Presenter Laura Ansell introduces the first episode of her BBC Sounds series DNA Trail: The Promise. Billy from Brighton is in his 30s when he’s told by his mum Madeleine that the man who brought him up wasn't his ‘real’ dad. Armed with only his name: William Anderson and the fact he served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Billy goes in search of his biological father. He tracks him down in the late 1970s but is rejected. On his deathbed in 2006, Billy's then teenage daughter Laura and his wi...
Mar 10, 2025•25 min•Season 2Ep. 9
A family's race against time to find the baby they believe DNA testing proves was switched at birth. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the second series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people take at-home DNA tests like...
Feb 22, 2025•29 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The donor conceived people turning to at-home DNA tests for answers. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second series, Jenny is going d...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 8
When testing your DNA becomes an obsession. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
One man’s determination to find his mother reveals an unbearable secret. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second series, Jenny is goi...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
A breast cancer survivor investigates her genes and uncovers a black market in human life. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second se...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 5
After discovering who she really is, Claire has decided to tell her side of the story. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second series...
Nov 02, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 4
An at-home DNA test - taken by chance when a game of golf is rained off - forces one man and three women to reassess everything they thought they knew about their families. It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unrav...
Nov 02, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 3
It’s the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really are, and how you’re connected to the world. A present that will reveal your genetic past – but could also disrupt your future. In the first series of The Gift, Jenny Kleeman looked at the extraordinary truths that can unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. In this second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - and the aftershocks - set in...
Oct 28, 2024•2 min•Season 2Ep. 2
October 6th, 2023 - the day before Hamas launches its attack on Israel - a data set stolen from at-home DNA testing company 23andMe is posted on the dark web. A hacker under the username Golem claims it contains millions of data points relating to Ashkenazi Jews living globally. A vast repository of 23andMe's account holder's personal information is then offered to anyone willing to pay for it - including names, birth dates, genetic ancestry and location details. Not only is it 23andMe's biggest...
Feb 08, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this last episode, as Jenny's own results land in her inbox, she hears how at home DNA tests have brought family secrets - once thought long buried - out into the light. It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage ...
Oct 16, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 7
How can life change when a home DNA test reveals you may be predisposed to serious illness? It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage - perhaps even a future foretold in our genes. Across six episodes, Jenny Kleeman...
Oct 09, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The anxieties of navigating a newfound racial identity. It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage - perhaps even a future foretold in our genes. Across six episodes, Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives...
Oct 02, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The family that must turn detective to find the couple who had IVF at the same time as them. It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage - perhaps even a future foretold in our genes. Across six episodes, Jenny Kleema...
Sep 25, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 4
A son's quest to learn more about his late father unravels a mystery that's baffled US federal law enforcement for over four decades. It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage - perhaps even a future foretold in our...
Sep 18, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this first episode, a scandal deep in the heart of London's Harley Street is exposed when a man in his eighties receives a DNA test Christmas present from his daughter. It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a company like Ancestry and 23andMe. Their tests promise to unlock the truth of our heritage -...
Sep 11, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Have you ever been curious enough to try and find out who you really are? Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after opening a box containing a DNA test. A new six-part documentary series from BBC Radio 4, coming to BBC Sounds weekly on Mondays from 11 September 2023.
Sep 04, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1
