From: David Balding d.balding@ucl.ac.uk
Subject: BBC Complaints - Case number CAS-1957476-Y40YBR
Date: 2 March 2013 19:36
To: bbc_complaints_website@bbc.co.uk
Complaint Summary: Misleading the public and covert promotion
Full Complaint: I am a professor at University College London and this complaint relates to my professional
expertise. The two "Meet the Izzards" programs misled the public about the nature of individual genetic ancestry.
Although no business was named, the only scientist shown is Chief Scientist at a genetic ancestry company, and
the program in effect promoted that company's service. Eddie Izzard shares nothing special with the various
"genetic cousins" that he met - and his "genetic journey" is speculation, based on guesses and not facts, which the
program did not make clear. Statements such as "You are a Viking" are wrong in fact, and damaging because they
promote crude ethnic stereotypes. Any informed person knows that these topics are controversial, and so to rely
entirely on one expert and not canvass other expert opinion is disgraceful - the BBC should serve the public and
not collude with the interests of an industry that often dupes the public. More generally the BBC has a terrible
record in recent years in covering human genetics - opting for populism over facts. Please make amends by airing
a program highlighting the plight of the many dissatisfied customers of the genetic ancestry industry. As an
example of the consequences of failing to use real experts, the program completely missed the dramatic news
story of the year, which has been known to experts for months - a new Y chromosome type that completely
changes the known genealogical tree (Am J Hum Genet 2/2/13).