TV Review: Stranger in My Family

In this heartfelt documentary, Luke, from Rochdale, began by using a montage of photos to guide the audience through his life. In using photos in this way, I immediately felt as though I was an active part of a family gathering... a gripping way to start the documentary.

Luke explained that despite his 'typical' upbringing, as he got older, he began to feel different from his family, which he initially put down to his sexual orientation. However, after coming out to his parents, who were accepting and encouraging, his feelings of being different persisted.

During a job interview, Luke was told he ticked boxes such as being 'gay, working class, and mixed-race'. At this point I think there was shock from both the audience and Luke; from the audience that an employer could think this way and from Luke that he had been called mixed-race despite, to his knowledge, having two white parents. As such, to find out his ancestry once and for all, Luke was prompted to take an at-home DNA test from 23andMe. Stranger in My Family follows Luke's journey as he discovers his genetic ancestry.

I felt that this programme was particularly relevant, now more than ever, as society is increasingly aware of differences in sexual orientation and the need to belong, which is further heightened with the easy access to at-home genetic testing.

Luke's results revealed some unexpected information – strong matches within the Iberian Peninsula, and, most astonishingly, that he was only 23.4 percent English! How could this be? A tear-filled conversation with his mum, Liz, revealed she had gone on holiday to Albufeira, Portugal, with a friend and had a holiday romance with a bartender, Carlos. Could Carlos potentially be Luke's biological father?

I feel that highlighting the potential emotional repercussions of at-home DNA test results is important. According to their website, 23andMe has over 14 million customers worldwide. An increasing number of people have access to more information than ever before, meaning there is scope for unexpected or negative results. The emotional aspects of this programme make the episode more relatable to people who may have received unexpected at-home DNA results or who may be anxious about receiving pending results.

The programme then moved on to Luke's search for his biological father. It is here that the audience is briefly introduced to certain features of 23andMe genetic ancestry testing, in particular when people with DNA matches are depicted. Luke was able to get in touch with a distant relative, Renato, in Portugal. Personally, I was not aware that this feature was available as part of the test result process, even if ultimately it did not help Luke gather more information about his dad. Luke then decided to employ the help of a genealogist, Laura.

Surprisingly, Laura found that Luke's match with Renato was closer than initially thought; they shared a grandfather! Laura showed the audience how this works using a family tree, which I found to be accessible and easy to follow and highlighted that critical interpretation of the results obtained from DNA testing is vital. Unfortunately, however, the grandfather that Luke shares with Renato had recently passed away, posing another obstacle in Luke's search for his biological father. As genealogy is quite a complex process relying on so many different factors happening successfully, I felt that it was important that the episode showed this aspect of the search; sometimes a key piece of the puzzle is no longer available.

Nevertheless, determined not to be defeated, Luke's search took him across to Western Europe, to sunny Albufeira with his mum's friend, Yvonne. This trip proved particularly nostalgic for Yvonne who identified the bar where Liz and Carlos met all those years ago. With the help of Laura's Portuguese colleague, Angela, they manage to get in touch with the previous owner of the bar. Luke also meets Renato and his mother, his father's half-sister who revealed pertinent information about his grandfather Joao. Joao had moved from Portugal to Guinea Bissau, during the war, where he fathered Carlos, before returning to Portugal. Joao was never made aware of Carlos and Carlos never met his father.

The search proved fruitful when Carlos was found and agreed to take a DNA test. Importantly, Laura highlighted to Luke how important it is to stay 'detached' from this potential match until the DNA test results return. This reinforced an important aspect of DNA tests – only final results are definitive and it's important to wait for the results before making further decisions. Nevertheless, the DNA test results did confirm that Carlos was Luke's biological father.

The end of this episode is all about closure. Luke was able to meet Carlos, who lives just a short train journey away in London, and was also able to meet his own half-brothers – Carlos' sons. Luke shared a picture of his grandfather, Joao, with Carlos and this was the first time that Carlos had ever seen a picture of his own father. This really highlighted how one person's search to know more about themselves has the potential to affect more people than first envisioned.

Carlos and Luke returned to Portugal to lay flowers at Joao's grave, which marked the end of the episode but hopefully the beginning of a long-lasting relationship between Luke and Carlos. Not to mention a catalyst for Luke to begin embracing his Portuguese roots by learning how to speak Portuguese!