My amazing ANCESTORS

DEV GRIFFIN on how researching his ancestry has helped him feel closer to his family

- CAREN CLARK

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
THURSDAY, 9PM, BBC1 FACTUAL

Dev Griffin has both Irish and Jamaican ancestry, but until now, he has never felt a deep connection to either heritage.

In this week’s episode of BBC1’s genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?, however, the radio DJ and Strictly Come Dancing 2019 competitor gets closer to his roots by taking poignant trips to Dublin and the Caribbean. While he uncovers maternal forebears who were involved in the Irish fight for independence, in Jamaica he learns more about his father’s background.

Here, in an exclusive chat, Dev, 38, tells TV Times about his journey into the past…

Why did you want to explore your family tree?

I was curious because I didn’t know anything about either side. I wasn’t particularly close with my dad [Rodney] growing up, while my mum [Maggie] never really spoke about Irish things. She was told when she came to Britain as a kid, ‘Don’t tell people you’re from Ireland, and lose the accent.’ So I wanted to know if I have any stories to learn from, or to pass on.