Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are set to delve deep into their family history in the fifth series of ITV’s DNA Journey.
The Royle Family stars are joining best pals Sam Thompson and Marvin Humes on the exciting new series, alongside four other celebrity pairings.
Jo Brand and Julian Clary, Fay Ripley and Hermione Norris, Sarah Parish and Jimmy Nesbitt plus John Simm and Philip Glenister are also apart of the brand new line-up.
DNA Journey sees the celebrity duos set off in pursuit of where they come from and unearth secrets from their past.
In the new series, the stars will discover life-changing and emotional information about their past in a life-changing and emotional scenes.
Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are set to delve deep into their family history in the fifth series of ITV ‘s DNA Journey
The Royle Family stars are joining best pals Sam Thompson and Marvin Humes on the exciting new series, alongside four other celebrity pairings
The celebrities will travel all around the world, from Canada to London and France to Jamaica.
The show cleverly uses advanced DNA technology and genealogy to unlock hidden secrets from their family trees and discover amazing revelations about their descendants.
Louise Major, Commissioning Editor, ITV said: ‘DNA Journey is an extraordinary series that offers a unique glimpse into the lives of so many brilliant celebrities.
‘It is a privilege to be granted intimate access to their personal journeys and to share their experiences with the audience.
‘This series is packed with life-changing revelations and gratifying discoveries that are sure to touch everyone’s hearts.’
The release date for the brand new series is still unknown.
In last year’s series, Oti and Motsi Mabuse broke down in tears as they were finally told information about their grandfather following a DNA test.
The sisters took part in the show Oti and Motsi Mabuse’s DNA Journey in 2023, in a bid to learn more about their family history.
DNA Journey sees the celebrity duos set off in pursuit of where they come from and unearth secrets from their past (Marvin and Sam pictured)
In the new series, the stars will discover life-changing and emotional information about their past in a life-changing and emotional scenes (Sue and Ricky pictured in The Royle Family in 2008)
The Strictly Come Dancing stars became emotional as they were given medals their grandfather received for his work in the armed forces and they also learned they are distantly related to Nelson Mandela.
In one heartwarming clip from the show, Oti and Motsi wipe away tears as a man gives them their grandfather’s family history.
Oti said: ‘It’s a good thing, it’s an amazing thing. Please don’t think we’re sad. One of the missing pieces that we’ve missed and needed to hear for so long, it’s a beautiful thing. We’re so grateful. These are tears of, “Oh my God!”‘
The man replied: ‘You’ve got a lot to be proud of and all the good deeds your grandfather has done.’
Motsi then read out some of the honours their grandfather received, saying: ‘Defence Medal British, war medal and an African Service medal.’
‘We had no idea we had war medals in the family,’ she added.
Oti added: ‘We’ve tried and everywhere we looked, there’s nothing. That’s why we have it in our own heads that there’s nothing in our family. You’ve completely flipped that on its head.’
Motsi said the pair couldn’t wait to give the information to their father, who they suspected wouldn’t know any of it either.
In last year’s series, Oti and Motsi Mabuse broke down in tears as they were finally told information about their grandfather following a DNA test
The sisters took part in the show Oti and Motsi Mabuse’s DNA Journey in 2023 in a bid to learn more about their family history, learning they are distantly related to Nelson Mandela
In another clip, the sisters spoke to a different man who had examined their DNA and discovered Nelson Mandela is a ‘genetic relative’ of theirs.
He said: ‘Your group, some quite special people belong to your group and are distant genetic relatives of yours.’
Motsi replied: ‘Don’t say Nelson Mandela.’
The man confirms it was Nelson Mandela, prompting Oti and Motsi to jump up and down with delight as he added: ‘And Archbishop Desmond Tutu, both of them.’
