Who Do You Think You Are? returns with a new series this evening, but which celebrities will we learn more about this time around?

The BBC series, which allows celebrities to take a dive into their family history, begins tonight at 9pm and will continue every Tuesday for the duration of the seven part series.

Many A-listers have stopped by over the years, and series 18 is no different.

Perhaps the most recognisable name this year is Dame Judi Dench.

The Argus: Dame Judi Dench attending the World Premiere of No Time To Die, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Credit: PADame Judi Dench attending the World Premiere of No Time To Die, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Credit: PA

Who Do You Think You Are? celebrities

Dame Judi Dench, Ed Balls and Alex Scott are among the stars who will explore their family histories in a new series of Who Do You Think You Are?.

Singer Pixie Lott, comedians Joe Lycett and Josh Widdicombe, and YouTuber Joe Sugg will also take part in the Bafta-winning genealogy show.

The Argus: Joe Lycett outside of Shell's Headquarters in London, perfoming a stunt as part of his documentary Joe Lycett vs The Oil Giant. Credit: Channel 4Joe Lycett outside of Shell's Headquarters in London, perfoming a stunt as part of his documentary Joe Lycett vs The Oil Giant. Credit: Channel 4

Dame Judi will unearth her Danish roots as she digs into her history, starting with her father, Reginald – who never spoke of his experiences during the First World War.

Travelling further into her family history, her investigations lead her to Denmark and nobility, where she discovers some unexpected Shakespearean links.

Former Labour politician and Strictly Come Dancing star Balls will uncover a heroic story when he looks into the life of an assistant ship’s surgeon, but the grim reality is not quite what he was hoping for.

However, he uncovers a more inspiring story when investigating the life of an ancestor who lived through the agricultural depression of the 1820s.

Footballer and pundit Scott explores the Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side and learns that her great grandfather faced down fascism in London’s East End in 1936.

The Argus: BBC pundit Alex Scott before the FA Women's Super League match at Kingsmeadow, London. Credit: PABBC pundit Alex Scott before the FA Women's Super League match at Kingsmeadow, London. Credit: PA

She also travels to Jamaica to uncover history on the other side of the family and learns of tremendous hardship and suffering as well as some uncomfortable and upsetting history.

Lott discovers a musical legacy three-generations strong as she digs into her past, when she also learns of her great grandfather’s harrowing experiences in the First World War.

Lycett discovers a darker side to his family history as he finds out that his two-times-great grandfather was a boy chimney sweep in the 1850s who later joined the Royal Marines and travelled the world, but struggled to process his experiences. Meanwhile, Sugg discovers family history that goes back as far back as the Great Fire of London.

He discovers a great-great-great grandfather who was involved in the earliest days of communication by telegraph as well as ancestors who fled religious persecution in France.

Widdicombe traces his lineage back to the Elizabethan and Tudor courts, uncovering an ancestor cut out of the family fortune and a courtier with intimate access to the King’s commode, whose story ends disastrously during the Civil War.

Emily Smith, BBC commissioning editor for documentaries, said: “We are very excited for this new series of Who Do You Think You Are? and for viewers to share in an extraordinary mix of personal celebrity histories that will take them around the world, unearthing fascinating stories in family trees that are touching, enlightening and always captivating.”

The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? begins tonight on BBC One at 9pm.