Introducing: World of Secrets Searching for Soldier Dad

Loading player...
We thought you might enjoy listening to the latest season of the BBC’s global investigations podcast World of Secrets: Searching for Soldier Dad.
In this first episode of the season, we meet Cathy. Cathy is 10 years old when she starts asking questions. Why don’t I have a father? The secret her mum Maggie is forced to reveal changes everything.
Years later, when lawyers and a geneticist turn up in their hometown in Kenya to take DNA samples, Maggie hopes they can help her finally learn the truth.
In this investigation, we follow as a team of lawyers and a leading geneticist travel to Kenya to help locate the British soldiers who fathered children then vanished. We witness the groundbreaking legal and scientific detective work used to find the missing dads.   
What’s at stake is more than the reputation of the British army and the UK’s post-colonial legacy. The mixed-heritage children have in some cases been ostracised by their communities and denied a chance of British citizenship since birth – something which could transform their lives.
Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service. Listen to the full series, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Please note, the image being used is for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
Presenter: Ivana Davidovic
Series Producer: Josephine Casserly
Sound design: Tom Brignell
Executive Producer: Matt Willis
Commissioning Senior Producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey
Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
8 May 8PM English United Kingdom News

Other recent episodes

Are billionaires good for Africa?

About twenty-five years ago, Africa had no dollar billionaires. Today, there are 23. Their combined wealth has grown to more than 100 billion US dollars. At the same time, many people on the continent are living in poverty, and their number has also grown. Focus on Africa Podcast host Charles…
22 May 11AM 25 min

Who are the Azawad Liberation Front in Mali?

In Mali, separatist group, Azawad Liberation Front have renewed attacks in the northern part of the country with the aim of creating an independent Tuareg state. We hear from a Sahel security expert on the origins of the group, and their recent alliance with Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) -…
21 May 11AM 22 min

How Arsenal built a loyal African fan base

After 22 years, Arsenal has won another English Premier League title. The team is one of the most popular European football clubs in Africa, and had been running a multi-million sponsorship deal with the government of Rwanda which concluded at the end of the 2025–26 season. We speak to fans…
20 May 11AM 22 min

Ebola: how does contact tracing work?

The Democratic Republic of Congo says the death toll linked to its latest Ebola outbreak has risen to 131, with 513 suspected contacts now being monitored across six health zones, as the government races to contain the spread of the Bundibugyo variant of the virus. And, with global fuel supply…
19 May 11AM 22 min

Who is in charge in Somalia?

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's four-year tenure came to an end on May 15th. However, a contentious constitutional amendment has extended it by a year. The country had failed to hold elections over controversy regarding electoral reforms. We hear how Somalia got here, and what is next for the country…
18 May 11AM 23 min