In 2019, Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe broke down in tears during filming as he read his Jewish great grandfather’s suicide note for the first time.
He learned that his ancestor, Samuel Gershon, had been financially ruined by a robbery at the family’s Hatton Garden jewellery business in 1936.
Faced with destitution and the police’s suspicions he staged the raid to claim an insurance payment, he took his life aged 42.
The latest seven-part series, which will also feature Dame Judi Dench, Ed Balls, and a cast of other public figures, will take viewers on a journey across the world to Jamaica, Denmark, Ireland and the UK.
“The incredible personal stories they unearth of their ancestors’ lives - from royal love triangles to labourers fighting for their rights, from Victorian child sweeps to battling fascists in London’s East end - reflect and illuminate all our collective history,” said Executive Producer Colette Flight.
