Inclusion and Humanness are an Answer to Starmer’s ‘Island of Strangers’

ITV’s celebrity interview show led by neurodivergent and learning disabled people is an antidote to the division and dehumanisation all around us, writes Saba Salman

“I just hope as a society we can let people be.”

I listened to the actor David Tennant’s talk about LGBTQ+ allyship on the ITV celebrity interview series The Assembly and was struck by how his words resonate beyond that community. In a time of social division, political polarisation, and hostile rhetoric, Tennant’s remark – and the series itself – touches on a need to reclaim our sense of shared humanity.

The Assembly, adapted from a French series, involves 35 neurodivergent and learning-disabled interviewers questioning high-profile guests. So far, the roster has included Dr Who star Tennant, actors Danny Dyer and Michael Sheen (the latter in the original 2024 BBC pilot), singer Jade Thirlwall, and sports broadcaster Gary Lineker.