The Gift Podcast
Without us realising, an enormous DNA database has been created online. Jenny Kleeman discovers what happens when online ancestry tests reveal more than you had bargained for.
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 to download
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6. Deleted—Series 3
Tue 9 Jun 2026
6/6Jenny decides if she wants to continue to belong to the global DNA database
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5. Forbidden—Series 3
Tue 2 Jun 2026
5/6Audrey and Arthur must break the law to unlock the truths hidden in their genes
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4. Puzzles—Series 3
Tue 26 May 2026
4/6Kathy is confronted by a shocking true crime story that helps explain who she is.
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3. Fathers—Series 3
Tue 19 May 2026
3/6Technology catches up with sperm donors in ways they could never have imagined.
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2. Twins, Part 2—Series 3
Next Tuesday
2/6Michelle digs deeper into Lavinia’s test results – but Lavinia doesn’t want to know.
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1. Twins, Part 1—Series 3
Yesterday
1/6The special bond between two twin sisters is tested in an almost inconceivable way.
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Trailer—Series 3
Last Tuesday
1/6Jenny Kleeman is back with more stories of lives changed after taking at-home DNA tests.
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Bonus: Searching—Series 2
Tue 25 Feb 2025
7/7A family's race against time to find the baby they believe was switched at birth.
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1. Switched, Part 1—Series 2
Wed 6 Nov 2024
1/7One man and three women are forced to reassess everything they knew about their families
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6. Superdonor—Series 2
Mon 4 Nov 2024
6/7The donor conceived people turning to at-home DNA tests for answers.
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4. Taboo—Series 2
Mon 4 Nov 2024
4/7One man’s determination to find his mother reveals an unbearable secret.
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3. Sold—Series 2
Mon 4 Nov 2024
3/7A breast cancer survivor investigates her genes and uncovers a black market in human life.
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2. Switched, Part 2—Series 2
Fri 1 Nov 2024
2/7After discovering who she really is, Claire has decided to tell her side of the story.
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Trailer—Series 2
Mon 28 Oct 2024
1/7Jenny Kleeman meets more people whose lives have been changed forever by home DNA tests.
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Bonus: Hacked—Series 1
Thu 8 Feb 2024
7/7Jenny Kleeman asks if an unprecedented theft of DNA data was a racially motivated attack.
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6. Secrets—Series 1
Mon 16 Oct 2023
6/7When home DNA tests bring family secrets - once thought long buried - into the light.
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5. Health—Series 1
Mon 9 Oct 2023
5/7When a home DNA test reveals you may be predisposed to serious illness.
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3. Mistakes—Series 1
Mon 25 Sep 2023
3/7A family must turn detective to find the couple who had IVF at the same time as them.
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2. Justice—Series 1
Mon 18 Sep 2023
2/7A son's quest to learn more about his late father unexpectedly reveals a shocking crime.
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1. Fraud—Series 1
Mon 11 Sep 2023
1/7A DNA test given as a birthday present exposes a scandal at the heart of Harley Street.
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Trailer—Series 1
Mon 4 Sep 2023
1/7Have you ever been curious enough to try and find out who you really are?
