Who Do You Think You Are? tonight: Rose Ayling-Ellis uncovers a dramatic family secret and discovers her Italian roots

EastEnders star and Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis explores her family history in tonight’s Who Do You Think You Are?, uncovering a remarkable story of resilience in Birmingham and finally tracing the Italian ancestry she’s long wondered about.

Where to Watch: 9pm, BBC One and iPlayer

Rose Ayling-Ellis is no stranger to captivating television audiences, having risen to fame as Frankie Lewis in EastEnders before winning the hearts of the nation on Strictly Come Dancing. Now, the actress and deaf rights campaigner embarks on a deeply personal journey as she investigates the mysteries of her family tree in a new episode of BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?

From a formidable pub landlady in Birmingham to a railway worker who lost his hand, Rose discovers ancestors whose lives were marked by hardship, determination and unexpected twists. She also sets out to establish whether the family rumour of Italian ancestry on her father’s side is true.

The results take Rose from Kent and Birmingham to Somerset, Exeter and the landscapes of Exmoor, revealing a family history full of drama, struggle and perseverance.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs tonight, Wednesday 14 October, at 9pm on BBC One and is also available on BBC iPlayer.

Rose Ayling-Ellis investigates a mysterious Birmingham ancestor

Rose begins her investigation by visiting her mum in Kent, where an intriguing family photograph sparks her curiosity. The picture shows Rose’s three-times-great-grandmother, a woman her family remembers as a formidable character who supposedly ran a Birmingham pub with an iron fist.

There is just one problem: Rose’s mum doesn’t know the woman’s name, and nobody is certain how much truth lies behind the family stories.

Determined to discover more, Rose heads to Birmingham, where local historian Simon Briercliffe helps her identify her ancestor as Agnes Chilton.

Trade directories and census records reveal that Agnes and her husband, Alfred, really did run a pub. But the most dramatic discovery comes from a local newspaper report detailing an altercation involving the couple and a customer that resulted in a court appearance.

It’s the kind of extraordinary family revelation that could easily have come straight from an EastEnders storyline.

Rose then discovers that Alfred died at just 48, leaving Agnes widowed. Concerned about what life might have held for a woman on her own during that period, Rose is relieved to learn that Agnes soon moved to another establishment, her own pub, the Aston Tavern.

Meeting historian Professor Julie-Marie Strange, Rose uncovers another surprising chapter in Agnes’s story. At 50, Agnes married for a second time, only to be widowed again two years later.

Yet once again, she refused to let adversity defeat her. Agnes continued building her business and expanded the pub further, demonstrating a determination that clearly resonates with her descendant.

In a particularly touching moment, Rose discovers that the current landlord of the Aston Tavern has named rooms after former landlords, including Agnes herself. As she seeks out the room bearing her ancestor’s name, Rose reflects on the extraordinary resilience of a woman who repeatedly rebuilt her life.

A railway accident and a family struggling to survive

Rose’s investigation then moves to her father’s family in Somerset, where her grandmother shares stories about her own father, James Welland, Rose’s great-great-grandfather.

James came from a remarkably large family, and Rose learns that her great-grandfather was one of 17 children. Her grandmother remembers that James lost his hand in an accident, possibly involving the railway, and recalls stories of extreme poverty in which the family lived in what was believed to be a squat in Exeter.

At the Great Western Railway Museum, Rose finds documentary evidence confirming that James was injured while working on the railways.

Accidents were common during this period, and James was among those who attempted to claim compensation for their injuries. Unfortunately, his claim was unsuccessful.

For Rose, the discovery is particularly meaningful. She has spent much of her public life campaigning for deaf rights and greater representation of disabled people, so learning about an ancestor who lived with a disability brings an unexpected personal connection to her research.

The investigation also reveals just how difficult life became for James and his family. In Exeter, Rose discovers that they were repeatedly mentioned in the records of the city’s board of guardians, which dealt with poverty and assistance for people in need.

During the 1920s, the family lost their home when a slum property was cleared. Finding alternative accommodation for such a large household proved difficult, and an unusual solution was eventually reached: the family rented an empty wing of a workhouse on Gladstone Road.

