The Gift

BBC Radio 4
  • 0.0 (0)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
  • WEEKLY SERIES
The Gift

Without us realising, an enormous DNA database has been created online. It holds the secrets of your true identity and promises to reveal untold family connections. But what happens when online ancestry tests reveal more than you had bargained for? Across two series, 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.

See All

  1. EPISODE 1

    Introducing The Gift - Series 2

    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 motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. New episodes are available on BBC Sounds from Saturday 2 November, 2024.

    2 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    1. Switched - Part 1

    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 unravel when people take at-home DNA tests like Ancestry and 23andMe. For the second series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    2. Switched - Part 2

    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, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    3. Sold

    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 series, Jenny is going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    4. Taboo

    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 going deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 Details of organisations providing support with mental health, adoption and feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    29 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    5. Donor

    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 consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    6. Superdonor

    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 deeper into the unintended consequences - the aftershocks - set in motion when people link up to the enormous global DNA database. Reconnecting and rupturing families, uprooting identities, unearthing long-buried secrets - what happens after technology, genealogy and identity collide? Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min
See All Season 2 (7)

About

Without us realising, an enormous DNA database has been created online. It holds the secrets of your true identity and promises to reveal untold family connections. But what happens when online ancestry tests reveal more than you had bargained for? Across two series, 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.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Episodes
    15
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2024
  • Show Website
    The Gift

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada