TV show review: out of the ordinary celebrity chats
June 11, 2026
(c) The Assembly TV show, Rockerdale Studios
Exposure’s autistic author, Max Ferreira watches new show where youngsters like him talk to famous people
Since the early 2020s there has been some interesting TV programmes featuring young people with autism, from Loop on Disney Plus to Are you Autistic? on Channel 5.
One day I discovered a new show on ITV1/ITVX that is out of the ordinary. It’s called The Assembly.
It’s about a group of young people with autism or learning difficulties, interviewing celebrities, asking limitless questions on anything they want. Some have the opportunity to have fun and show off their talents, like musical performances at the end of the show.
Having watched the pilot on BBC One, featuring Michael Sheen, I was keen to watch the main series aired in 2025, along with the recent second series.
It’s not just representation for the sake of it. We see this as mainstream entertainment.
The show’s creative director, Stu Richard said in The Guardian, “It’s not just representation for the sake of it. We see this as mainstream entertainment. There’s an honesty that you just don’t get in other shows.”
This means that the production team of Rockerdale Studios wanted to create something different to other TV shows. The Assembly is an unscripted show, allowing young neurodivergent people to be themselves: open, honest and transparent with their guests.
They say at the beginning of the show: “Welcome to The Assembly. Our rules are no questions are out of bounds and no subject is off the table and all might happen.”
According to the Indiana Resource Center for Autism in America, “Identifying ourselves as autistic and neurodivergent means we believe both our strengths and limitations are part of who we are. We are not better or worse than anyone else. We are wanting to be understood and accepted.”
Some have asked deep and personal questions or made comments that really put guests on the spot
Young people with autism – or any lifelong special need – think and see the world differently, and might not know how to approach someone without consequences, unless they have guidance beforehand.
In The Assembly interviews, some have asked deep and personal questions or made comments that really put guests on the spot talking about their life choices, secrets and regrets.
For example, they asked actor Danny Dyer about his acting job on EastEnders and how he deals with his emotions. Another good example was asking actress Anna Maxwell Martin about losing someone they love and how hard it is to get through it.
This proves that, even without a learning difficulty, we are all human beings and we go through similar situations and also experience life emotions differently from each other.
The Assembly is a combination of extraordinary and endearing entertainment, alongside showing the viewers we are all human
More importantly, young people like myself need to be away from being isolated and alone for long periods of time: working to come out of our shells to make connections, work on our social skills on a regular basis even if it’s just with our family.
When I look up autism related films and TV shows, it’s remarkable how, over the years, the level of understanding of the true experience of young neurodivergent people has finally grown.
Shows I have watched and reviewed for Exposure like Inside our Autistic Mind and Dinosaur, address the experience being different and how we can work our way around it.
The Assembly is a combination of extraordinary and endearing entertainment, alongside showing the viewers we are all human.
I highly recommended this unique show to everyone. It definitely showcases that we can all connect, recognise and laugh along with each other, whether we’re neurodivergent or not.
As they say: never judge a book by its cover. You can watch The Assembly on ITVX right now. Check out the trailer below:
