Stars of Heir Hunters and Who Do You Think You Are locked in bitter legal row

They are experts in genealogy, celebrated for their hit BBC shows investigating family histories.

But away from the genteel image of their profession, Daniel Curran, star of Heir Hunters, and Philip Turvey, the probate detective behind the popular Who Do You Think You Are?, are locked in a bitter legal battle.

Turvey claims that Curran and his colleagues sent their business associates defamatory emails about him and his father Peter. 

One alleged that Turvey stalked Curran’s seven-year-old daughter, and another claimed that Peter had been convicted of sexual harassment.

The Turveys, who through their company Anglia Research helped the BBC trace the ancestral lines of double Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and actress Sheridan Smith, strongly deny the allegations and are suing Curran for up to £100,000 in the High Court.

It is not the first time that Curran, who was once married to Elizabeth Hurley’s sister, has been accused of maligning Turvey.

Three years ago, Curran, who runs a firm called Finders Geneaolgists, made a public apology and settled out of court for defamation against his rival. But the antagonism has rumbled on.