‘I needed answers!'

Liz Carr on uncovering an ancestor’s role in an attempted murder

- CAREN CLARK

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? LAST ONE MONDAY / BBC1 / 9PM / EP 4 of 4 / FACTUAL

Fans of crime drama Silent Witness were bereft at the end of the last series when Liz Carr quit her role as wry forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery. So when TV Times joins Liz for a video chat about her episode of BBC1’s Who Do You Think You Are? we’re pleased to hear she was inspired by Clarissa’s sleuthing skills as she explored her ancestry and uncovered an attempted murder involving her paternal great-great-great-grandfather, Bernard ‘Barney’ Ryan, in 19thcentury Northern Ireland.

Here, actor and disabled-rights campaigner Liz, 48, tells us more…

How did you feel about discovering a crime in your family?

I love crime dramas and true-crime shows – my wife, Jo, is concerned that I’m planning something! And the investigative Clarissa side in me needed answers because I’m inquisitive. So I was very excited. Clarissa would’ve been as well!

Barney was suspected of being embroiled in the shooting of his ‘tyrannical’ landlord, Meredith Chambre. Were you aware of Barney’s story before?