The celebrity chef is one of a batch of new famous faces taking part in the popular SBS series Who Do You Think You Are? this season, working with historians and experts to delve into his family tree.

Moran went into the show knowing "a little" of his paternal side, but "virtually nothing" on his maternal side.

"The researchers worked unbelievably hard," he said.

"It was quite extraordinary for someone like me to see, there were some real clangers. I saw some stuff that meant a lot to me. I'm a farmer and have a country place, and the connection that I ended up getting in the regions was absolutely mind-blowing."

Moran said it was an honour to be asked to take part in the program after having seen many friends go through it in the past.

"I just thought, 'wow, what a great legacy to have on tape that you can pass down the generations'," he said.

"All this research done for me. My father had done some but never passed it one, and I'd only heard snippets and pieces before. But to go into depth and find out about their lives was incredible."

Moran said he could see a lot of himself in some of his ancestors, but seeing their struggles was a real eye-opener.

"Being of an Irish background, they were treated very differently to the English and to the Scottish," he said.

"They were third-class citizens. They were the bottom of the barrel. It's an emotional show - these are your relatives, your own flesh and blood - to hear how tough they did it and how hard they worked."

Who Do You Think You Are?: Premieres Tuesday, June 21 at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand