A TV STAR exploring his Welsh roots on a BBC family history show discovered that his great-grandather played football for Chirk and for Wales.

Ralf Little is known for his roles on shows such as Death in Paradise, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and The Royle Family.

He is also a former semi-professional footballer himself, a skill which - judging by what he uncovered on BBC show 'Who Do You Think You Are?' - runs in the family.

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Ralf set out on a journey to learn more about the roots of his grandmother Olive, who was from North Wales, in the episode shown on Thursday, June 30.

He travelled to Chirk to see where his grandmother grew up and met his mother’s cousin, Heather.

Ralf’s great-grandfather, Albert Lockley, worked as a miner in the Brynkinalt Colliery.

In the episode, Ralf heads to Chirk football club, where he meets with sports historian Martin Johns and learns the truth about Albert.

Playing for Chirk in those days was said to be a 'big deal', with North East Wales a hotspot for sports in the country. Albert played as a centre-forward for the club.

Upon making this discovery, Ralf says: "I’ve always been a decent player, I’ve never quite known where I got that from.

 “It’s crazy to think that this was more than 100 years ago and I’m genuinely delighted to find out that my great-grandfather was in one of the top teams in Wales and scoring.” 

A further surprise for Ralf was that Albert actually played for Wales' national football team too.

Albert then went on to give up football for religion, something which left Ralf - who is an Atheist - visibly upset.

At the end of the episode, Ralf concludes: “It is very grounding. What connects my ancestors is this sense of sacrifice and responsibility. It has certainly made me reflect on my own life.”