TV PRESENTER Richard Osman was stunned to learn one of his ancestors helped solve a notorious murder case.

Richard, best known for BBC’s Pointless, delved into his family history during an episode of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? in which celebrities trace their family trees.

Standing on the spot a body was found in Lovers’ Walk, Brighton, in 1831, which was farmland at the time, Richard read from a book, saying: "I raked the ground as before and tore away a yard of the gown. My wife said, 'Don't take any, it is the gown of a grown person'."

His ancestor returned with a spade and dug out what he first believed to be a shin of beef.

Richard, who is from Cuckfield, continued reading, saying: “As soon as I had pulled the clothes aside, I discovered the bosom and stays of the corset. I was sure it was the body of a woman.”

The Argus: Richard Osman in Brighton during an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Richard Osman in Brighton during an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?

A researcher said: “So they knew that they had found a female corpse.” To which Richard replied: “On this spot. It must have been an absolutely appalling thing to discover."

Richard's four-times great-grandfather Gabriel Gilliam discovered the body, later identified as that of Celia Holloway, and became involved in one of the biggest murder trials of the 1800s.

It was also revealed that Gabriel, a fisherman born in Brighton in 1789, would secretly smuggle food for his family.

Richard was told that Gabriel gave evidence against Celia's husband Jon Holloway in court in Lewes, where the murder trial was held.

In what was described as a “sensational moment”, Holloway attempted to put the blame on Gabriel and accused him of carrying the body to Lovers’ Walk.

Holloway was sentenced to death for the murder.

At the end of the episode, Richard, a crime author, described the experience as “unbelievable” and said it had inspired him to write a murder mystery novel about his ancestor.

He said: “Gabriel, Mary and Elizabeth are the poorest of the poor fisher-folk from Brighton.

“And it is an amazing circus that they were suddenly at the heart of. To think they were the detectives of the day and their investigations essentially led to justice.

“I'm minded to write a detective duo which is Gabriel and his mum Elizabeth, solving crimes in 1830s Brighton.”

The Argus: Richard Osman Richard Osman

He told the Radio Times: “Given the books I write, you just couldn’t make it up.

“It was extraordinary to discover that Gabriel Gillam formed an amateur gang of detectives. It felt like it would make a good Sunday night TV drama.

“There are a million stories about the British upper class, from Downton to Bridgerton, but very few about poor communities.”