A test of nerve
It’s a tense watch as Stacey Dooley sends DNA to the lab to answer families’ life-changing questions
DNA FAMILY SECRETS BBC2, 9pm
STACEY Dooley steps into the Davina McCall role of tea, sympathy and a secret stash of photos in this new Long Lost Family-esque show.
The focus is on the DNA that connects us, with a massive database now available thanks to more than 25 million people worldwide doing a home test.
It’s a gripping show, with big reveals that we haven’t seen since the days of Jeremy Kyle.
And it’s not just about reuniting long lost relatives – although there’s plenty of that. It might also be a DNA question about a hereditary disease or lost heritage.
“DNA doesn’t lie but are we ready for the truth?” asks Stacey.
Bill, 75, wants to know what happened to his father, an African American GI stationed in Loughborough, who went back to America after the war ended and was never heard from again. Does Bill have any living relatives left?
Cut to a shot of top geneticist Turi King, in a lab holding a big syringe – just in case we weren’t sure what a scientist looked like.
Stacey also meets 53-yearold Richard, who was recently shocked to discover that his dad wasn’t his biological father.
Another man has claimed to be his real father, but can a DNA test solve the mystery?
And Charlie wants to know if she has inherited the gene for Huntington’s disease, after her father was diagnosed with the debilitating terminal illness.
If she has it, then her little boy Cian could have it too… There’s a 50/50 chance and let’s just say, it’s emotional.