Category: Autism on Screen

Autism in ‘The Unbreakable Boy’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to take a look at autism in the film ‘The Unbreakable Boy‘ based on the book ‘The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love’ by Scott Michael LeRette and Susy Flory.

Starring Zachary Levi, the film tells the true story of Scott and Susy’s experiences as first time parents to Austin who has both Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and autism. The film gives us an honest depiction of the ups and downs of caring for a child with needs like Austin’s and the strain that this can put on the family unit.

You can see a trailer for the film below:

So how did I rate the films depiction of autism?

It’s always interesting to see how Hollywood will handle an adaptation of a true story about an autistic child, but this film did a pretty good job. Keeping with the current trend in autistic representation, Austin is played by autistic actor Jacob Laval (who also happens to have Osteogenesis imperfecta) which always helps to truly translate the autistic experience. In the film, we get to see some of the classic signs of autism we’re used to like lining up toys and counting them, nerdy specialist interests like Star Wars and dinosaurs, violent meltdowns, OCD, food issues and literal thinking. I did get a chortle when Austin is told he was asked to do something 100 times for him to respond that it’s only been 4 times 🤣

However, the film does showcase some lesser known autistic traits like constant talking (which is rare given how often we’re presented with the non-verbal/introverted autist), tendencies towards daydreaming and fantasies, issues with hand-eye coordination, and sensory issues around clothing. In one particular scene, Austin takes off all of his clothes in the bathroom at church- a behaviour that’s common among some autists who struggle with clothing sensitivity.

The real Scott and Austin at the film premiere

On another level, while I don’t know much about the author, Scott’s character in the film certainly shows some higher functioning autistic traits himself, which is often true for parents of autists. Throughout the film, Scott struggles to cope with parenthood and develops issues with substance abuse to get through. There’s also a throwaway comment about money being wasted on Scott’s hobbies and gadgets which could be a subtle indicator of specialist interests. However, a lot of critics have remarked that focusing on Scott’s experiences in the movie tend to sideline Austin who is the primary focus of the book.

Whilst the film was a fairly lackluster affair (it doesn’t quite hit the warm and fuzzy wholesome feels you’d expect from this type of film), the depiction of autism and the strains it places on the family unit are fairly spot on, charting the highs and lows that come from life on the spectrum.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in Doctor Odyssey

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to discuss the recent depiction of an autistic character in the medical drama Doctor Odyssey.

For those who haven’t seen the show yet (not that I’d recommend it, I mainly stuck with it for closure on how the series ended 🫠), Doctor Odyssey follows Max Bankman (played by Dawson’s Creek alum Joshua Jackson) who has just taken a job as the on-board doctor for the luxury cruise ship ‘The Odyssey’. This overhyped drama from producer Ryan Murphy (known for Glee, American Horror Story, Monsters and 9-11) was 90% unrealistic rubbish, BUT it did provide us with a somewhat true depiction of autism.

During episodes 9 and 10 of the first series (which by current reports seems likely to be it’s last 🫠), the ship receives a distress call from a group who’s charter ship sank after a shark attack. Among the rescued is first mate Ray (played by AuDHD actor Liam Johnson), a straight talking, literal thinking, awkward autist who is a little out of sorts on the ship as his routine has been disrupted following the shark attack. Following a rocky start after inadvertently annoying staff on the ship, Ray quickly becomes an asset using his mathematic and marine skills to chart the quickest course to port, in addition to advising the ships captain when The Odyssey is besieged by a pod of orcas (as if the sharks weren’t enough…).

Now while Ray’s onscreen traits and manner are relatively stereotypical (there’s a lot of scenes about sound sensitivity around using sound cannons and fireworks to get rid of the orcas), what was refreshing was how the show chose to depict him as a handsome, stoic, naval character. When men are depicted with autism, they are generally overtly nerdy, skinny, outcasts working in some form of STEM, but here we find a jock-esque first mate confidently navigating the seas, showing us all that with a little support and understanding, autists can do anything they set their mind to.

All in all, while the show is rather far fetched, it does sort of get autism right (though I still wouldn’t recommend watching it- stick with The Pitt and The Good Doctor 😉).

