Best known for his research into the 10 celebrities featured in the ground-breaking BBC2 series Who Do You Think You Are?, Nick Barratt has a PhD in medieval history, and was a specialist reader adviser at The National Archive from 1996-2000.

He worked for the BBC on the last three series of House Detectives, contributed to the BBC4 series Family Ties that ran alongside Who Do You Think You Are?, and also presented 10 programmes on family history for the BBC's interactive TV service.

Looking for professional research services?

Nick Barratt founded Sticks Research Agency so that anyone could benefit from his experience and knowledge. Based in London, he and his team work primarily at archives and libraries in that area, including The National Archives, Family Records Centre, British Library and London Metropolitan Archives - but they have local representatives at many county records offices across the UK.

Professional research can never compete on cost alone with the do-it-yourself approach - but not everyone has the time, the specialist skills, and the experience to carry out their own research, especially where unfamiliar records are involved.

To find out more about Sticks Research Agency and the services that Nick and his team offer, visit www.stick.org.uk