Latest news with #DNATrail:ThePromise
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Gift Series 2 Preview - DNA Trail: The Promise
Presenter Laura Ansell introduces the first episode of her BBC Sounds series DNA Trail: The Promise. 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 daughter Laura and his wife Jayne make him a promise - to find Billy's family and get a photo of his dad - something that Billy longed for his whole life. To listen to the rest of the series just search for DNA Trail on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Dame Esther Rantzen and journalist reunited after 20 years
Dame Esther Rantzen has been reunited with a BBC journalist who was first interviewed by the former That's Life presenter when she was 16 years Ancell presents podcast DNA Trail: The Promise, but the two first spoke when Dame Esther interviewed Laura on BBC Radio Solent in was running the Race For Life for her father who had been diagnosed with terminal lung on the podcast, Dame Esther thanked the Cancer Research UK running campaign for raising money for treatments that she is now benefiting from. Dame Esther, who lives in the New Forest, has been diagnosed with the same type of cancer as Laura's father and she revealed in 2023 it was stage a reversal of roles, Laura, now 36, interviewed Dame Esther for the podcast in the same studio she was interviewed in 20 years Esther said it took "immense courage" for Laura to talk to her in the live broadcast when her dad was stage four. As a teenager Laura told Dame Esther on the breakfast show: "I decided it was a positive thing for me to do, to raise money for new treatments..."Dame Esther said the developments in cancer research since their conversation in 2005 were "wonderful" and had "long-lasting effects" because of people like Laura and her father Bill Ancell. 'Hugely inspiring' Race For Life runners have collectively raised more than £970m since the campaign began 30 years ago. Bill, who was from Brighton, fundraised by selling a CD called Music for Life in which he played the flamenco guitar. Speaking on the podcast Dame Esther told Laura: "I admired you then and I admire you now."Laura returned the compliment and said Dame Esther was "hugely inspiring" and an "incredible woman".The podcast follows Laura's journey in fulfilling a promise she and her mother made to her father on his deathbed - that they would find his long-lost Trail: The Promise is available now as an eight episode box set on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Local radio unveils new podcast - DNA Trail: The Promise
The eight-part series, DNA Trail: The Promise launches on BBC Sounds on today (Thursday 20 February) and follows a dynamic duo, BBC journalist, Laura Ancell, and her mum, Jayne as they navigate what becomes an epic search for family, identity and the truth. Throughout the series we hear about Laura's dad, the charismatic Billy from Brighton who discovered in his 30s that the man who raised him wasn't his biological father. Armed with only this mystery man's name - William Anderson - and the fact that he'd served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Billy manages to track him down only to be left feeling rejected when he never hears from him again. However Billy had inherited a potential clue to his past though, thanks to a tin which his mother Madeleine kept some of her most personal possessions in. One of them was photograph which shows his mother smiling on Brighton beach in 1945, with a man's arm lovingly wrapped round her, but Madeline had meticulously cut out the face of the mystery man. When Billy passes away in 2006, Laura and her mum Jayne promise to find his biological family he never got to meet. This is an inspiring family love story, about how far a young girl will go in order to keep a promise to dying father. It's a story full of twists and turns as Laura and Jayne's determination is severely tested as they confront revelations that shake their understanding of Billy's story—and their own. But they never lose their sense of humour and, although there's some tears, there's lots of laughter too! DNA Trail: The Promise is an emotional tale of tenacity, identity, and clarity that will keep listeners hooked until the very last episode. Spanning from 1944 to the present day it unravels Billy's family mystery and explores lost connections across generations and continents. With worldwide appeal, this new BBC Local podcast will resonate with anyone seeking to understand their roots. Speaking of her journey, Laura said: 'Knowing where I come from is so important to me. I hope people will be able to relate to our story. My dad always felt like a big part of him was missing and when he died there was a big part of me missing, too. So, I took the baton from him and continued his search. For me, it was about uncovering the truth and making my dad proud.' BBC Controller of Local Audio Commissioning, Chris Burns said: 'This podcast is a truly compelling listen, with superb soundscaping brought to life by BBC Local. It takes our audience on an extraordinary journey. Everyone has a desire to uncover their truth, and as Laura discovers, fulfilling a promise made on her father's deathbed is far from straightforward. These untold stories are at the heart of what BBC Local excels at sharing, and I hope listeners are as captivated by this podcast as we are.' DNA Trail: The Promise is available from Thursday 20 February 2025 as a box set on BBC Sounds. HM3
