Aisling Bea gasps 'that's hard to hear' as she confronts 'shameful' family history on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?

Daily Mail​

20-05-2025

Aisling Bea gasps 'that's hard to hear' as she confronts her 'shameful' family history on Tuesday's episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
Today's (Tuesday 20 May) instalment of the BBC show, which sees celebrities explore their heritage, will see the actress look through some historical documents during a meet up in County Limerick with historian Dr Richard McMahon.
Richard opens up to the comedian, from Kildare, Ireland, about her great-grandmother Martha Sheehy and her time during the great famine.
However he could find records from the early 1850s which gave him a sense of position that she was in at the time.
Aisling says: 'Before famine 40 acers in area of court, then her estate in Ballycannon she had 115 acres post famine...'
Richard tells her: 'The family have a larger farm by the end of the famine then they had pre famine Ireland.
Today's (Tuesday 20 May) instalment of the BBC show, which sees celebrities explore their heritage, will see the actress look through some historical documents during a meet up in County Limerick with historian Dr Richard McMahon
'So during this devastating period in Irish history, which would have such a long terrible legacy for all of us afterwards, how does someone come to have more land if owned than renting so soon after the famine?' Aisling asks him.
Richard explains: 'During the famine landlords would have evicted 100,000s of people off the land and when they are moved of the land, the land is taken over by farmers like your great great great grandmother Martha.'
Aisling tries to wrap her head around it and replies: 'So while she might not be evicting them, she maybe using it as an opportune moment.'
'Some people got larger farms on the back of people getting moved off the land,' Richard tells her.
Aisling brutally says: 'That is hard to hear. I'll be honest.
'Having spent all our childhood learning about the Irish famine in our history classes, anyone who, any terrible situation profited...
'It does make me feel a little bit shameful to be honest.'
The current series of Who Do You Think You Are? has been an emotional one.
Richard opens up to the comedian, from Kildare, Ireland, about her great-grandmother Martha Sheehy and her time during the great famine
Last week Layton Williams broke down in tears after learning the 'awful' truth about his enslaved ancestors.
He grew up in Bury, Manchester, with his mum and three siblings, but his dad - who was born in Bury - also has Jamaican roots, and wanted to find out more.
Speaking about what he found out at the end of the instalment, Layton said: 'I'm feeling a mixture of feelings, like a bag of feelings.
'When you're a person of colour, you always know that is probably the eventuality. But when you actually have it all spelt out to you that your family would have, you know, been enslaved, quite frankly...
'To actually think about it and to really know their names, and know that they were children growing up in it, there's so much black power in that.
'And I don't think I've been like, really, really proud of being, like, a person of colour.
'And really, like leaning into "I'm a beautiful black man and I'm proud to have come from people who went through that, but kind of came through the other side..."
'Now I'm going to cry.'
The actor, 30 - who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023 - appeared on the latest episode of the much-loved BBC show
Fighting back the tears, Layton continued: 'It's really, it's really beautiful and it's important that we don't' forget because it's real and it happened, and it was sad.
'And I'm sure it was awful, but we made it here. And my family is like, actually, they're bonkers.
'But they're amazing. And there's so many of us.
'And I really, really hope that whatever they went through, like we were kind of worth it, you know?'
'So yeah, I will look back at this experience for sure and be really happy.
'I'm really proud of the family that came before me.'
The week before Ross Kemp broke down as he unearthed a family secret that he spent his whole life questioning.
The 22nd series of Who Do You Think You Are returned to our screens in April.
The likes of Andrew Garfield, Diane Morgan, Mushal Husian, Ross Kemp, Aisling Bea, Will Young, Fred Siriex and Layton Williams explore their family history.
Simon Young, BBC Head of History, said of the new series: 'The stellar line-up this year is a real treat for our audiences.
'But so is the history, from the shock of a royal ancestor to epic stories of survival.
'And that's why this series endures, because it hints at the amazing family micro-histories that make all of us who we are.'
Colette Flight, Executive Producer for Wall to Wall Media, added: 'Spanning centuries and travelling the globe, Who Do You Think You Are? is back.
'With eight much-loved celebrities to entertain and captivate us as they delve into their family histories.
'As they discover their ancestors' adventures, triumphs, trials and tribulations, their rich family stories reveal incredible snapshots of history.
'Including one of the greatest villains of Medieval England, the evacuation at Dunkirk, rescuing art looted by the Nazis, and the birth of American Independence.'