Tara Ward watches the new TVNZ series that’s like a cross between The Repair Shop and David Lomas Investigates.
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Sonia Gray is sitting in a warehouse somewhere in New Zealand, looking off into the distance. In front of her is a desktop computer and a world of hope, because she is on a hunt like no other: a mystery hunt. In her role as host of TVNZ’s new series My Family Mystery, Gray leads a team of experts in helping everyday New Zealanders discover the truth about a family conundrum. No mystery is too big or too small, whether it’s finding out your great grandfather’s real identity or reuniting some old war medals with their rightful owners.
The show is a cross between The Repair Shop and David Lomas Investigates, and it’s clear that Gray – Lotto presenter, podcast maker and esteemed My Life in TV guest – loves a mystery, maybe even more than she loves a $50 million Powerball draw. She gives a warm welcome to every guest, she’s fascinated by every object she encounters, and she nods sympathetically at all the right times. Best of all, whenever Gray hits a hurdle in her search, she never gives up. Instead, she stares thoughtfully into the distance.
The answers are out there, and Sonia Gray will do everything she can to find them.
This is what makes me want to tell her all my problems. What I wouldn’t give to walk into a suburban warehouse with a stylish industrial vibe, watching my new BFF smile kindly as I place my first mysterious object – we’ll start with an empty glasses case – in front of her. “Tell me about this,” Sonia will say thoughtfully, and I’ll pour my heart out about the time in 2015 when I went to Disney on Ice in Wellington with my daughter and somewhere between One Red Dog and TSB Arena I lost a pair of expensive prescription glasses that were not only necessary for me to see but were also extremely flattering to my big old moon face.
Sonia Gray is so serene in My Family Mystery that she wouldn’t judge me for wasting her precious time with my bullshit, despite having far more important and serious mysteries to solve. In last week’s episode of My Family Mystery, Gray met Finn, who arrived with some war medals that didn’t belong to anyone in his family, and Anneka, who was looking for her father and came with nothing more than a text message from a stranger who knew him years ago. They were different kinds of searches, but the team of experts treated each one with the same care and respect.
Google and Facebook searches did a lot of heavy lifting here, but regardless of how simple or complex each mystery is, it’s the answers that matter. When Sonia gently confirmed to Anneka that her father had passed away but that she had a large whānau who wanted to meet her, I welled up. By the time Anneka met her uncle for the first time and discovered her whakapapa, both Gray and I were bawling. It was an intimate moment that could have easily felt awkward or exploitative, but with Gray asking thoughtful questions and giving Anneka and her uncle the space to get to know each other, this felt genuine and uplifting.
My Family Mystery shows how these human connections bring the past to life. If you have a family mystery ratting around the attic of your own heart, this show could inspire you to kickstart your own research – and it’s a reminder why you should. My Family Mystery isn’t about how much these objects are worth financially, but rather, everything those objects represent: belonging, understanding, identity. In a world that feels increasingly fraught and disjointed, we should cling to these moments of discovery and joy, however big or small they might be. Sonia Gray, call me. I have another pressing family mystery involving a Harry and Meghan commemorative wedding tea towel that you simply won’t believe.
My Family Mystery streams on TVNZ+ and screens on TVNZ1 on Sundays at 7.30pm.