Who Do You Think You Are? viewers say Josh Widdicombe has a claim to the throne after royal link discovered

One viewer joked that comedian had ‘gone full Danny Dyer’

Who Do You Think You Are? viewers were shocked to learn that Josh Widdicombe has royal lineage as the show returned for a new series.

The latest series of the long-running show began on Tuesday (12 October), with comedian Widdicombe attempting to discover his family’s historical roots, beginning with his childhood in Dartmoor.

In the episode, Widdicombe traced his family tree back and discovered that he was related to the Earl of Holland and his 13-time great-grandmother was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I.

However, the biggest revelation came later in the show, when it was revealed that his 12-time great-grandmother was in a “love triangle” with the queen and that he was related to Anne Boleyn, with some historians believing he was a descendant of King Henry VIII.

It was then discovered that his 23-time great-grandfather was King Edward I, making Widdicombe a direct descendant of French royalty.

Viewers were left delighted by the revelations, joking that Widdicombe was “basically the next Queen of England and France”.

“This Josh Widdicombe episode of Who Do You Think You Are? is glorious. Worth iPlayering if you missed it,” one viewer commented.

“Absolutely mind blowing episode of #WDYTYA with Josh Widdicombe,” another tweet read.

Many viewers were impressed by the revelations revealed in the episode, with one commenter writing: “‘My 12x great-grandmother was in a love triangle with Elizabeth I...’ As family history discoveries go, that’s a corker.”

Another viewer joked that Widdicombe had “gone full Danny Dyer”, alluding to when the EastEnders star learned he was related to Edward III on the show.

“One of the best Who Do You Think You Are episodes I’ve ever seen! Josh Widdicombe surely has a claim to the throne!! Amazing bloodline!” one tweet read.

Widdicombe described his time filming WDYTYA as “one of the most incredible experiences of my life”.

Later episodes in the series will see stars such as Judi Dench and Pixie Lott trace their family heritage.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One.