Richard Osman shaken as he discovers horror murder case in family’s past on Who Do You Think You Are?
RICHARD Osman was left horrified after finding out his ancestors were linked to a “gruesome” murder case.
The quiz show presenter and crime writer delved into his Brighton roots in Thursday’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
And he was astonished to discover that one of his ancestors turned amateur sleuth and ended up entangled in one of Brighton’s most notorious murder trials.
The Thursday Murder Club writer found out his family were linked to one a murder cases back in 1831.
Gabriel Gillam, Richard’s four-times great-grandfather found clothes and a body of a woman outside of the city.
He and a man called David Maskell visited the site several times before realising they’d discovered a corpse in the area.
Richard was left stunned and commented: “It’s making every hair on my neck stand up.”
Wanting to find out more about the murder case and visit the site of the crime, Richard went to investigate and headed to Lover’s Walk in north Brighton.
Richard said: “I’ve written about amateur sleuths uncovering bodies. Suddenly there is a real-life case with Gabriel right at the heart of it.”
He learnt Gabriel and an officer later uncovered the dismembered remains of a woman, called Celia Holloway, after digging at the site.
He gave evidence at an inquest and was a witness in the court case which resulted in Celia’s husband John being found guilty of murder.
Richard learned John was sentenced to death in East Sussex, in December 1831.
Viewers were left glued to their TV screens as they uncovered Richard’s family’s grisly history.
Taking to X, formally known as Twitter, one viewer said: “Absolutely loving this. It’s such a great episode #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre.”
Another wrote: “Have just seen @richardosman on one of the very best editions of “Who Do You Think You Are?”. Poignant, engaging with a whodunit twist.”
A third penned: “A fabulous, moving episode.”
A fourth added: “What a fascinating and moving ancestry you have, and so many coincidences linking your investigative family to your writing. Your Grandfather sounded like a real hero in every sense. Thank you for sharing your family story.”
Richard Osman’s Who Do You Think You Are? is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.