Actor John Simm's life is turned upside down as he uncovers earth-shattering 54 year family secret

Life On Mars prima John Simm, 54, signed up for TV amusement DNA Journey With Ancestry arsenic a favour for pal and chap actor, Phil Glenister, truthful they could probe their household trees together

Acclaimed histrion John Simm's family beingness has been turned upside down by a caller ITV series, which leaves him saying "everything I thought I knew wasn’t real".

Life On Mars and Doctor Who prima Simm, 54, signed up for TV amusement DNA Journey With Ancestry arsenic a favour for pal and chap histrion Phil Glenister truthful they could probe their household trees together.

But Simm got the daze of his beingness erstwhile helium was told his dada was not his biologic father. He said: "So chopped a agelong communicative short, the DNA results came back, and my dad, he's not my dad."

The programme begins with John recalling an email followed by a speech helium had with his mum Brenda earlier helium took his DNA trial arsenic filming began past year. His dada Ronald Simm died successful 2015.

He said: “When they had me, successful the sixties, they were some young…they were unneurotic and past they divided up and were some with different radical and past they got backmost unneurotic and past they had me. And I’d ne'er heard this communicative before.”

John explains that his parents spoke to a doctor, helium adds: “And the doc said: ‘It’s perfectly fine, the dates are fine.’ But it turns retired helium isn’t my biologic father. Which is simply a spot of a shock.”

John, who was brought up with 2 sisters, says that helium considered pulling retired of the movie but past decided to utilise the experts to find retired astir his biologic begetter called Terence. He says helium is gladsome his dada Ron is not astir to larn the quality which has "floored" his mum.

The movie past sees John and Phil caput to Featherstone successful Yorkshire wherever they conscionable a historian, who reveals that John’s biologic begetter sadly passed distant successful 1998.

John is fixed details astir his biologic father’s upbringing and past discovers that helium utilized to unrecorded successful the aforesaid country and portion astatine the aforesaid moving men’s clubs that John and his dada utilized to play gigs astatine erstwhile John was a teenager.

John says: “The happening that blows my mind, maine and my dad, we played astir present loads of times, we decidedly played present a batch and helium mightiness person been successful the aforesaid pub 1 nighttime and watched maine play.”

John and Phil spell connected to conscionable a nine steward who has lived successful the country for galore years and tells John that his biologic begetter lived supra a moving men’s nine with his parents.

John says: “I can’t get it retired of my head, due to the fact that we played this country successful the 80s and helium was present and helium was successful moving men’s clubs. It’s 1 of those mad, Back To The Future, Life On Mars things.”

There are moving scenes arsenic John past sees photos of his biologic begetter and learns much astir him, including that helium joined and had a daughter, John’s half-sister Karen helium ne'er knew helium had.

After getting his caput astir each the caller information, John past meets his half-sister who says Terence - known arsenic Tel - loved getting up connected signifier and singing too.

John says the revelations explicate wherefore helium ever "felt a spot different" erstwhile helium was younger increasing up with his sisters Carol and Nicola. And helium inactive is shocked by the thought his biologic begetter precise astir apt saw him playing a gig astatine immoderate stage.

Speaking to Karen, helium said: "If helium happened to beryllium successful connected a Friday oregon a Saturday nighttime successful 1 of those clubs, helium would person seen maine play. Wow, that's mad, isn't it? Yeah, that's truly bizarre. Mind blowing."

Asked however the revelations person made him feel, helium added: "I mean, I was truly adjacent to my dad. He was similar my champion mate. But having said that, determination was ever something, I don't cognize what it was, I truly felt different. And I ever felt a spot blameworthy astir it. But a batch of things benignant of autumn successful this place. I benignant of consciousness not blameworthy astir feeling different."

John joined his woman Kate Magowan successful 2004. They person 2 children, a lad Ryan and a daughter, Mollie.

• DNA Journey with Ancestry returns to ITV1 and ITVX connected October 9 with occurrence 1 featuring John Simm and Philip Glenister

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