Rose recognises the road from her grandmother’s memories, but discovers that the family were not squatting as she had initially understood. They were paying rent.

The arrangement was far from straightforward. Attempts were made to evict the family, and the board of guardians claimed that complaints had been made about noise, including music being played late into the night.

However, a newspaper investigation found no evidence to support those allegations. Rose comes to believe that the authorities simply wanted the family removed.

Eventually, James and his family secured a newly built council house, where he lived until his death.

It’s a sobering discovery that brings Rose face to face with the realities of poverty, housing insecurity and the difficulties faced by working-class families in the early twentieth century.

Can Rose finally prove her Italian ancestry?

There is still one major mystery for Rose to solve: the rumoured Italian connection on her father’s side.

According to family stories, an ancestor came from Italy and changed their surname from Leone to Lyons after arriving in Britain. Rose’s father explains that the story has been passed down through his side of the family, although nobody knows precisely which generation the connection belongs to.

Genealogist Lucy Browne helps Rose trace the Lyons family through three generations. Initially, the findings seem disappointing, with the ancestors in those records all born in Devon.

But Rose spots a name that offers a promising clue: Pasquel Lyons, her four-times-great-grandfather.

The name doesn’t sound particularly English to Rose, and she begins to wonder whether she has finally found the missing link.

Travelling to South Molton, where Pasquel worked as a hawker, Rose meets historian Dr Oskar Jensen. He presents her with a census record from 1851, and the document finally provides the answer she has been searching for.

Pasquel’s birthplace is recorded as Italy.

After years of family speculation, Rose can finally confirm that she has Italian ancestry. It’s a moment of discovery that gives her family story an unexpected international dimension.

Rose and Oskar explore the possibility that Pasquel stayed in Devon after falling in love, having married a local woman. He continued working as a hawker and lived until the age of 82, dying in 1882.

The discovery completes a particularly rewarding part of Rose’s journey, turning an uncertain family rumour into a documented connection with her Italian heritage.

Rose reflects on generations of strength and resilience

As her journey comes to an end, Rose drives through Exmoor, taking in the landscape that would have been familiar to Pasquel Lyons more than a century earlier.

Looking back on what she has uncovered, Rose is left with a greater understanding of the people who came before her. From Agnes Chilton’s determination to build a life despite repeated bereavement to James Welland’s struggle to support a large family through poverty and disability, the stories reveal generations who endured considerable challenges.

Her discoveries also demonstrate how family memories can change over time, with documents sometimes confirming a long-held story and sometimes revealing a very different reality.

For Rose, the journey is about more than names and dates. It is an opportunity to understand the people whose lives helped shape her own family and to discover the extraordinary strength that runs through its history.

Rose Ayling-Ellis to return for Code of a Killer series two

Rose’s appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? comes as she continues to build an impressive television career beyond the role that first brought her to public attention.

She became a household name playing Frankie Lewis in EastEnders and went on to win Strictly Come Dancing, making history alongside professional partner Giovanni Pernice with their celebrated performances.

Since then, Rose has continued to use her platform to champion deaf rights and improve representation for deaf people on television and beyond.

She is also set to return in a second series of Code of a Killer next year, giving audiences another opportunity to see her on screen.

Her Who Do You Think You Are? appearance offers a different kind of television experience, placing her own family’s history at the centre of the story and allowing her to connect with the experiences of previous generations.

How to watch Who Do You Think You Are? tonight

Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Rose Ayling-Ellis airs on Wednesday 14 October at 9pm on BBC One.

The episode is also available on BBC iPlayer, where viewers can watch the 57-minute programme. Signed and audio-described versions are available through the BBC’s accessibility options.

With a dramatic pub-owning ancestor, a railway worker’s fight for compensation and a long-awaited discovery about her Italian heritage, Rose’s episode promises a fascinating exploration of family history.

Ultimately, her journey reveals a family shaped by determination, hardship and resilience — and shows how the smallest clues in historical records can unlock stories that have remained hidden for generations.

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