About this podcast
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 three 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.
Series 3 of The Gift is available on BBC Sounds from 2 May, 2026.
Episodes
- 6. Deleted · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 6After one of the biggest brands in at-home DNA testing is put up for sale - along with the genetic codes of millions of its customers - Jenny decides if she wants to continue to…
- 5. Forbidden · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 5It’s a criminal offence to take an at-home DNA test in France – and Audrey and Arthur must break the law if they want to unlock the truths hidden in their genes. In The Gift…
- 4. Puzzles · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 4When the mystery of her past is solved, Kathy is confronted by a shocking true crime story that helps explain who she is. In The Gift, Jenny Kleeman has always looked at…
- 3. Fathers · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 3Technology catches up with sperm donors in ways they could never have imagined. In The Gift, Jenny Kleeman has always looked at extraordinary truths that unravel when people take…
- 2. Twins - Part 2 · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 2As they try to come to terms with their discovery, Michelle digs deeper into Lavinia’s test results – but Lavinia doesn’t want to know In The Gift, Jenny Kleeman has always…
- 1. Twins - Part 1 · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 1The special bond between twin sisters Michelle and Lavinia is tested in an almost inconceivable way. In The Gift, Jenny Kleeman has always looked at extraordinary truths that…
- Trailer · 3 min · Season 3 Episode 1Jenny Kleeman is back with six more remarkable tales of truths that unravel when people take at-home DNA tests. The whole series is available on BBC Sounds from 2 May, 2026.
- Bonus: Searching · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 7A 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…
- 6. Superdonor · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 6The 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…
- 5. Donor · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 5When 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…
- 4. Taboo · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 4One 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…
- 3. Sold · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 3A 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…
- 2. Switched - Part 2 · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 2After 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…
- 1. Switched - Part 1 · 29 min · Season 2 Episode 1An 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…
- Trailer · 2 min · Season 2It’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…
- Bonus: Hacked · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 7October 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…
- 6. Secrets · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 6In 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…
- 5. Health · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 5How 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…
- 4. Race · 29 min · Season 1 Episode 4The 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…
- 3. Mistakes · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 3The 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…
- 2. Justice · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 2A 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…
- 1. Fraud · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 1In 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…
- Trailer · 2 min · Season 1Have 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…
