Joe Lycett may be best known for his sharp comedy, elaborate pranks and mischievous approach to television, but there is little room for jokes when he begins exploring his family history in tonight’s Who Do You Think You Are?
The comedian and presenter is the latest celebrity to take part in the BBC genealogy series, and his search takes him from an Edwardian great-grandfather in Nottingham to a much darker chapter involving his two-times-great-grandfather, Robert Wilkinson.
The episode airs at 9pm tonight on BBC One and is already available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The BBC’s listings describe the programme as a 58-minute episode in which Lycett uncovers a dark family history.
Joe Lycett’s family history revealed
At first, Joe’s research appears to uncover the sort of eccentric family character that feels perfectly suited to his own personality.
His Edwardian great-grandfather was a member of the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes, a fraternal organisation with a long history in Britain.
But the investigation soon takes a much more serious turn.
Joe discovers that his two-times-great-grandfather Robert Wilkinson was working as a boy chimney sweep during the 1850s. His story then takes him far beyond Britain.
Wilkinson eventually joined the Royal Marines and travelled around the world. However, Joe discovers a troubling part of his ancestor’s military history connected to the destruction of villages in China following the Opium Wars.
The experience appears to have had devastating consequences for Robert, with alcoholism and a breakdown becoming part of the story Joe is forced to confront.
For someone who has built a career around finding humour in almost everything, the journey presents a very different challenge. His appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? is likely to show a more reflective side of Lycett as he attempts to understand the circumstances that shaped the people who came before him.
Is Joe Lycett married?
One of the questions viewers frequently ask about Joe Lycett is whether he is married.
Joe Lycett is not publicly known to be married. He has generally kept details of his personal life private and has not publicly announced a marriage.
He has, however, spoken about having a female partner.
In recent interviews, Lycett has also made it clear that his life away from television is rather different from his flamboyant on-screen persona. In a 2026 interview, he discussed his partner and his experience of becoming a father, while explaining that being a parent has changed his outlook in some respects.
Is Joe Lycett really a dad?
Yes. Joe Lycett is a father.
The comedian announced in October 2024 that he had welcomed a baby boy, sharing a photograph of himself holding his son and thanking staff at Birmingham Women’s Hospital for their care.
Lycett has subsequently spoken about fatherhood, including the effect it has had on his lifestyle and work.
In a 2026 interview, he revealed that his son was approaching two and joked about having to adjust his routine around parenthood. He also said that becoming a father had influenced his approach to comedy, making him more risk-averse in some ways while also increasing his desire to stand up for things he believes in.
So, despite the doubts that surrounded his original announcement — perhaps unsurprisingly given Lycett’s history of jokes and elaborate stunts — the answer is straightforward: yes, he really is a dad. He subsequently confirmed that the birth was genuine.
Joe Lycett is having a very busy year
The Who Do You Think You Are? appearance arrives during a particularly busy period for the comedian.
Joe is currently appearing in The Celebrity Traitors, the BBC’s celebrity version of the hit reality series. Ahead of the programme, Lycett discussed the difference between his television persona and his personality away from the cameras, telling TV Guide that he has a female partner and a son.
He is also hosting Live from the Lycett Arms, his new live Channel 4 entertainment show based around a working pub.
The programme airs on Friday nights at 10pm on Channel 4 and sees Lycett effectively become the landlord of his own television pub, complete with celebrity guests, regulars and his aunties working behind the bar. Channel 4 describes it as a live entertainment series set inside Lycett’s own pub.
That means viewers are currently seeing several different sides of Lycett at once — the comedian, television presenter, reality-show contestant and father.
Tonight, however, the focus is firmly on where he came from.
A very different side of Joe Lycett
The appeal of Who Do You Think You Are? is often the contrast between the celebrity viewers think they know and the discoveries they make when their family history is investigated.
That could be particularly compelling with Lycett.
His public image is built around humour, irreverence and a willingness to make fun of almost any situation. But tracing Robert Wilkinson’s life takes him into uncomfortable territory, forcing him to consider what his ancestor experienced and participated in during a very different period of history.
Rather than simply producing a collection of amusing family anecdotes, the episode promises to ask much more difficult questions about poverty, military service, violence and the psychological consequences of experiences that can echo through generations.
It also gives viewers the chance to see Lycett without the usual comedy machinery surrounding him.
When is Who Do You Think You Are? with Joe Lycett on?
Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Joe Lycett is on BBC One at 9pm tonight.
The episode is already available on BBC iPlayer, so viewers who don’t want to wait for the BBC One broadcast can watch it online now.
With Lycett currently juggling The Celebrity Traitors, Live from the Lycett Arms and his other television work, this could be one of his most revealing appearances yet.
And while viewers might expect the comedian to find something amusing in his family tree, the story he uncovers is ultimately much darker — and considerably more complicated.
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