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Factual: Life Stories

Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.

Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.

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Sideways: 30. The Woman in the Portrait

30. The Woman in the Portrait

BBC Radio 4 - Sideways, 30. The Woman in the Portrait

How can understanding our ancestors make us feel whole?

Matthew Syed follows one woman’s journey to uncover the story behind a family portrait. What drives us to uncover the truth about our ancestors and how can it transform our lives?

Matthew Syed follows the story of Bernice Bennett, a woman driven to uncover the truth behind a treasured family portrait. 

When Bernice was growing up, she was always told how much she looked like her grandmother, Mattie Kemp Alexander. Looking at her grandmother’s portrait, she saw her own eyes looking back. This woman’s face was familiar, and yet Bernice knew so little about her. Feeling the call to know more, Bernice set out on a journey to uncover the stories of her family tree.

Through the course of her investigations, Bernice uncovers the traumas etched into her family’s past and is drawn into America's legacy of slavery. Her discoveries are painful, but they also lead to some surprisingly joyous new relationships and renewed understanding of her own identity. 

So why do we search for the secrets of the past, when we know how much the truth may hurt? 

Genetic Counsellor Brianne Kirkpatrick talks about how people might prepare themselves for what they could find in their family histories, and genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith explores how the traumas experienced by our ancestors can ripple through to the present day. 

Contributors:
Brianne Kirkpatrick - Genetic Counsellor
Nicka Sewell-Smith - Genealogist
Bernice Alexander Bennett - Genealogist

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Sandra Labady
Executive Producer: Claire Crofton
Researcher: Nadia Mehdi
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Music, Sound Design and Mix: Nicholas Alexander
Theme Music: Seventy Times Seven by Ioana Selaru

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