DNA tests for couples to check for ‘ginger gene’

Organisers of a heritage show are bracing themselves for an influx of couples keen to discover if they could produce red-
headed children. Carriers of the gene variant can have ginger children even if neither parent has red hair.

A simple DNA test, available at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live exhibition at London’s Olympia next month, can identify carriers.

Dr Jim Wilson, chief scientist at BritainsDNA – the ancestry company behind the test, said: “Through a simple saliva test to determine deep ancestry, we can also identify whether an individual is a carrier of any of the three common red-head variants in the gene MC1R.

“This means that families can carry a variant for generations, and when one carrier has ­children with another carrier, a red-headed baby can appear seemingly out of nowhere.”

It is estimated that about four in ten people carry the red-head gene variant without having red hair – accounting for many ­surprise births.