Who Do You Think You Are – September 2026

Summary

£5.99 buys Issue 247 of Who Do You Think You Are? and Debbie Kennett shows how unexpected DNA matches can crack family secrets wide open. Laura Berry discovered she shares DNA with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while researching her Irish roots — and the magazine delivers 76 pages of record hacks, archive gems, and steerage-class history for anyone chasing ancestors across borders.

From p14 DNA Secrets to p56 Travelling Steerage, this September 2026 issue focuses on turning dead ends into breakthroughs. Phil Tomaselli walks readers through investigating ancestors who worked for British intelligence. Jonathan Scott curates the best websites for Caribbean heritage research. Chloe O'Shea demonstrates how classified ads from Victorian newspapers reveal where forebears lived, worked, and advertised for lost family. Nick Peers tours Ancestry Pro's Networks tool for advanced tree-building.

Regulars include Alan Crosby on the history of soap, a Lincolnshire research guide, and a set of 1950s illuminated manuscripts from Guildhall Library. The Q&A panel tackles reader brick walls. A full-page subscription offer extends a month's free trial. The issue closes with TV picks including The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Research Advice / Reader Stories / Regulars / Guides

p.14 · DNA Secrets
Debbie Kennett reveals the tell-tale signs of unexpected DNA discoveries and how to turn a cousin match into a verified branch. Kennett walks through the same techniques used for actress Ruth Madeley's episode, available on iPlayer. Start by separating close matches from distant ones and building a solo tree for the unknown match.

p.19 · Prime Time Discovery
Laura Berry found out she shares DNA with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while digging into her Irish roots in Aughagower. Her story shows how DNA triangulation combined with traditional parish records can bridge continents. Target one surname and a 20-mile radius when building a transatlantic tree.

p.24 · Reader Story — The Lusitania's Final Voyage
Rebecca Pells discovered her great uncle and his family were aboard the Lusitania when it sank in 1915. She reconstructs their final hours using passenger lists and survivor testimony. Cross-check crew and passenger lists from the same voyage — they often list last-known addresses.

p.28 · Focus On: Investigating Spies
Phil Tomaselli shares research tips for tracing ancestors who worked for British intelligence during the two world wars, based on his work for actress Harriet Walter's episode. Personnel files rarely survive, but pension records and medal index cards often name the unit. Search WO 339 and WO 374 at The National Archives.

p.35 · Best Websites for Caribbean Heritage
Jonathan Scott picks the most useful online resources for tracing Caribbean roots, from slave registers to post-emancipation directories. Start with the Legacies of British Slavery database at University College London for named entries.

p.38 · Record Masterclass: Classified Ads
Chloe O'Shea reveals how Victorian classified adverts — lost family notices, runaway apprentices, missing heirs — can unlock stories certificates miss. Run keyword searches on the British Newspaper Archive using terms like "missing from home" and "if this should meet his eye."

p.54 · Tech Tips: Ancestry Pro Networks
Nick Peers tours Ancestry Pro's Networks tool, showing how visual link maps reveal undocumented connections between DNA matches. Build a network around one shared ancestor, then invite matches to contribute photos and documents directly.

p.56 · Travelling Steerage
Nicola Johnson, a maritime and Titanic family-history specialist, reconstructs the Atlantic crossing experienced by millions of third-class emigrant ancestors. Check the National Archives BT 26 series for outbound passenger lists and the ship's official log for daily conditions.

p.70 · Books & Digital Picks
This month's family-history inspiration includes new releases and database updates for subscription and free sites alike. Prioritise titles that offer unused record sets rather than reprints of census data already online.

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Editor's Take

This is one of the strongest WDYTYA? issues in recent months because it balances DNA science, social history, and practical archive navigation without letting any one section dominate. The Lusitania reader story delivers genuine emotional weight. What drags it down: the subscription offer on page 22 eats a full editorial page, and the magazine shop spread on page 42 feels like filler. Best suited for intermediate researchers who already have a tree started and need new angles — beginners might struggle with the DNA terminology in Kennett's piece.

Strengths
• DNA Secrets tackles real match anxiety, not theory
• Three cover features with distinct research angles
• Steerage piece fills a gap in migration literature

Weaknesses
• Subscription offer wastes a premium page slot
• Lincolnshire guide is too brief for a whole county

Verdict: Recommended — Seven substantial research articles with no dead weight among features; skip the shop spread.