Jeremy Paxman's not sure he's interested in family history, but he does love social history. However, he quickly realises that his family's story is inextricably linked to that of Britain.

Sheila Hancock believed that her family's history was very boring. But she discovers that her grandfather was a successful manager and guide for Thomas Cook's travel agents in Milan.

Stephen Fry knows that people always think of him as being quintessentially English, but his mother is from a large European Jewish family. Stephen traces his maternal grandfather, Martin Neumann, back to modern-day Slovakia.

Jane Horrocks's family history is rooted in Lancashire - three generations of her family lived in the same street in Rawtenstall. Her ancestors form part of the town's cotton-weaving heritage.

Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend It Like Beckham, grew up in Southall in West London. But she was born in Kenya, and her family's story is tied up with that of the British Empire.