A second season of the BBC radio programme/podcast The Gift has just come out. Presented and researched by journalist Jenny Kleeman, it’s a show about at home DNA testing and the stories it uncovers.
I hoovered up the first season last year and no doubt will do the same with the second. It was well-researched, empathetic and produced fascinating people telling amazing stories. My one complaint was that many of the stories were negative. And look, it’s true that the negative stories make for better content sometimes, but I wished there was a bit more joy in it.
In my career so far, I’ve helped several people to uncover their biological parents through DNA testing. Some people knew they were adopted, some found out their social father was not their biological father only after he had died. But a theme ran through these projects, people were so so happy to find any bit of information. In some cases, it’s led to relationships with newly discovered parents and siblings.
So my hope for this second season is that it focuses on some more positive stories. You can listen for free online or download the BBC Sounds app from wherever you get apps.
Jenny Kleeman also has an astonishing article in the UK Sunday Times today of a babies for sale ring in Montreal. I presume this will feature in one of the episodes.