Eddie Izzard to trace his family tree back 200,000 years

Forget family tree show Who Do You Think You Are? Eddie Izzard is to trace his roots back more than 200,000 years.

In the two-part BBC One show Meet The Izzards, he will use the latest DNA technology to discover how his family migrated from Africa to Europe as the human race spread across the world.

He will travel through Namibia, Cameroon and Djibouti, up into Arabia and on to the UK, where his family has been since the 1640s – en route discovering that he is related to the San bushmen of the Kalahari to the survivors of Pompeii.

Producers – who call the show an ‘awe-inspiring adventure’ – say Izzard is the first human ever to trace his genes’ journey in this way.

The two hour-long documentaries will air early next year.

Published: 4 Oct 2012