The BBC will be tapping into Britain's increasing interest in tracing family roots with a new 10 part series fronted by different media personalities including Meera Syal. She told AiM that an hour long episode involved her going to Punjab to try and find out where her parents came from and how historical events affected them.

'Who Do You Think You Are?' is a central part of BBC2's Autumn schedule and will see ten well known personalities tracing their family roots over each episode. The writer/actress said that "In this climate where people are paranoid about foreigners, I think it's good to remember that we were all foreigners at one time in the UK."

A team of BBC researchers went to Punjab ahead of her trip to find out as much as they could about her family before she arrived. "I didn't know from day to day where I was going to be. I started off in Delhi. Then I ended up going to Haridwar (near the Himalayas), Amritsar, Ludhiana, driving through Punjab, going on trains everywhere...."

"The information I did find out made me think how deeply my family were affected by the partition and other events during that time. It made me realise that they went through a lot of fighting and hardship...and even enterprise. In my case, the history of my family...my grandfather - it's a history of Punjab really."

Syal told AiM that the episode will follow her tracing her family roots as she intertwines the history of Punjab with events that related to her family and how they reacted to them. Filming was finished only a few weeks ago.

She says her team encountered a few problems in Punjab though, mainly because of a lack of written records. "The problem is that oral communication is a big part of our history. You will find that with most Asians. It's all about talking to them and finding out what happened. People didn't write things down, you have to ask them. I mean my mum didn't even write down when my birthdate was!"

She wouldn't reveal more on what she found out while out there. Readers will have to watch the series when it comes on TV.

Meera Syal won't be the only one seen running into problems while trying to trace family roots. BBC2 have also signed up Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, presenter Jeremy Clarkson, comedian Vic Reeves, newsreader Moira Stuart and Bill Oddie amongst others. Producers checked the backgrounds of more than 100 candidates before selecting those they thought offered the most interesting and varied insights into 200 years of social history.

The series will also be supported by a website, interactive service, 12 road-shows and 300 events across Britain. It will start broadcasting in late October.

Viewers will be encouraged to do their own research, inspired by the celebrities' stories. At the end of each episode there will be a five-minute programme explaining the techniques and information sources that had been used in the show.