Long Lost Family (British TV series)

Long Lost Family is a British television series that has aired on ITV since 21 April 2011. The programme, which is presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, aims to reunite close relatives after years of separation. It is made by the production company Wall to Wall.[1] Long Lost Family is based on the Dutch series Spoorloos (English: Without a Trace),[2] airing on NPO 1 since 2 February 1990 and made by KRO-NCRV.[3]

Long Lost Family
GenreDocumentary
Presented byDavina McCall
Nicky Campbell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series12 (regular)
6 (revisited)
3 (without trace)
1 (switched at birth)
No. of episodes79 (regular)
19 (revisited)
6 (without trace)
1 (switched at birth)
Production
ProducersJuliet Singer
Thea Hickson
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companyWall to Wall
Release
Original networkITV
Original release21 April 2011 (2011-04-21) 
present

Synopsis

Presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, the series offers a last chance for people who are desperate to find long lost relatives. The series helps a handful of people, some of whom have been searching in vain for many years, find the family members they are desperately seeking. It explores the background and context of each family's estrangement and tracks the detective work and often complex and emotional process of finding each lost relative before they are reunited. With the help and support of Davina and Nicky, each relative is guided and supported through the process of tracing the member of their family they have been desperately seeking, in some cases for most of their lives. Long Lost Family reveals the background to each case, the social context of each case, and reasons why these estrangements occurred, from the single teenage mums who felt unable to keep their babies to the fathers who left and the twin sisters who were separated at birth.

Transmissions

Regular series

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1621 April 201126 May 2011
2712 April 201231 May 2012
3817 June 201312 August 2013
4814 July 20141 September 2014
563 June 20158 July 2015
6713 July 201624 August 2016
7726 July 20176 September 2017
8717 July 201828 August 2018
9710 June 201919 August 2019
The Unknown Soldiers121 October 2019
10518 January 202115 February 2021
1195 July 202131 August 2021
12513 June 20222022
13TBA3 July 20232023

What Happened Next

A revisited series called Long Lost Family: What Happened Next has aired on ITV since 2014.

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
19 September 201414 October 20143
29 May 201723 May 20173
311 June 20182 July 20183
Christmas Reunion17 December 20181
429 July 201912 August 20193
Twin Special28 October 20191
56 July 202020 July 20203
615 April 202127 May 20212

Born Without Trace

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
Special125 February 2019
1
221 June 20202 June 2020
3324 May 202126 May 2021
4323 May 202225 May 2022
5326 June 202328 June 2023

[4]

Awards and nominations

YearGroupAwardResult
2014BAFTA Awards"Features Programme"Won
2015National Television Awards"Factual Programme"Nominated
2021BAFTA Awards"Features Programme"Won

Reception

Michael Deacon of The Daily Telegraph gave the show a mixed review, stating "the presenters seemed to be trying slightly too hard to squeeze tears out of their interviewees". Deacon also commented, "I wonder what the producers would do if the two people they brought together, instead of embracing joyfully, launched into a furious rally of accusations and blame. Perhaps I'll tune in next week to see whether it happens, although that will depend on whether I can stomach more of Pavlov’s Piano, or for that matter Davina McCall's habit of talking to her interviewees, even the elderly ones, as if she were their proud mother, waving them off at the school gate".[5]

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave a more positive review, commenting "Within its own parameters, it succeeds quite nicely. Davina's common touch remains infallible and her co-host Nicky Campbell's almost pathological lack of charisma is obscured and alleviated by his status as an adopted son himself, [which] makes the whole thing slightly less painful than it might have been". Mangan summed up the show as a "lovely documentary".[6]

Alice-Azania Jarvis of The Independent gave a show a mixed to positive review, saying: "It was all very warm and fuzzy and just what you'd expect, apart from the presenters, who struck me as an odd duo. His connection is obvious – adopted at four days old – hers rather less so. Still, she's really rather good: none of the overgrown-yoof presenting she favours on Big Brother, much more concerned (grown-up) friend. I can't imagine this continuing for more than a couple of series – it's all a little one-trick: once you've got the hang of the tracking-down-strangers part, there's only so much to be astonished about. But, for the meantime, it ain't bad".[7]

Sam Wollaston of The Guardian praised Long Lost Family, calling it "very good" and "so much more interesting than Who Do You Think You Are?".[8] He added, "It's so moving because it's real, and it's about separation and hurt, guilt and regret, growing up, identity, belonging, family, love, life. Now I'm blubbing, like a baby."[8]

International versions

On 1 March 2016, a US version of the same name premiered on TLC, starring Christopher Jacobs and Lisa Joyner. This version, sponsored by TLC and Ancestry.com, was produced by Shed Media which also produces the US version of Who Do You Think You Are. The series garnered some criticism in its handling of situations where the missing relative has passed away. In the UK and other versions, the family are told away from the cameras out of respect. In the US show, the family are told on camera and their reactions are filmed. Many viewers who took to social media described this as crass and disrespectful.

There is also a Norwegian version of Long Lost Family called Sporløs, which has been airing on Norwegian Channel TV 2 since 2010, with six seasons so far.

The Finnish version called Kadonneen jäljillä has been airing since 2009, with seven seasons so far.

The Australian version of Long Lost Family, hosted by Chrissie Swan and Anh Do, was screened on the Ten Network in 2016.[9]

References

  1. "Davina McCall, Nicky Campbell for 'Long Lost Family' series two – TV News". Digital Spy. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  2. "Long Lost Family and Who Do You Think You Are? Returning to Screens Next Year". Warner Bros. Television Production UK. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  3. "Spoorloos blikt terug in 600ste aflevering" (in Dutch). RTLBoulevard.nl. 13 January 2019.
  4. https://www.episodate.com/tv-show/long-lost-family-special-born-without-trace
  5. Deacon, Michael (20 April 2011). "Long Lost Family, ITV1, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  6. Mangan, Lucy (21 April 2011). "TV review: Long Lost Family; Secrets of the Arabian Nights; and Wishful Drinking". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  7. Jarvis, Alice-Azania (22 April 2011). "Last Night's TV: Long Lost Family/ITV1 [and] Secrets of the Arabian Nights/BBC4". The Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  8. Wollaston, Sam (12 April 2012). "TV review: Derek; Long Lost Family". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  9. "TEN Upfronts 2016: Survivor, Jessica Marais, Anh do -and Nigella!". 19 November 2015.
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