The Gift

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.

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 - perhaps even a future foretold in our genes. Across six episodes, Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after they opened a box that contained a DNA test. Exposing scandals, upending identities, solving mysteries and delivering life-changing news - Jenny investigates what happens when genealogy, technology and identity collide.Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Executive Producer: Philip Sellars Production Co-ordinator: Gill Huggett

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 genes.Across six episodes, Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after they opened a box that contained a DNA test. Exposing scandals, upending identities, solving mysteries and delivering life-changing news - Jenny investigates what happens when genealogy, technology and identity collide.Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Executive Producer: Philip Sellars Production Co-ordinator: Gill Huggett Archive courtesy CNN

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 Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after they opened a box that contained a DNA test. Exposing scandals, upending identities, solving mysteries and delivering life-changing news - Jenny investigates what happens when genealogy, technology and identity collide.Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Executive Producer: Philip Sellars Production Co-ordinator: Gill Huggett

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 changed forever after they opened a box that contained a DNA test. Exposing scandals, upending identities, solving mysteries and delivering life-changing news - Jenny investigates what happens when genealogy, technology and identity collide.Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Executive Producer: Philip Sellars Production Co-ordinator: Gill Huggett