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘The Pitt’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to discuss autism in the brand new medical drama that everyone’s talking about- The Pitt.

So The Pitt is a unique new medical drama set in the emergency room of the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital (hence the name). Unlike conventional dramas however, the show happens in real time, with each episode focusing on one hour of the doctor’s shift. By the end of the season, there will have been 15 episodes documenting one single 15 hour shift in the E.R. The show has been praised for how realistic it is, not shying away from the squeamish reality of medicine like close up surgeries, gory injuries and uncovered birth scenes.

And before any of you guys ask, yes that is the guy from E.R.- Noah Wyle (a little bit typecasty bringing him back to lead another series set in an E.R. but everyone is raving about his performance!).

So to autism!

In episode 7, Terrance (played by autistic actor Coby Bird) comes into the E.R. with a sprained ankle. His autistic traits are immediately obvious to the trained eye (his lack of eye contact, constant questions, interrupting his doctor, monotone voice and language use) buuutttt his doctor does not pick up on any of it. Instead he leaves frustrated giving out that he couldn’t take a patient history from the constant questions. Thankfully another doctor’s spidey senses start to tingle, and she quickly spots his autism diagnosis in his medical history file in the hospitals computer.

Mel has an autistic twin sister (played by autistic actress Tal Anderson) and immediately volunteers to take over. She calmly enters the room, closes the doors to the noisy E.R., turns off the lights, and disables some alarms going off on the wall. This allowed her to have a calm conversation with Terrance to understand his concerns about his ankle and assess his injury. She quickly reassures him that his injury won’t keep him from a table tennis tournament, explains the scans that need to be performed, and even shows him a model of the bones in his foot to show what kinds of injury he could have.

Here’s a quick short from the episode:

This was such a heartwarming moment in the episode to see an autistic patient getting the proper care and understanding they need in a medical setting. Medical environments can be very overwhelming on a sensory level before you add in your fears, uncertainty and uncomfortable procedures. I’ve had minor meltdown’s every time I’ve had a cannula placed in my hand, but thankfully the nursing staff were aware of my diagnosis and made every effort to make things easier for me where others would have told me to grow up and stop crying. They got me to start talking about alpacas and my blood pressure dropped right back down to normal 🙃🦙

On another level, Mel herself has many neurodivergent traits, as is often the case with siblings of autists. Several members of the autistic community believe she is on the spectrum and feel seen by her portrayal. Taylor Dearden (daughter of Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston) is herself neurodivergent (she has ADHD) which she says has really helped her to shape the character of Mel. As Mel goes forward into the rest of this season and beyond (it’s already been renewed for season 2), I can’t wait to see what other neurodiversity story lines we may encounter.

Autistic patients come up a lot in medical dramas, but rarely are they treated with this level of understanding. It’s great to see The Pitt demonstrating the true reality of this experience. If medical drama’s are your jam, I highly recommend you check it out 🙂

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Elsbeth’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to take a look at the neurodivergent character Elsbeth Tascioni, a character that I have been watching for years, first as a recurring guest on The Good Wife and it’s spin off The Good Fight, and now finally in her own show Elsbeth. Played by Carrie Preston, Elsbeth is a quirky, unconventional lawyer who has been assigned to oversee the NYPD as part of an anti-corruption decree, but quickly finds that she has a knack for solving murders! Unlike conventional crime solving dramas, we see the whodunnit portion at the start of each episode, refreshingly sitting back to watch how Elsbeth is going to catch her killer (spoiler alert- she always does🙃).

So to autism- how does this show fare?

Whilst this is another show that does not directly label their lead as autistic, Elsbeth certainly displays many traits of autism and ADHD, with many autistic fans praising the show for a positive female depiction of neurodivergence and executive dysfunction. She is an endearing, unique and highly eccentric character marching to her own beat at all times, never caring what anyone else thinks. Whilst Elsbeth doesn’t tend to display signs of sensory issues, she is often oblivious to social cues, overstepping boundaries, talking about unusual subjects and regularly making people uncomfortable (I mean she’s trying to catch killers- cages need to be rattled 🤣).

