TV Pick of the Week: The Assembly - review by Yvette Huddleston
The pilot for this unique series aired on BBC One last year. Actor Michael Sheen was the first guest to appear in front of a panel of interviewers with autism and other forms of neurodivergence and learning disabilities. They asked him frank and probing questions about his life and career including whether the big age-gap between him and his wife was difficult, what his favourite meal was and the connection he feels with Dylan Thomas, which he answered with great candour and generosity. It made for warm, compelling and, often very moving, viewing.
The series has now been picked up by ITV and has launched with four new episodes featuring actors Danny Dyer and David Tennant, Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall and broadcaster Gary Lineker. In the opening episode Dyer is in the hot seat. While he is awaiting to be questioned – one of the panel explains that no topic is out of bounds, no question is off the table and ‘anything could happen’.
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Hide AdDyer is open, forthcoming and engaging, giving candid answers to the questions put to him, although, be warned he is pretty sweary (he is pulled up by one of the assembly members for his language). He is asked about his difficult relationship with his father who left the family when Dyer was only 9 years old, his documented difficulties with his mental health, why he doesn’t like David Cameron and whether therapy helped him. He deals with all these questions thoughtfully, leads the group in a short breathing and meditation session and is moved to tears by a performance by some of the group of Primal Scream’s Movin’ on Up. As he leaves, he hugs everyone and tells them he is sure the show will be a hit (“it’s going to be ***** massive!”).
In the second episode, David Tennant is an equally engaged and engaging interlocutor. There are, unsurprisingly, a couple of Dr Who-themed questions which lead him to share the lovely story of how he met Tom Baker – the fourth Doctor – when he was a child-fan. He talks movingly about dealing with the death of his parents and how you can’t prepare yourself for how devastating it is, rises to the challenge of a Vogue dance-off and performs a section of Macbeth with one of the participants. He too is moved by the soaringly beautiful musical section – a cover of the Proclaimers’ Sunshine on Leith.