The true-life story of a young woman’s deathbed promise to her father is the subject of a new podcast from BBC Local.
It’s a promise that takes her on a journey from the south coast of England to the other side of the world to solve a family mystery.
The eight-part series, DNA Trail: The Promise follows BBC journalist, Laura Ancell, and her mum, Jayne as they go on what becomes an epic search for family, identity and the truth.
Laura’s dad, the charismatic Billy from Brighton discovered in his 30s that the man who raised him wasn’t his biological father.
With only a 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.
Despite this, Billy had a potential clue to his past, thanks to a tin which his mother Madeleine kept some of her most personal possessions in.
One of them was photograph showing his mother smiling on Brighton beach in 1945, with a man’s arm wrapped round her, but Madeline had carefully cut out his face.
The story covers from 1944 to the present-day uncovering Billy’s family mystery and exploring lost connections across generations and continents.
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 sound scaping 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.”
When Billy died in 2006, Laura and her mum Jayne promised 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 available from today, Thursday 20 February as a box set on BBC Sounds.
