The business of genetic ancestry

There is a programme going out next Tuesday 26th May on BBC Radio 4 on the "business of genetic ancestry". The programme is presented by Dr Adam Rutherford and includes interviews with Professor Mark Jobling from the University of Leicester, my colleague Professor Mark Thomas from University College London and yours truly! You can find further details about the programme here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vy4kb

The programme will also be available on the iPlayer and it will be repeated on Monday 1st June at 9pm.

I paid a visit to New Broadcasting House at the end of last month to record my interview with Adam. I was interviewed for one hour and 20 minutes, and we had a wide-ranging conversation about the exciting discoveries that can be made from DNA testing but also about some of the problematic press coverage and the dubious claims made by certain companies. Obviously only a tiny fraction of what I said will make the final cut, so I shall be interested to see how it turns out.

In the recording studio with Adam Rutherford.

I have been very impressed with the way that the programme has been made. The BBC have done a lot of research behind the scenes and have gone to great pains to talk to a wide range of people and to present a balanced view showing both the benefits of genetic ancestry testing but also highlighting some of the problematic areas. They invited people from all sides of the debate to contribute to the programme though I understand that unfortunately not everyone who was invited to participate chose to do so.

If you listen to the programme do let me know what you think.

Related blog posts
- Driving in the wrong direction with a dodgy DNA satnav
- More on the S4C DNA Cymru controversy and my review of "Who are the Welsh?"

© 2015 Debbie Kennett