LEGENDARY actor Sir Ian McKellen got an emotional surprise when he appeared on BBC ancestry show Who Do You Think You Are?

Sir Ian, who grew up in Bolton, discovered that he was not the first talented actor in his family, as he had previously believed.

The Lord of the Rings star found out that his grandmother’s uncle, Frank Lowes, was a professional actor before his death in 1894.

Sir Ian had never before heard about his performer relative, who was also from Bolton. “You’re not the first,” the show’s historian told him, gleefully. “He beat you to the stage.”

During the BBC1 programme, on Wednesday, it was revealed that Frank even topped the bill at a play in the town.