Mr Bates vs The Post Office actor Toby Jones made remarkable discoveries during the latest episode of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, uncovering Indian heritage and a distant cousin.
Indian Heritage Confirmed
Toby was keen to learn more about his father's lineage as he traveled to Stoke. Knowing that his father was thought to have had Indian heritage, which the family had always dismissed, he was stunned to discover his suspicions were spot on. After learning that his great-grandfather had worked as a saggar maker, Toby met with Ben Miller, the curator of ceramics at a museum, to uncover more about his family's pottery heritage.
When the duo sat down together, Toby discovered his great-great-grandfather had wed a woman born in India, leaving him amazed to find his father's intuition had been absolutely right.
Unexpected Family Connection
Ben replied: "There's something else I feel I need to reveal at this point in time. I was visiting my mum, who still lives locally. She showed me a letter from a TV production company saying they were interested in researching the family history. A branch of her family was of interest to them. So, we're related. It's quite the coincidence, I know, it really is. So John and Jane are also my mother's great-great-grandparents, which makes us third cousins once removed."
Toby extended his hand to Ben, joking that it was good to meet him before responding: "That's extraordinary!"
Theatrical Ancestry
Elsewhere during the show, he visited his two brothers as they pieced together a family tree of relatives they could remember, complete with photographs. While most of it featured his mother's lineage, the 59-year-old revealed that there were five generations of actresses stretching back to his great-great-great-grandmother, Sarah Thorne.
Eager to discover more about Sarah Thorne, the ITV star ventured to Margate, where his ancestor served as theatre manager at the Theatre Royal Margate during the 1800s. Meeting with Hayley White, who currently oversees efforts to restore the theatre, Toby was shown a written interview his three-times great-grandmother had given back in 1895.
The piece revealed that Sarah was the first family member to take to the stage, as Toby perused reviews of her theatrical performances. As he delved further into her story, Toby came across a passage revealing that Sarah operated a drama school, prompting Hayley to respond: "Yeah, so we believe one of the first-ever UK drama schools was set up by Sarah Thorne, here, in this very theatre. We also know that until that point, acting had been largely handed down and taught in families. So, this is the first professionalism of acting and performances as a skill and as a career."
Toby replied: "Wow. This is while she was the theatre manager here? How interesting, what an extraordinary woman."
Who Do You Think You Are? is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
