The BBC has commissioned a half-hour special called The Assembly, an adaptation of French show Les Rencontres Du Papotin (‘The Papotin Meetings’, AKA The A Talks).
The British version will see Michael Sheen (Good Omens) quizzed by roughly 35 interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent or learning disabled.
If the original French show is anything to go by, the questions will be probing, funny and brutal. In The A Talks, no subject is off limits, but the results are often more touching than they are shocking.
“I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest on The Assembly. It’s such a fresh and exciting idea and I can’t wait for what I’m sure is going to be a surprising and challenging experience,” said Sheen. “I really don’t know what to expect, which is both exhilarating and a little bit terrifying.”
The British version of the show is produced by Rockerdale Studios. The company worked with the BBC and autistic and neurodivergent organisations, on both a local and national level, to ensure the story works with neurodivergent voices.
“The Assembly has been the most remarkable project that most of us have ever worked on,” said executive producers Stu Richards and Michelle Singer. “And sure, it’s brilliant representation of a part of society we rarely see given agency on our screens but, far more than that, it’s also mischievous, funny, profound, and can turn from one to the other in a heartbeat.”
The special will air on BBC One during Autism Acceptance Week, which is between 2-8 April 2024.
