Original version

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

The Documentary

Documentaries

Factual

The Documentary Podcast

Investigating global developments, issues and affairs.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Documentary: Embankment baby

Tony May at Embankment

18/07/2020 GMT

Embankment baby

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Embankment baby

Tony May was abandoned as a baby in 1942. Can DNA testing reveal who his parents were?

Tony May was only weeks old when he was abandoned as a baby on the Victoria Embankment in London in 1942. There was no clue to who he was or why he was left by the river Thames in the middle of World War Two. Raised by loving adopted parents who named him, Tony has never been able to discover the identity of his birth parents. Now in his 70s, Tony may finally be able to solve the mystery thanks to advances in DNA testing and painstaking detective work by genealogist Julia Bell. But this type of search is also not without its risks as there is no telling what secrets may be uncovered. 
 
Will Tony be happy with the answers he finds? The popularity of home DNA testing has exploded in recent years as people around the world rush to find out more about their family history. Global test kit sales are predicted to hit 100 million by 2021, and as more people add to these huge online databases it is easier than ever to unearth information about the past. And we may not be prepared for the surprises and family secrets that await us.

Presenter: Claire Bates

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Documentary

Embankment baby

Genres

Brand

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service