Jason Watkins and Lady Jane Grey

BAFTA award-winning actor Jason Watkins, the voice behind popular Channel 5 series, Inside the Tower of London, believes he may have an intriguing family connection to this world famous landmark. Jason thinks he is related to famed Tudor Lieutenant of the Tower Sir John Brydges, the royal courtier responsible for overseeing the imprisonment and execution of England’s shortest reigning Queen: Lady Jane Grey. According to family legend, Jason could also be connected to another, even more famous figure, renowned Georgian author Jane Austen.

Now, with the help of acclaimed historian Tracy Borman, the pair embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind his family mystery. It is a story which will take them from the majesty of the Tower of London to Jane Austen’s house and the stately grounds of Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds. In her quest to discover the truth of Jason’s ancestry, Tracy unearths a cast of characters stretching back over 500 years.