She get’s distracted very easily by shiny objects and other items of interest to her, going off on tangents mid conversation and explanations, floating around in her own little bubble without any notice of how the world perceives her. What I particularly like about Elsbeth is how she notices details that no one else does, a trait which makes her incredibly adept at crime solving. Too often we focus on disability, but this show really drives home the unique skills that neurodivergents can bring to the workplace. Elsbeth’s tendency to get distracted at first appears problematic, but it is this eye for detail that makes her an excellent detective. She’s constantly underestimated by her peers for her quirkiness, but always shows her worth by the end of each episode, proving there is method in her perceived “madness”.

Autistic or not, Elsbeth is a delightful and refreshing take on the crime solving drama genre, and I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a wholesome, easy watch- you will leave with a smile on your face for certain 😀

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

I’ve recently been re-watching clips from medical drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on Facebook, and came across some old episodes featuring a doctor with Asperger’s syndrome. As I watched these episodes prior to my diagnosis (and never made any connection to my own experiences), this week I’d like to take a closer look at Dr. Dixon and the depiction of autism.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Grey’s Anatomy is the longest running primetime medical drama of all time (entering into it’s 21st season in the coming weeks), following the personal and professional adventures of Dr. Meredith Grey through her surgical internship (and beyond).

In 2008 during it’s 5th season, the show introduced the character of Dr. Virginia Dixon for 3 episodes- a renowned heart surgeon with Asperger’s syndrome. This was perhaps the first on screen depiction of autism I had ever seen, and it’s easy to see why I didn’t connect with the character at the time.

Despite being a woman with autism (which given this was 2008 was quite progressive), Dr. Dixon’s character has been completely panned by the autistic community and branded as difficult to watch. She’s highly stereotyped with a high IQ, monotone voice, no social skills, rule oriented and completely emotionless– a particular pain point for misunderstood autists everywhere. In addition, the stereotyping isn’t even consistent with how most autistic women present as she doesn’t make any attempt to mask her differences whatsoever. A lot of autists were particularly irked by a scene where Dr. Dixon has a complete meltdown after a patient excitedly hugs her. Given that she is a high functioning adult with autism, her response to the incident has been seen as completely over the top given that most of us by this age have adapted coping mechanisms to deal with these sorts of situations.

Here’s a video with some clips of Dr. Dixon in action:

I personally didn’t find issue with the episodes when I initially watched the show, but given what I now know about autism, I would have to agree with the community. While I can appreciate the attempt to raise awareness about the condition, it really wasn’t handled the best. I found it particularly irksome during the meltdown scene, as when a fellow doctor was asked to hug Dr. Dixon to help calm her, she made a quip about giving a thorazine shot instead (a common anti-psychotic medication). Autists aren’t crazy, it’s just a different operating system 😒.

All in all, it will not be taking a spot on my recommendation list. Great show, bad autism.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Geek Girl’

Greetings Earthling! 😀

This week I’d like to talk about the new young adult series Geek Girl on Netflix (they’re really on the ball with neurodiversity the last few years!) and it’s accurate depiction of the struggles of an autistic teenage girl.

Based on the Geek Girl books by Holly Smale (which I have purchased and will write about eventually), the series follows awkward “geek” Harriet Manners who’s life completely changes after being scouted by a modelling agency. Mercilessly bullied at school, she sets out on her modelling journey to reinvent herself. You can check out a trailer for the series here:

But you haven’t mentioned anything about autism yet Aoife?

So- the author Holly Smale wrote these books based on her own experiences of being an awkward teen model, BUT Holly was diagnosed with autism at the age of 39 and has retrospectively described Harriet as autistic. As such, it seems that the TV series is planning to incorporate an autism diagnosis down the line, as lead actress Emily Carey is autistic, and there have been many hints to her neurodivergence including a conversation between her agent and her father about seeking a professional and not wanting to label her.

So what did I make of the show?

