1. Twins, Part 1
5/2/202629 min
The special bond between twin sisters Michelle and Lavinia is tested in an almost inconceivable way.
In The Gift, Jenny Kleeman has always looked at extraordinary truths that unravel when people take at-home DNA tests. For Series 3, Jenny is asking what it means to belong in a world where the global DNA database keeps expanding.
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Conor Garrett Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke The Gift is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJenni Kleeman· Host0:01
[singing] First of all, happy birthday.
Lavinia· Guest0:04
Thank you very much. Thank you. 49. Yeah, young.
Jenni Kleeman· Host0:08
It's Michelle's birthday today, and Lavinia's too. They're twins. What's it like sharing a birthday with your sister?
Lavinia· Guest0:16
It's special. It definitely is special. It's special to me, anyway. I like being a twin. I think it defines who I am.
Jenni Kleeman· Host0:24
It's amazing to have a twin and have kind of a built-in friend forever, and I think I've been really blessed to go through this journey with someone else. [singing] I've got sisters, but I can't begin to imagine what the bond between twins must be like.
Lavinia· Guest0:43
I'm so sensitive to Michelle, not only because she's my twin and the love that I have for her, but because I'm very aware of what we both went through growing up. There is an element of me that's always wanted to be protective of her.
Jenni Kleeman· Host0:57
[singing] But when Michelle takes a DNA test, it sets in motion a chain of events that will test their bond in an almost inconceivable way.
Lavinia· Guest1:08
[singing] Life hurts sometimes, but sometimes it has to hurt for you to get to the truth, and I'd rather learn a horrible truth than live a lie.
Jenni Kleeman· Host1:21
[gentle music] It's the perfect gift for the person who already has everything. It promises to tell you who you really