In this episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, singer Olly Murs looks into his family history, with a particular focus on his late grandfather, Eddie, and his roots in Latvia. Olly, who rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2009, has always considered Essex his home. However, he is curious to learn more about his quarter-Latvian heritage.
Olly begins his journey by meeting with his father, Pete, who shares memories of a trip to Riga, Latvia, with Eddie in 2002. It was during this trip that Eddie first opened up about his past, revealing that he was born in Latvia and had a complicated family history. As a child, Eddie was passed between his mother, Veronika, and his father and stepmother, eventually settling in England.
Intrigued, Olly decides to travel to Riga to uncover more about his great-grandparents and their lives. He visits the circus where his great-grandfather, Eduard Murs, a circus performer, worked and learns about his extraordinary double act with his wife, Katrine. Olly also discovers that Eduard and Katrine toured Finland, which may have been where Eddie was conceived, as his mother, Veronika, had a work visa for the country.
A trip to the Latvian State Historical Archives yields even more surprising revelations. Olly discovers Veronika’s old passport and learns that she was a trapeze artist. He also finds out that Veronika and Eduard lived in the same flat in Riga and that Veronika later moved in with her parents, while Eddie remained with his father and stepmother. As Olly pieces together the family’s history, he uncovers the impact of World War II on their lives and their eventual separation.
At the Museum of the Occupation, Olly gains insight into the difficult choices his great-grandmother, Veronika, had to make during the war. With Soviet forces approaching, most of the family left for Germany, but Veronika stayed behind, possibly due to a denied application to leave. Her decision was likely driven by what she believed to be in the best interests of her son, Eddie.
The episode concludes with Olly discovering Veronika’s fate after the war. Despite facing challenges and being separated from her son, she survived and returned to Riga after being released from a labor camp. Olly reflects on how his journey has brought him closer to his late grandfather and provided answers to long-standing questions about his family’s past.
Who Do You Think You Are?: Olly Murs airs on BBC One on Thursday, 19 September 2024, at 9:00 pm.
