The Assembly (British TV series)

People with autism, other forms of neurodivergence, and learning disabilities, interview well-known British personalities, with a musical or dance performance at the end of most episodes.^[1] Interviewers typically ask unconventional questions; for example, Stephen Fry's interview began with "You tried to kill yourself a couple of times, are you happy to be alive now?" and continued with "Are you a top or a bottom?" and "You've done adverts for Heineken, Alliance & Leicester, Twinings Tea, Pioneer Hi-Fi, Walkers Crisps, Marks & Spencer, Honda, Virgin Media, Extra Strong Mints, After Eight Mints, Sainsbury’s, Heathrow Airport, Direct Line, EE, and finally Whitbread, is there anything you wouldn’t do for money?".^[2][3] Politician Nicola Sturgeon described her appearance on The Assembly as "one of the most special experiences of [her] life".^[4]

The series' format is based on the French series Les Rencontres du Papotin (The Chatterbox Encounters),^[5][6] a format that had been adapted in 21 countries as of January 2026.^[7][8]

The series is produced by STV Studios label Rockerdale Studios, a "disability-led" production company.^[9][10][11]

A pilot episode featuring Michael Sheen aired on BBC One during Autism Acceptance Week, on 5 April 2024.^[1] The programme was later taken up by ITV after the BBC "could not afford to commission a full season".^[12] The first full series began on 26 April 2025,^[1] and the second on 8 April 2026.^[2] Each series concludes with one or two episodes of outtakes and unseen footage, titled The Assembly: Unseen.^[13][14][15]

The Assembly has received generally positive reviews from critics. Writing in The Guardian, Chitra Ramaswamy awarded the pilot four stars, and dubbed it "lovely, novel and effective".^[1] Anita Singh of The Telegraph praised the first series as "a gem of a show".^[18] Jack Seale from The Guardian rated the second series five out of five stars.^[2] Emily Baker of The i Paper praised the show as "rare, powerful television".^[19]

However, the series has faced some criticism from the autistic community, with the series accused of being patronising.^[20][21]