Rick Stein

Series in which celebrities trace their their family trees to reveal the lives of their ancestors.

Rick Stein's father Eric suffered from manic depression and committed suicide in the 1960s. Rick sets out to explore his father's life, from the abuse he suffered as a child during the First World War due to his German ancestry, to the electric shock therapy he received as an adult. Rick also visits his mother Dorothy's old college and talks to his half-brother Jeremy.

Next, Rick travels to China to explore the life of his great-grandfather Henry Parkes, a 19th-century Methodist missionary. Henry was one of the first missionaries to travel into China when the doors were opened following the Opium Wars. Rick learns of the harsh conditions Henry faced and the personal tragedy he suffered.