Well I absolutely loved it- a lovely wholesome show with an authentic portrayal of neurodivergence, I was hooked! Harriet’s autistic traits were subtle (as they are for most high functioning autists)- stimming, coordination issues, minor issues reading social cues etc. What really sets the series apart from others though is Harriet’s narration. We get to see her internal monologue, how she thinks and processes, which really helps to give an insight into what we autists go through on the inside (though I will say that my internal monologues speak waaaaaaay faster than Harriet’s 😂). Harriet’s friend Toby is also clearly on the spectrum, albeit he presents far more like the traditional autistic oddball that we often see in media depictions of autism- which while a little stereotypical, really helps to show how different male and female presentations of autism can differ.

One of the other things I found most interesting was how Harriet’s dad also appears to be neurodivergent. He seems to struggle with work, is quite nerdy and eccentric (he drives Harriet to school in his PJs one day) and is described by his wife as very childish. At one point during an online job interview his wife holds up flashcards for him coaching him on what to say, reminding me of how people have tried to guide me in certain social situations. Very often with on screen portrayals of autism we focus on the child or the oddball single adult, we don’t tend to see neurodivergence in the wider family like between parent and child 0r other spectrum siblings. Autism is highly genetic with many parents discovering their neurodivergence after their child is diagnosed, and there can often be multiple autistic children within a family (I once came across a family with 5 sons on the spectrum).

My one criticism, again like Dinosaur, was Harriet’s stereotypical love of dinosaurs and desire to be a paleontologist, buuutttt as a real autist wrote the show, I can’t really argue with lived experience 😜. I’m really starting to wonder- did I miss the autism memo that you need to be obsessed with dinosaurs cause I have never really seen the fascination 🤣🙈 Dogs are much more my vibe!

Interestingly, many critics have branded the show an “inauthentic” representation of autism… to which Holly Smale had the following to say:

“It’s based on books written by me (autistic), about me as a teen (autistic). I wrote all of Harriet for the show (still autistic) and the lead actor is autistic. It’s the DEFINITION of authentic. I think people are so used to seeing inauthentic representation they don’t recognise it when it’s in front of them.”

You can’t get more authentic than that folks! 🤣🙈

All in all I highly recommend this show and look forward to seeing Harriet’s journey in future seasons!

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Baby Reindeer’?

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

The new Netflix drama ‘Baby Reindeer‘ has been getting a lot of coverage in the media lately, so this week I’d like to have a quick discussion about it. ‘Baby Reindeer’ tells the gripping, but harrowing, true story of comedian Richard Gadd’s experiences of being stalked by an older woman named Martha (name was changed for privacy) over the course of a 3 year period.

Here’s a trailer for the show to give you a taste:

The world has been gripped by the story with many amateur sleuths digging through the internet to uncover the true identity of the woman that inspired the character of Martha. Their efforts have led us to this week where the supposed real “Martha”, Fiona Harvey, came forward to tell her story on Piers Morgan.

That’s great that you liked the show Aoife, but what has this got to do with autism?

In the show, Martha is clearly depicted as being mentally ill by the sheer intensity of her stalking efforts. Martha sends Richard’s character Donny 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, letters totaling 106 pages, and 350 hours worth of voicemails. She is completely obsessed, in such a way that it reminded me of how intensely an autist can take their specialist interest.

Fun fact– an autists specialist interest can be a person, not just a topic, especially for women on the spectrum.

Other than her obsessive nature, outbursts of rage, social ineptitude and tendency to ramble on a bit, the character didn’t really display any obvious autistic traits, but there has been speculation online from people that claim to know the real Martha that she has Asperger’s syndrome. In fact, a clinical psychologist recently wrote about the character and mentioned that these types of stalker are often on the spectrum.

If Martha is autistic, this really depicts the more sinister side of the spectrum, a side that is often overlooked in on screen depictions. I know in my own experience, my specialist interests in the past have been intense and compulsive, even at times controlling my behaviour. The kind of behaviour Martha displays in the show really shows what can happen when an autist isn’t properly nurtured and supported. I often shudder at the thought of the kind of person I could have been had I not had my family around me to keep me in check.

