Toby Jones has teased details of the "moving" discovery made during his time on Who Do You Think You Are?, the BBC documentary series in which celebrities trace their genealogy.
The actor, known for his roles in Sherlock and Mr Bates vs The Post Office, is part of the line-up for the 23rd season of the show, with other stars including Zoe Ball and Amy Dowden.
Jones's instalment is set to air on Thursday 16 July, and ahead of the premiere, the actor teased what he discovered about his family while filming — including a connection to India.
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"That felt very moving," Jones recalled. "It was something my father told me all his life before he died. That was one of the things I’d wanted to check out, and we found an answer to it. That was the most thrilling thing I found out.
"It was always a bit of a joke in our family that my father couldn’t prove anything, but he constantly claimed a connection with India," he added. "It makes me both sad and proud that we found that connection."
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The actor, whose film roles include Mr Burton and Flavia, noted that it was an "extraordinary privilege" to take part in the long-running series and that he was "proud" of the various discoveries that were made.
"If they ask you to do the show, it usually means they've found something worth knowing," Jones said. "But even if they hadn't, I’d still have done it, because it's so interesting hearing where you come from, what made you and what lies in your past.
"It's a huge privilege to get this access into your own identity, and to see how diverse the forces are that forge all of us," he explained.
"I'm proud of that in my case, and it promotes a sense of diversity not just in our country, but in every country."
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Jones also shared that a discovery was made from his mother's side, with a distant relative having a sizeable involvement in the theatre industry in the 19th century. Given he won a Laurence Olivier Award in 2002, you could say he's carried that particular baton!
In addition to Jones, Ball, and Dowden, the line-up for Who Do You Think You Are? season 23 includes Joe Swash, Ruth Madeley, Adeel Akhtar, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Harriet Walter.
Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
