Channel 4 100% English Documentary
Take eight people. All of them born in England. All of them white. All of them convinced
they are 100% English. Convince them to provide a sample of their DNA. Then submit it to
a series of state of the art DNA tests; and some of them will be in for a shock when they
discover just how English they really are.
"I was born in England. I was born English, my parents were English, my grandparents were English and their parents were English and it goes back and back, so I am English through and through," says comedian Danny Blue.
A prime-minister's daughter, a peer of the realm, a tabloid
journalist, a lawyer, a country lady, a trainee soldier, a stand-up comic and a
woman who works in the fishing industry: all of them are convinced they come from
solid Anglo-Saxon stock. With the help of cutting edge DNA analysis, 100% English
reveals the secrets of their hidden origins which cover most of the globe.
Lord Tebbit, Garry Bushell, Danny Blue and Carol Thatcher are among the eight
participants who have agreed to place their genetic make-up under the microscope.
Art-critic and expert in British culture Andrew Graham-Dixon presents this
enlightening exploration of what it means to be English.
So confident are some of the participants of their genetic origins, they explain
in great detail to Andrew what they believe makes someone truly English. For one
country lady, you must be 'flaxen-haired' while Grimsby resident Nicola Hale says
you must be able to trace your family back at least 1,000 years and pub comedian
Danny Blue decrees that to claim to be truly English you can't have black skin.
Uncovering the truth of their ancestry culminates in some surprising results as
DNA testing reveals some of them to have Turkish, Ukrainian, African and even
Chinese origins. Genealogical traces unearth potential links for some of the
participants to notorious historical figures such as Genghis Khan and ethnic
groups such as the Romany gypsies.
With issues of ethnic and national identity foremost in Government policy and
public thinking, 100% English challenges the core beliefs of those who believe
they are archetypal Englishmen and women with fascinating results.