We can’t be certain if Martha (or her real life counterpart) is autistic, but if she were, it could certainly explain the characters obsessive behaviour; an explanation, but not an excuse.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Dinosaur’

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

As autism awareness month comes to a close, this week I’d like to talk about autism in the new BBC Scotland sitcom Dinosaur.

So what exactly is Dinosaur about?

Dinosaur follows autistic palaeontologist Nina (played by autistic actress, comedian and show co-writer Ashley Storrie) who is content with her life in Glasgow, but finds her life upended by her sister’s impulsive decision to marry a man she has known for only 6 weeks. Cue hilarious chaos as Nina tries to navigate this transition whilst balancing the pressures of work, love, and being her sisters maid of honour.

You can check out a trailer for the series here:

So what did I make of it?

Aside from the fact that Nina’s dinosaur obsessions is ever so slightly stereotypical, I loved this sitcom and found it a refreshingly honest portrayal of life on the spectrum. Too often scriptwriters tend towards the hyperbolic when it comes to autism, but this show hits the mark perfectly for what life is like for a high functioning autist.

The show is highly self-aware tackling common stereotypes head on in humorous fashion. When Evie’s fiancé Ranesh starts talking about Nina’s autism, Nina pre-empts his stereotypes muttering “Don’t’ say it!” under her breath, before Ranesh describes having autism as a “superpower!” Another episode see’s Nina’s boss, (while reprimanding her for saying that Jurassic Park should have been named ‘Cretaceous Park’), tell her that they don’t want to give the impression of paleontologists as being “rigid and a bit autistic” for her to respond, “But I am autistic!” leaving her boss completely mortified.

More importantly, Nina doesn’t take herself too seriously. In one conversation with her sister (in an episode where everyone was pretending to be something they were not for Evie’s soon to be father-in-law), Nina gives Evie a pep talk telling her that she can keep up the pretense if Nina can and ” [she is] literally autistic”! This particularly made me chuckle as I have often made this remark with regard to neurotypicals claiming they aren’t able to do some basic things that I as an autist have no issues doing! 🙈

Nina’s unfiltered moments land casually without the need for exaggeration. Her stimming is subtle, like playing with her necklace, and tapping and fidgeting with her fingers when she is getting overwhelmed. No stereotypical hand flapping or head banging here! I particularly liked how they showed Nina having a meltdown when trying on bridesmaid dresses- shopping being a situation where I often get overwhelmed. The pressure from the salespeople, being under pressure for time after she arrived late, the heat of the shop, the itchy fabric, being told a dress is fabulous on her that really does not suit her etc. Nina promptly had to exit the shop and scream into a bush from the pressure of the task- a feeling I know all too well.  In a later episode they showed Nina crying and struggling to breathe during a meltdown- finally showing a realistic portrayal of how most of my meltdowns manifest.

Another positive aspect of the show was the portrayal of Nina naturally pursuing a relationship. Often these types of storylines are forced like ‘I want to have/should have a girlfriend/boyfriend, so I’m on a mission to get one and here’s how I’m going to do it’, buuuuuuut that isn’t exactly realistic. In the show, Nina starts to connect with her new barista and bravely decides to ask him out. Her autism is casually discussed, it’s not a huge issue like in other shows- she’s just a neurospicy girl going out on an awkward first date like anyone else. Moreover, the show doesn’t portray her as a sexually inept weirdo as many shows tend to. In a particularly humorous moment during a spicy confession game at her sisters hen party, Nina’s mother tells her to cover her ears, only for Nina to boldly tell her mother that she’s done it 13 times (much to her mothers surprise)! 🤣🙈 The show truly does Nina justice by showing the world that we’re just out here living our lives like everyone else; we just think a little bit differently.

While it would have been nice if Nina had had a slightly more ordinary job, especially given that it tends to be more male autists that obsess over dinosaurs than women, all in all this show is an excellent depiction of autism with some great laugh out loud moments to boot.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 😊

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism in ‘Friends’?

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to take a quick look at some likely spectrum characters in the beloved TV sitcom Friends. Now I know what you’re thinking, autism was never mentioned during the 10 season run (likely due to a lack of general awareness of the condition during the 1990s), but many people have retrospectively noticed some autistic traits in the gang.

