Stars Announced For New ITV1 Series.

Actors Anne Kirkbride, Ken Stott and Alan Davies will take a trip down memory lane to explore their roots in a new living history series for ITV1.

The 3x60’ series, which will transmit in early 2007, sees the well known personalities not only delving into the history of their great grandparents, great aunt or uncle but also rolling up their sleeves to do their ancestor's job.

Anne, who plays Coronation Street’s Deirdre Barlow, will research the life of two of her great grandparents and follow in their footsteps by turning her hand to photography and farming.

Ken, who has played lead roles in or Rebus, Messiah and The Vice, will travel to Scotland and Sicily to research his ancestry and explore his predecessors’ pasts by working as a tailor and a baker.

And Alan, who has starred in The Good Housekeeping Guide, Jonathan Creek and Bob and Rose, will be getting his hands dirty as he explores the working lives of a Victorian bricklayer and an Edwardian restaurateur.

The celebrities will uncover their family's heritage and also reveal the social history of the time as they explore the road they might have travelled themselves if their lives hadn't taken them into the world of show business.

The journey they encounter will give them a real feel of how their own lives might have turned out and give them a tangible sense of the world their relation inhabited.  They will get the chance to step into a relative's shoes and on the way they'll find out about their family's history, about the people and the places that shaped their world.  They will also get the help of experts to give practical advice and social historians to fill in any gaps in their knowledge.

Alison Sharman, Director of Factual and Daytime at ITV, said: "You Don't Know You're Born sees these stars go on a unique and emotional journey as they explore and get to grips with the often tough and demanding lives of their ancestors.  This programme will give them a very real feel of the social history of the day and show them and us a stark and sometimes surprising reminder of our nation's roots."

You Don't Know You're Born was commissioned by Director of Factual and Daytime Alison Sharman for ITV1. It is a Wall to Wall Media production.  The executive producer is Alex Graham and the series producer is Jamie Simpson.