Vanessa-Mae embarks on a journey of self-discovery to find out what made her a child prodigy and a star violinist, as BBC One’s new science programme concludes.

With the help of scientific testing, the latest psychology techniques, brain science and genetics, Vanessa attempts to answer a question that affects everyone – how do nature and nurture shape us?

We all share traits with our parents – but how does this happen? Do we learn to be like them, or do we inherit their characteristics? And what happens when we’re completely different to the rest of our family?

Vanessa-Mae first hit the international music scene at the age of 10, and was the youngest violinist ever to record Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concertos. Over eight million record sales have propelled her onto the Rich List and into celebrity status. But her success has been over-shadowed by a turbulent relationship with her mother, who was the prime force behind her career as a young musician.

How much of Vanessa’s abilities as a child prodigy did she inherit, how much was shaped by her mother and how much was her own work? Vanessa-Mae is determined to find some answers.

Vanessa-Mae is tested to see if she has super-sensitive hearing and enters a roomful of twins to discover how much musicality is affected by our genes. Scientists scan her brain to see if she shows signs of having been born musical, or whether thousands of hours of practice have left their mark, and she is scrutinised by a psychologist to see how her personality may have shaped her career. After years of estrangement from her mother, will Vanessa-Mae discover just how much of her musical success was her own doing and how much she owes her mother?

Thursday 7 August
9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE