Meeting of minds

Danny Dyer knows a thing or two about being in the hot seat. From long-running soap stardom to high-octane press tours, he's navigated the spotlight for decades. But nothing quite prepared him for The Assembly - a bold new series where celebrities are grilled by an exceptional panel of neurodivergent and/or learning disabled interviewers.

- WORDS: LAURA CARRENO-MULLER

"I'd been doing a lot of press because [filming took place] around the time of the release of my film, Marching Powder," Danny says. "I was getting really bored of my own voice, but this revitalised me. It got me excited about being interviewed again."

Adapted from the acclaimed French show Les Rencontres du Papotin, which has seen high-profile guests like President Emmanuel Macron and House Of Gucci star Camille Cottin take the chair, The Assembly puts fame under the microscope in the most disarming and emotionally charged way possible. With no questions off the table, guests must abandon PR-approved soundbites and embrace raw, unfiltered honesty.

Last year, The Assembly's one-off pilot on the BBC featured Good Omens star Michael Sheen. Now the show has been snapped up by ITV for a four-part series version, working closely with neurodivergent communities and advocacy groups to ensure the show speaks directly to and for those it represents. The concept is as powerful as it is simple: one celebrity, one room, and a panel of inquisitive interviewers who don't play by traditional media rules. The result? Unpredictable, hilarious, moving conversations that reveal more than any press junket ever could.