DNA Family Secrets

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DNA Family Secrets[1] is a British television series which began airing on BBC Two in March, 2021. The programme is presented by Stacey Dooley and geneticist, Professor Turi King, and uses the latest DNA technology to solve family mysteries around ancestry, missing relatives and genetic disease. It is made by the production company Minnow Films. The second series is now in pre-production.

Stacey Dooley and Turi King

Synopsis[]

Presented by Stacey Dooley and Turi King, the series sees people ‘across the UK who want to unlock the mysteries hidden in their genetic code’.[2] Each episode follows three people: two of these trying to find out about their family history or ancestry and another who is seeking to find answers about a genetic disease in the family. Stacey and Turi work with a large team of genealogists, social workers, and doctors to reveal unknown ancestry, find missing relatives and detect genetic disease before it’s too late.[3]

Main cast[]

Episodes[]

Episode 1[]

Aired: March 2, 2021.

2.395 million viewers[4]

Bill, 75, who grew up without knowing his biological father. Born through a love affair between his mother and an African American GI stationed near Loughborough, Bill’s father went back to the US. after the war and she never heard from him again. The only information Bill had about his father is the name written on his birth certificate. Now his mother has passed away, Bill wants to find out if DNA analysis can tell him more about his ancestry and if he has any living relatives in the US.

Richard, 53,[5] was very close to his father and so it came as a complete shock when someone contacted him after his father’s death claiming to be his real dad. A DNA test shows Richard and his sister have different fathers so could this person be his biological father. Richard hopes DNA testing will be able to solve this mystery and show if he has a half-brother, Brendon.

Charlie has recently found out that her father has Huntington’s disease – a terminal illness without a cure. With a 50/50 chance that she has inherited the mutated form of the gene, Charlie is desperate to know whether she also has it, and, if so, does that mean that her and her partner’s son, Cian, will also develop to have Huntington’s disease.

Episode 2[]

Aired March 9, 2021

1.2 million viewers[6]

Leicester born Janine, has lived her entire life never knowing the identity or ethnicity of her birth father. Her white-British mum died taking the secret of who Janine’s biological father was to her grave. Growing up with darker skin. Janine wants to know if DNA can help her to find out anything about her father’s heritage.

Adopted in Southport when she was only six months old, Margaret has never felt brave enough to find out anything about her ancestry. In particular, she would really like to find out about her birth mother and what happened to her all those years ago. Could she have other family out there who she's never met.

Duri was in her early 20s when she lost her mother to ovarian cancer. With there being genes that predispose people to ovarian cancer, could it be that she carries a potentially dangerous genetic mutation in her own DNA.  Duri wants to have her DNA analysed to find out .

Episode 3[]

Aired March 16, 2021

1.6 million viewers[7]

Northern Irish triplets, Peter, David and Phillip were adopted as young boys and while they knew about their biological mother who passed away some years ago, they've never known where their father comes from. They have ideas, but when Professor Turi King reveals what is hidden in their DNA, it changes everything they thought they knew about their ancestry.

Tink didn't find out she was a sperm donor child until she was 17 years old and pregnant with her first child. Tink would like to know what DNA can tell her about her biological father and if she has any half donor siblings. With 45,000 donor conceived people on the registers in the UK she will only be able to find a half brother or sister if they're looking for her as well.

Three year-old Leo is slowly going blind and his parents are desperate to know if his sight loss is due to a genetic mutation. If so, he could be eligible for gene therapy to help save his sight. Can genetic analysis provide Mitchell and Manuela with the answers they need to get help for their son.

Reception[]

The series has received positive reviews both on social media and in print.[8][9][10][11][12][13] Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian praised the series, calling it “a touching, timely portrait of mixed-race Britain”, saying the “show doesn't need celebrities to gild its drama".[14]

Rachael Sigee of Inews wrote “you’d have to be cynical not to be moved by this reunion series”, and that “Stacey Dooley’s new genealogy series was no less heartwarming for having to take place over Zoom".[15]

Sara Wallis of The Mirror gave it a positive review, writing that “it makes for gripping TV”, “emotional, with fascinating DNA facts”, with results delivered by King with “wonderful empathy”.[16]

Lucy Lethbridge of The Tablet praised the show, saying “If I were going to rattle the skeletons in my family’s closet on primetime television, there are few people I would rather do it with than Stacey Dooley”.[17]

Paul Whitelaw of The Courier called it a “poignant genealogy series” before going on to say “Dooley is a good choice of host, she's likeable and empathetic, but the star of the show is Professor Turi King, who explains the science and gently guides the contributors through the entire process. She radiates kindness".[18]

Jane Rackham of the Radio Times said the series has “an interesting twist that taps into our fascination with our past”.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ "DNA Family Secrets".
  2. ^ "BBC DNA Family Secrets".
  3. ^ "DNA Family Secrets". C21media. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  4. ^ TVZone (2021-03-16). "7-DAY RATINGS: 01-07 MARCH 2021". TVZoneUK. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  5. ^ Corbin, Tianna (2021-03-05). "Man's anguish at discovering he wasn't related to 'little bro'". DevonLive. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  6. ^ TVZone (2021-03-10). "OVERNIGHT RATINGS: TUESDAY 9 MARCH 2021". TVZoneUK. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  7. ^ TVZone (2021-03-17). "OVERNIGHT RATINGS: TUESDAY 16 MARCH 2021". TVZoneUK. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  8. ^ "Finding out about our 'DNA Family Secrets'". www.newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  9. ^ Hill, Rose (2021-03-17). "DNA Family Secrets viewers disgusted as triplets are rejected by family member". mirror. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  10. ^ Jones, Jada; Thompson, Danny (2021-03-14). "Warwickshire woman's tears after finding real mum in BBC DNA show". CoventryLive. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  11. ^ "On TV tonight, Stacey Dooley uncovers family secrets through DNA testing". inews.co.uk. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  12. ^ "Fans Of Long Lost Family Will Love Stacey Dooley's DNA Family Secrets". www.tyla.com. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  13. ^ "Paul Whitington's TV pick of the week: DNA Family Secrets". independent. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  14. ^ "DNA Family Secrets review – a touching, timely portrait of mixed-race Britain". The Guardian. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  15. ^ "You'd have to be very cynical not to be moved by Stacey Dooley's DNA Family Secrets". inews.co.uk. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  16. ^ Wallis, Sara (2021-03-06). "'Stacey Dooley's DNA Family Secrets is like Who Do You Think You Are? on speed'". mirror. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  17. ^ enquiries@thetablet.co.uk, The Tablet-w. "The big reveal: Stacey Dooley's DNA Family Secrets". The Tablet. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  18. ^ Whitelaw, Paul. "TV Previews: Paul Whitelaw looks at the tragic tale of Caroline Flack and finds some Comic Relief". The Courier. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  19. ^ "DNA Family Secrets - S1 - Episode 1". Radio Times. Retrieved 2021-03-31.

External links[]

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