Who Do You Think You Are?: Toby Jones makes 'thrilling' discovery as he takes part in BBC show
The actor has a mystery to solveToby Jones is set to lift the lid on his family history in an upcoming episode of Who Do You Think You Are? – and he’s delighted by what he finds.
The British actor, famed for starring in everything from Harry Potter to Mr Bates vs The Post Office, is determined to get to the bottom of a mystery as he dates back his ancestors.
Toby’s late father would repeatedly tell him the same story about his side of the family, but there was never any proof.
Can Toby, 59, finally work out what is fact and what is fiction?
Who Do You Think You Are? Toby Jones takes part
Who Do You Think You Are? researchers approached Toby to appear on the show. He describes the opportunity as “unturndownable” and an “extraordinary privilege”.
In the forthcoming episode, Toby will discover acting runs through his family’s blood in at least five generations. His mother’s side of were all involved in the arts and performing.
Toby even learns that his three-times great grandmother, Sarah Thorne, was the manager of the Theatre Royal in Margate, Kent. During the 19th century, Sarah ran an acting school there. People regard it as Britain’s first formal drama school.
Toby says: “I didn’t really know much about Sarah Thorne, who is my great great great grandmother on that side, and the fact that she ran a theatre as well as a drama school was extraordinary.
“Finding those connections to theatre taught me a lot I didn’t know.”
Toby Jones makes ‘thrilling’ discovery
Toby also recalls how he was told “all his life” by his late father that his side of the family was connected to India.
The actor explains: “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.”
But incredibly, Toby discovers that it wasn’t fantasy. His dad was right all along.
“That felt very moving,” Toby admits. “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.”
When is Toby Jones on Who Do You Think You Are?
Toby’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? is the fifth in the 2026 series. He will be seen tracing back his family tree on Thursday July, 16, 2026.
The episode will air at 9pm on BBC One and it will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
This week, fans can watch actress Ruth Madeley as she discovers a “sensitive” family secret as Who Do You Think You Are?. The show is returning following the FIFA World Cup scheduling changes.
