Comedian and actor Emily Atack knows she is from a long line of larger-than-life entertainers. Her mum is singer, actor and comedian Kate Robbins and Paul McCartney is Emily's grandmother's cousin, making him Emily's first cousin twice removed. Recalling fun days out with the McCartney family when she was little and how Grandad Mike turned every opportunity into a comedy show, Emily sets out to find out more about her showbiz genes.

On her mum's side, Emily discovers how her grandparents Mike and Betty both worked at Butlin's in the 50s – where Betty won a beauty contest. Both became redcoats, entertaining thousands of guests every summer with music and comedy – the perfect outlet for Emily's talented grandparents.

Emily is astonished to read a family letter to her grandad from a teenage Paul McCartney, telling him about his new band and looking for showbiz advice. A visit to Uncle Mike, Paul's brother, reveals even more entertaining stories about the McCartney family.

Inspired by the amazing McCartney musical tales, there's only one place it makes sense to visit – Liverpool. While there, Emily discovers that her family's musical roots go all the way back to the brass bands of industrial Britain.

Following on from her musical discoveries in Liverpool, Emily then heads to Wrexham to find out more about her great-grandfather Ted Robbins's involvement in the town's football club. She soon learns he played a greater part in Welsh football than she had originally anticipated, and that he was considered a hero to Welsh football fans.

Emily's dad's family line reveals even more showbiz glamour – her glamorous great-aunt Doreen Atack commanded huge audiences as a theatrical whistler. But before Emily's ancestors developed their skills as entertainers, like so many living in northern towns, they worked in the mines.

By following the family line up to Wakefield, Emily uncovers why her great-grandfather Bill fought so hard to get his family away from the pits. At Nostell in Yorkshire, Emily discovers a story of hardship, dangerous working conditions and struggles with mental health. The lives of her great-great-grandparents, Joseph and Emily Atack, still resonate with Emily over 130 years later.

Comedian Chris Ramsey draws huge audiences to his live comedy shows and also presents a podcast and TV show with his wife Rosie about the trials and tribulations of being married with children. From a South Shields working-class family, Chris feels he has a charmed and lucky life and wonders if his ancestors were as fortunate.

He starts by investigating his great-grandad Dryden Gordon Young, who fought in the First World War. A trip to the military base in Dorset where Dryden trained reveals he fought at Gallipoli, one of the deadliest campaigns of the war. After surviving the battle, Dryden's luck takes a different turn as he avoids fighting on the western front due to a nasty case of scabies and, after being captured, becomes a prisoner of war in Germany. Despite being involved in some of the most dangerous events of the war, Dryden survived to continue the family line.

Chris discovers more good fortune in his family when he learns about his grandad Alf Ramsey, who served in the navy in the Second World War. A trip to HMS Belfast reveals the freezing and dangerous conditions Alf endured during his work on the Arctic convoys, transporting vital supplies from Britain to Russia via the Arctic Ocean. After surviving German bombers and sub-zero temperatures, Alf later became one of the first British servicemen to witness the devastating aftermath of atomic warfare in Japan.

By tracing his family further back, Chris discovers his lucky streak goes back centuries, with the curious story of his five-times great-grandparents Gabriel and Ann's experiences at London's British Lying-In Hospital. One of the few places where poorer women could give birth in safer and more sanitary conditions, it was extremely difficult to secure a place there. In the late 18th century, when his five-times great-grandmother Ann was pregnant, only those lucky enough to pass a rigorous interview and then win a lottery were able to give birth there and help ensure that their children enjoyed a better start in life.

By the end of his journey, Chris's sense of good fortune is firmer than ever. He's here because of a long line of brave and determined ancestors, all helped along by a healthy dose of good luck.