For those of you who have been living under a rock (or are so young you have yet to see the show), the TV series follows 6 friends in their 20’s/30’s living in New York, charting their friendship and the hilarious antics they get up to. Here’s a compilation video of the iconic intro across the seasons to give you a flavour of the show:

So let’s get to autism. First up- let’s take a look at Ross Geller (David Schwimmer).

Ross displays many traits of a high functioning autist. He’s a quirky, highly strung palaeontologist (do I smell a stereotype?) who is intensely passionate about science.

He is often socially awkward, misses out on social cues and sarcasm, moves with an unusual gait, and shows signs of sensory issues (he thinks that ice-cream is too cold). Ross is also prone to impulsive decisions, obsessive tendencies, and outbursts of rage that border on meltdown-like behaviour as you can see in the clip below.

Ross’s sister Monica (played by Courtney Cox) on the other hand, while not as overtly quirky as Ross, also displays some traits. Her OCD and control issues are often centre stage in the show with many comedic moments drawing from this. She can be an obsessive overthinker and fiercely competitive, often fixating on certain topics in her pursuit of perfectionism.

Her compulsive overeating in her teen years could also be considered an autistic trait. She may not be quite as neurodivergent as her brother, but she could fall under broader autism phenotype as do many siblings of autists. The iconic dance scene between the brother-sister duo really highlights their quirkiness and possible neurodiversity in their complete blindness at how ridiculous they look.

Finally, let’s take a look at the iconic Phoebe Buffay. Portrayed by Lisa Kudrow, Phoebe is the quintessential outsider displaying many autistic and ADHD traits. Brutally honest and hyperactive, she unashamedly marches to her own beat, completely oblivious to how others perceive her (or her terrible singing). She also flaps her hands an awful lot in the show and has been known to chew her hair in earlier seasons which are signs of stimming behaviour.

Interestingly, neurodivergent individuals tend to stick together in real life (I’ve spoken to many spectrum friends and you tend to subconsciously attract each other 🤣), which could explain why 3 out of the group of 6 display autistic traits. This is perhaps the most realistic aspect of autism that the show unconsciously portrays.

Now obviously we will never know if these characters are on the spectrum, but it’s still nice to see clearly neurodivergent characters marching to the beat of their own drum for us to identify with 🙂

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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Autism on Screen- The Assembly

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

This week I’d like to talk about a new TV interview show on BCC called ‘The Assembly’. The format of this show involves a celebrity being grilled by a panel of journalists over the course of 3 hours (30 minutes of which are broadcast). Sounds simple enough, however, the unique thing about this TV show is that the panel is comprised entirely of 35 neurodivergent novice journalists! Bucking the growing trend of highly scripted, edited, agenda driven interviews, the show is an un-filtered breath of fresh air where no question is out of bounds.

The Assembly is carefully recorded with autists in mind to prevent sensory overload, such as recording in a room with lots of natural light (to avoid fluorescent artificial lights). This show is the UK adaptation of the popular French show ‘Les Rencontres du Papotin‘ where many French public figures such as Emanuel Macron were interviewed by a neurodivergent panel run by the newspaper Le Papotin. In honour of Autism Acceptance Week, the BBC broadcast an interview with Welsh actor Michael Sheen on Friday the 5th of April. There are no further episodes currently scheduled, but showrunners have lots of eager celebrities wishing to be interviewed should The Assembly be picked up for series. You can see a trailer for the series here:

The show is a very heartwarming and wholesome affair that has had reviewers raving about it. The questions are so unexpected (ranging from Michael’s opinions on the royal family to the age gap between him and his partner) with delightful results. Michael is such a kind and patient interviewee providing insightful and hilarious answers to the delight of his audience. In one particularly touching moment, a very shy interviewer named Leo is struggling to get past his nerves to ask his question, but Michael is patient with him, allowing him the time and space to ask a very insightful question about Michaels favourite poet.

All in all the show is a wonderful change to your regularly scheduled BBC interview, with the added bonus that the show provides visibility and creates opportunities for the often marginalized autistic community.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings! 🙂

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife

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