Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Series in which celebrities trace their ancestry.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has always felt a close connection to the sea and wants to discover how far back his seafaring roots go. He also wants to know if there is any truth behind a legend that his family is descended from wealthy squires whose lands were nefariously stolen.

He first looks into the life of his grandfather, a merchant sea captain, and is surprised to discover that during the First World War his ship was sunk by an early German U-boat. A personal account in a war diary reveals that the naval ship protecting his grandfather was captained by a drunk. To discover if the sinking could have been avoided, Laurence travels to Germany to examine the U-boat's records.

Laurence learns that his great-great grandfather, Roger Twist, was also a sea captain who travelled the world at the peak of the age of sail. Laurence is shocked to discover that Roger falsified his naval records to cover up a desertion. It seems Roger gave way to temptation when he landed in Melbourne at the height of the great gold rush.

Laurence's investigation into the family myth of a lost fortune confirms his ancestors were indeed wealthy squires. But was the family estate really stolen by a mysterious 'Mr Tricky' as his great-great aunt always maintained?