A pub in Warboys has made its mark after appearing on the BBC TV show, ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Jonnie Peacock, a Paralympic gold medal-winning sprinter, visited the Royal Oak pub where he learned more out about his ancestors.

During the programme, which takes celebrity guests on a trip through their family history, Jonnie found out about his grandfather who was a talented amateur footballer.

Jonnie, a former pupil at St Ivo School, in St Ives, uncovered the legacy of poverty that led to his family wanting job security over football. On his father’s side, he also found out about his four-times great-grandmother, Louisa Voss, who was branded a woman of ‘bad character’ in 1841 by a village policeman.

The programme, which aired on Monday, heard how Louisa’s actions had contributed to the Royal Oak losing its licence.

He went on to discover that Louisa was also believed to have been part of an agricultural gang forced to work in the fields by unscrupulous gangmasters.

The landlady of the Royal Oak, Min Tarling, 59, said she was shocked when the production team asked to film at her pub.

Speaking to the Hunts Post, she said: “We took over the pub back in April and we were approached by the BBC in May. When we found out we were really excited and were really happy to get involved.

“You don’t get told which celebrity is coming so we didn’t know until the day, but Jonnie was really nice. They filmed at the pub for the morning and then stayed for lunch. He was talking to all of the staff and taking pictures with them all, he was really lovely.

“We were over the moon when they asked to film here, as we have just had the pub done up. When we bought it, it was really run down and it was a great way to show off the pub.

“Ever since the show aired we have had so many people ringing up and coming in the pub. It’s really helped us. We are so pleased that the BBC chose us for the show and that we have been able to put Warboys on the map.”

The full programme is available on BBC iPlayer.