Claire Foy

Season 20Episode 260 minJuni 8, 2023
Claire Foy

Actress Claire Foy is best known for playing the young Queen Elizabeth in The Crown. Having enjoyed researching the lives of her onscreen characters, she's now looking forward to delving into the lives of her own ancestors.

Claire starts with a visit to see her mum and her 93-year-old grandad. After reminiscing about their Irish roots, her grandad tells Claire the tragic story of his father, Claire's great-grandfather, Charles Stimpson, who was killed on his motorbike. Curiously, Claire's great grandad Charles's place of birth is marked as the rather posh-sounding ‘The Castle' in Carlisle - so that's where Claire heads next.

The Castle turns out to be the site of the military barracks where her great-great-grandparents Henry and Maria Stimpson lived. It's Henry's life as a soldier that leads to another tragic story – his drowning during an off-duty cross-country race. Claire visits the river where he died and is saddened by an accident that also left a widow with five children, who were now homeless and without an income. Claire is heartened to read how the local community reacted to the tragedy, raising money to help them continue their lives.

Next, Claire investigates her paternal side. Her dad David was adopted but was reunited with his birth mother Joyce later in life. Despite having got to know Joyce, he knows nothing of her ancestors, so Claire sets out to find out more.

With help from a genealogist, Claire takes her paternal line back to her three-times great-grandparents John and Eliza Martin and is pleased to see that, just like her maternal family, her dad's line also has Irish roots - John was born in Dublin. Claire is shocked to read a local newspaper story about John's arrest in 1867 when he was accused of rioting in Manchester. Further investigation reveals that John is accused of being present during an attack on a police van transporting Fenian prisoners, in which a policeman was fatally shot. The Fenians were a secret society dedicated to overthrowing British rule in Ireland. If found guilty of this charge of joint enterprise, her three-times great grandfather John would be sentenced to death.

John and his brother William were arrested alongside many other Irish men in Manchester. Despite protesting their innocence, eyewitnesses placed them at the scene. Their trial was national news, and with the help of historian Rose Wallis, Claire slowly pieces together the story of a riveting court case. In a tense courtroom with the odds stacked against them – the lives of Claire's three-times great-grandfather John and her four-times great-uncle William hang in the balance until the stand is taken by witnesses called by the defence - including Claire's three-times great-grandmother Eliza. Thanks to the alibis provided by Eliza and the other witnesses, the brothers are found not guilty.

As she comes to the end of her journey Claire can't help but be grateful to the communities that have rallied and supported her family in times of need.

Claire Foy has aired on Juni 8, 2023 at 21:00
Previous EpisodeNext Episode

Trailer

We do not have any trailers for this episode

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Wipeout
Running

Wipeout

The re-imagined series will feature new twists and elements that will push contestants' athleticism, approach, and determination to even greater extremes, all while delivering some wildly epic fails! Each game is three rounds with each round featuring a jaw-dropping, multi-stage obstacle course with numerous strategy and decision points designed to further challenge the stamina of the competitors and deliver even more hilarious and surprising wipeouts! And of course, the iconic staple of the show - the big balls! - are returning with a vengeance.

GenreComedy
Hudson & Rex
Running

Hudson & Rex

Detective Charlie Hudson, a cunning Major Crimes detective for the St. John's Police Department, teams up with an unusual partner – Rex, a former-K9 German Shepherd, whose heightened senses keep Charlie hot on the trail of his suspects. Together, they investigate puzzling crimes, from a kidnapping which reveals a much larger conspiracy at play to an art theft murder which runs deep into the world of high society. With Charlie's deft detective work and Rex's keen canine senses, this crime-fighting pair is unstoppable.

Daredevil: Born Again
Upcoming

Daredevil: Born Again

Matt Murdock finds himself on a collision course with Wilson Fisk when their past identities begin to emerge.

 

Red Eye
Running

Red Eye

After attending a medical conference in Beijing and coming frighteningly close to dying in a car crash, Dr. Matthew Nolan arrives home and is immediately arrested at London's Heathrow Airport. Exhausted and confused, Nolan is accused of the murder of a woman who was in the car he crashed. Despite his protests that he was driving alone, Nolan is set to return to China to face charges. 

DC Hana Li is the no-nonsense London officer charged with accompanying Nolan back to Beijing. Her resentment for this assignment, and of Nolan himself, is immediate. However, in flight, when a first death occurs, DC Li begins to suspect foul play. Further deaths confirm that Nolan is in danger, and after a call from MI5, Hana finds herself embroiled in an escalating conspiracy.

The Dry
Running

The Dry

The Dry follows Shiv Sheridan who returns to Dublin after years of partying in London, sober and full of good intentions - but being back with her family makes staying on ‘the dry' much harder than she expected.  As Shiv tries to navigate this new phase of her life, so must her family...and they all have issues they don't want to face.