Daniel Radcliffe is the first star to appear on the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?, and had a particularly emotional journey on the show after discovering that his great grandfather killed himself. The Harry Potter star teared up when reading his suicide note after discovering what happened in the weeks leading up to his death.
His great-grandfather, Sam, worked at the family business of Gershon Brothers, a jewellery business in Hatton Garden. However, there was a store robbery and Daniel learned that there was no evidence about how they managed to get into the building, leading the police to suspect that it was an inside job for a fraudulent insurance claim. According to the records, the Gershon brothers were in debt for a similar amount of what was stolen. The police file read: "Jews are so frequently responsible for the bringing down of their own business premise", to which Daniel commented: "There's a lot to dig into in that one sentence. It's very jarring to see being a Jew to be taken as a piece of evidence in itself."
Daniel became emotional during the episode
Speaking about whether he thought the robbery was an inside job, the actor said: "I suppose I worry because I know that Sam took his own life and so that makes me wonder if that was, you know, guilt. But by the same token it could be that once this is written about you and once there is this speculation about you…everything he’s worked for and that his father had worked for, as well, has sort of been destroyed."
The programme also shared some snaps of little Daniel, aged three
READ: Celebrities and their stunt doubles – from Daniel Radcliffe to Chris Hemsworth
He became visibly moved by the suicide note to Sam's wife, Raie, that was in the coroner's report, which began with "Doll darling." He said: "The way he says things is not dissimilar to some things I would say and things I might call people." He concluded the show, saying: "A lot of very sad things have happened to various parts of my family but I can’t be sad about it because…everyone was loved…and ultimately that means that, even if their time on earth ended prematurely and sadly, it was worth having."
READ: Daniel Radcliffe reveals he was terrified of Harry Potter co-star