve gone, you wish for just one more conversation. One more chat. All those things that you really wanted to ask.”
During her DNA Journey Sarah shares that she idolised her inspirational headteacher mum, Thelma, and, when she begins the process in Scotland she’s amazed to find that the family passion for education dates back to the 1800s, where her great-great grand-uncle, Reverend James Taylor, successfully campaigned to make education possible for every child in Scotland.
Sarah says: “It’s just extraordinary how this running theme of education and giving back to people runs so strong through the family. To know he had such a huge part to play in educating, what a great man. It’s such a shame my mum is not with us anymore because that would have made her life. She would have been so moved.”
JAMES' STORY
On the outset of his DNA Journey James, like Sarah, is thinking of his loved ones who have passed away.
"I wish my mum and dad were here to see me go on the journey but I suppose, in a way, they will be with me in a sense… They’re never that far away. If I look into the album of my memory, they’re pretty bright there."
James' first discovery during the process is that his great-grandfather was particularly adept at evading the law, running an illegal pub in Ireland during the late 1800s! Yet it’s not long before glory is restored as he and Sarah head to France to visit the battleground of the Somme. There he learns that his grandfather, William Nesbitt, was a 17-year-old gunner in the 1916 battle and, after he was injured he became a prisoner of war and wrote a diary while in captivity.
"I'm overwhelmed. The eight-year-old boy who remembers his grandad with great love and affection probably knew somewhere that he was in the war but he didn’t want to talk about it," says James. "I wondered, 'Was he a hero?' and I’m delighted that that eight-year-old boy is now sitting in front of you finding out that he was indeed a heroic man."
There's another surprise to come, however, with the revelation that James' dad created a written legacy of his grandfather's experience and donated treasured items to Linen Hall Library in Ireland.
As James reads what his father wrote, he says: "It’s an extraordinary thing to look at. I saw his writing everyday on the chalkboard at school and I would know it from a mile away. I said at the beginning, it would be lovely to be reconnected with him, and there it is. I’m very grateful."
Is there a trailer for DNA Journey season 6?
Not yet, but we will update this space if one becomes available.
DNA Journey — additional information
DNA Journey with Ancestry uses advanced DNA technology and genealogy, so celebrity duos can unlock hidden secrets from their family trees as they discover amazing revelations about their descendants, fascinating stories of unknown ancestors and meet with newly found relatives that spark deep connections to the past and present.
DNA Journey with Ancestry is a Voltage TV, Mitre Studios and Ancestry co-production for ITV.
