Who Do You Think You Are?

Original version

BBC One Oxfordshire

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: Families & Relationships

Factual: History

Celebrities trace their family trees, discovering surprises from their pasts.

Lost connections and unfamiliar histories are revealed as celebrities trace their family trees. Discover stories of courage, joy, sacrifice and resilience - everyone has a tale to tell.

Chris and Xand van Tulleken

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

BBC One Channel Islands HD

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One South West HD

BBC One North East & Cumbria

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South HD

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region. Separated as BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One London HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One South

BBC One South East

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Yorkshire HD

BBC One East HD

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One Nightlight

BBC One West HD

BBC One North West

BBC One North West HD

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One Wales

Wales

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

To allow the historical schedules to be captured and assist in analytics and associating audience data with rights stakeholders

BBC History Channel

Alexander van Tulleken

Christopher van Tulleken

Phil Davis

Who Do You Think You Are?: Series 20: Chris and Xand van Tulleken

Series 20

BBC One - Who Do You Think You Are?, Series 20, Chris and Xand van Tulleken

Twin doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken discover more about their Dutch heritage.

Chris and Xand van Tulleken discover more about their Dutch heritage. Their research uncovers stories of ambition and true love but also a connection to a shameful part of history.

Doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken are identical twins, medical doctors and science broadcasters. They grew up in London, surrounded by old paintings and documents commemorating a host of characters from their Dutch ancestry. But despite the wealth of family archive, the twins know very little about their Dutch family history, except how to pronounce their surname correctly and rumours of a connection to Dutch nobility.

A chat with mum and dad provides some intriguing clues - a coat of arms that no-one can translate, a silver shovel that hints at an Indonesian connection and a document about a Dutch sea captain with links to the British navy. Keen to find out the family stories behind all these familiar but mysterious artefacts, Chris and Xand start with sea captain Jan Tulleken and head to Chatham Docks.
 
They soon uncover the eventful seafaring career of their four-times great-grandfather Jan Tulleken, a staunch royalist who joined the Dutch navy at 13 and, as war engulfed the Netherlands, was exiled in England alongside his leader, the prince of Orange.
 
Chris and Xand follow the trail of Jan back to the Netherlands, where they discover how Jan was tasked to protect Dutch trade routes against Algerian pirates – a mission that ended in failure. Undaunted by his tarnished reputation, Jan applied for noble status. Excited to finally get to the bottom of their noble roots, a trip to The Hague’s Supreme Council of Nobility brings Chris and Xand firmly back down to earth.
 
By following Jan’s line further back, the twins uncover a letter that reveals an Ambrosius Tulleken, Jan’s father and the twins’ five-times great-grandfather, who died in Demerara (now Guyana), which at the time was a Dutch colony. Following this lead reveals a troubling story.

The twins also believe there is a family connection with Indonesia, and taking the silver shovel to an expert reveals the story of their three-times great-grandfather Hendrik de Bruijn. He was a Dutch engineer working on canals in Indonesia who married Maria de la Brethoniere, the daughter of a French coffee baron and an Indonesian woman. Chris and Xand confirm their Indonesian heritage, and as they learn more about their three-times great-grandparents, the twins are moved to read a document that recounts Hendrik’s profound grief after his wife’s death, suggesting that this was a marriage of deep love.
 
For Chris and Xand, it’s a journey that has changed them forever, as they’ve found answers about their name and their heritage that were previously unknown and entirely unexpected.

Who Do You Think You Are?: Series 20

BBC One

Celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their pasts.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Who Do You Think You Are?

Series 20

Chris and Xand van Tulleken

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One Oxfordshire

About BBC One