Michael Buerk follows the work of genealogy detectives as they race to find heirs to unclaimed fortunes.

Retired postman Melvin Barker may have appeared to have led a modest life, but an unexpected discovery means he could have been a secret millionaire with a vast fortune to pass on to his forgotten family. In searching for beneficiaries to his estate, the heir hunters also uncover a tragedy in the family, after discovering an uncle who worked as a trawlerman was part of the crew of a ship which went missing at sea, leaving its 16 sailors presumed dead.

Meanwhile, there is also the tricky case of Trevor Rawlinson where some good old-fashioned detective work by the heir hunters reveals a huge family tree. Show less