Fans of ancestry shows will find a lot to like about The Secret History of My Family, which comes on like Who Do You Think You Are? in reverse.
The BBC documentary series starts with interesting and notable working class Victorians, and traces their lineage to the present day – seeing where the families of these social outcasts ended up.
Episode 1 follows the family tree of the Gadbury sisters, pick-pockets who operated in Shoreditch in the 1830s.
As well as telling the incredible story of the sisters themselves, the show asks whether social mobility is truly possible – did their descendants manage to escape the poverty and criminality that they had to endure?
The Gadburys’ story is one which starts off like something off Oliver Twist – tales of children being looked after by a Jewish man, taught to pick-pocket through games, and promised a place to stay in exchange for the things they manage to steal.
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From there, the story takes a dramatic twist – as the sisters are split up thanks to a sentence of transportation to Australia after they’re caught stealing.
It’s fascinating hearing what became of the siblings, and seeing where their descendants ended up – with Caroline’s great great grandson becoming a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
A gripping and well-produced treat.
BBC Two, 8pm
