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.

This is the Paywall

We pay our journalists to investigate stories that matter. So we make some of our best articles and investigations available exclusively to paying readers. This is one of those articles; to read it, sign in or subscribe.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Get access to the Byline Times Digital Edition and read this article now

It costs £3.95/month or £39.95/year
Find out more and compare ways to read Byline Times

Get access now