‘Doctor Who’ writer traces his County Derry roots

British writer and actor, Mark Gatiss has visited County Derry in his search to discover his Irish ancestors. Originally from County Durham, Mark is an accomplished author, actor and playwright. He is most famous for writing and acting in the popular television series ‘Doctor Who,’ and ‘The League of Gentleman.’ Back in February Mark travelled to Dungiven, Limavady and Derry to trace his Irish roots as part of the BBC’s ‘Who do you think you are’ programme. It is understood that during Mark’s quest, he untangles a tale of rags and riches. He also unlocks the story of his great great-grandfather who was a land owner in and around Dungiven and Limavady. Mark also discovers that his passion for storytelling is something that he has inherited from his Irish descendants who were storytellers and allegedly vampire slayers. Mark’s late mum’s maiden name is O’Kane, a popular North Derry name but during his research he discovers that his mother’s side of the family goes back five generations. He also finds out that he has a connection to the name O’Mullen. The famous actor along with the television crew stayed at Drumcovitt House and Barn between Feeny and Dungiven while they travelled across County Derry filming for the programme. The episode will be shown on BBC 1 on Thursday, October 9 at 9pm. Meanwhile, Culture Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín, has encouraged people to avail of the records held in PRONI. The Minister said: “Back in February, the BBC production team visited PRONI to help research the family history of writer and actor, Mark Gatiss. PRONI has a vast array of records which would be of interest to local historians or people researching their family history. All of the records are free to access and some records such as street directories, wills directories and valuation revision books can be accessed online on the PRONI website. “PRONI staff have a wealth of knowledge regarding the information available and are on hand to help members of public access records or use the viewing machines to see copies of original documents. I would highly recommend a visit to PRONI to anyone who has an interest in either their own family tree or local history.”