Tonight | Who Do You Think You Are? UK on SBS: Ross Kemp traces a shipwreck survivor – Ross Kemp explores his family tree and tests a long-held story about his great-grandfather Arthur ‘Pop’ Chalmers surviving two shipwrecks. The journey takes him through seafaring history and a wartime escape. It airs Tuesday 20 October 2026 at 7:30pm on SBS, with streaming on SBS On Demand.
Family legends can grow with each retelling. Kemp’s investigation is compelling because it follows the documents behind one such claim, placing a relative’s experience within a larger historical event.
Adventure and hardship in the family tree
The actor and documentary presenter traces ancestors whose lives were shaped by travel, work and the sea. One served during the Napoleonic Wars. Kemp also follows the story of Pop Chalmers, whose reported survival of two shipwrecks has remained part of the family’s history. His search asks which parts of that account the evidence can confirm.
The sinking of the Duchess of York
Kemp discovers that Pop survived the sinking of the Duchess of York in 1943 after a German U-boat torpedoed the ship. Pop eventually reached Casablanca wearing a US Army uniform. That confirmed wartime experience gives Kemp a clearer picture of the adventurous spirit he sees in his relatives and prompts him to reflect on his own drive to keep seeking the next challenge.
Who Do You Think You Are? UK airs Tuesday 20 October 2026 at 7:30pm on SBS and streams on SBS On Demand.
Read more in TV Central’s SBS coverage. Watch on SBS On Demand.
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