DNA Trail

Mar 19 2025 6 ep. 20 mins 56
DNA Trail Podcast artwork

Sharing personal stories of discovery and family identity.

Series 1: The Promise A young woman's deathbed promise to her father takes her on a remarkable journey from the south coast of England to the other side of the world to solve a family mystery.

Have you got a DNA related story you'd like to share? Tell us at [email protected].

  Society & Culture
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5. More Than Unusual

Mar 19 2025 26 mins  
In her pyjamas and fluffy cat slippers Laura represents herself remotely in the Palmerston North Family Court in New Zealand. The judge remarks that this is a 'more than unusual' case when Laura asks for a paternity test between two deceased people using their biopsy samples. When the test results come back, Laura and Jayne must question everything that they think they know. The te

4. See You in Court

Mar 12 2025 26 mins  
Laura and Jayne take the unusual step of getting Billy’s DNA via his lung cancer biopsy. They ask the Anderson family for a direct DNA test between William Anderson and Billy to prove they’re father and son. When communication fizzles out the mother-daughter duo are left with no option but to go to court. Meanwhile, with a DNA test kit in her handbag, Jayne recalls going to Ryd

3. Feathers Ruffled

Mar 02 2025 19 mins  
Laura and Jayne travel to New Zealand to meet Billy’s half-siblings but they aren’t allowed to meet William Anderson himself. Laura forges an unbreakable bond with her uncle Murray and his wife Kareen. When they return back to the UK there’s a huge shock waiting for Laura and Jayne. A professional family tracer, who works on the British television series 'Long Lost Family', c

2. Pack Up Your Troubles

Feb 26 2025 20 mins  
Laura and her mum Jayne take a nostalgic trip to Brighton to visit important places from Billy’s past. They explore World War Two in the city and how Billy’s dad might have met his mum Madeleine at one of the popular Brighton Dome dances. Jayne also shares the importance of reaching out to Billy’s half-brothers. However, when she does, what he has to say shocks her.

1. The Mystery Man

Feb 19 2025 24 mins  
Billy from Brighton is in his 30s when he’s told by his mum Madeleine that the man who brought him up wasn't his ‘real’ dad.Armed with only his name: William Anderson and the fact he served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Billy goes in search of his biological father. He tracks him down in the late 1970s but is rejected. On his deathbed in 2006, Billy's then teenage dau

Introducing... The Promise

Feb 13 2025 3 mins  
Laura Ancell's deathbed promise to her father takes her on a remarkable journey from the south coast of England to the other side of the world to solve a family mystery.Presenter: Laura Ancell. Producer: Talia Slack. Sound Designer: Kasel Kundola. Creative Consultant: Meic Parry. Online Producer: Rachael Smith.CastBilly... Alexander Arnold. William...Grant Rayner. Additional voices