The Assembly Ireland, which will air on Virgin Media One on Monday, will feature Taoiseach Michael Martin, former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy, along with comedians Joanne McNally and Rosie O’Donnell
The Assembly Ireland with Ryan Tubridy (Image: )
Some of Ireland’s top politicians and celebrities were subjected to a no-holes-barred grilling from a group of neurodivergent interviewers as part of a new show.
The Assembly Ireland, which will air on Virgin Media One on Monday, will feature Taoiseach Michael Martin, former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy, along with comedians Joanne McNally and Rosie O’Donnell across four episodes.
The rulebook was ripped up, and the interviewers could ask any questions they wanted without worrying about playing it safe while the show was filmed during August and September in the EXO Building in Dublin.
The format has been seen before in other countries and has proven successful.
Those on the panel were all diagnosed with autism, and participants hope it dispels myths about the condition that members of the public may have.
Virgin promised the show will reveal “raw truths” and “unexpected revelations” while urging viewers to “prepare for a series that dares to ask it all.”
Ella Joyce was part of the show(Image: )
The Irish Mirror spoke to two stars of the show, 20-year-old Ella Joyce and 29-year-old David Punch, ahead of its premiere.
Sligo woman Ella, who was diagnosed with autism while studying for her Leaving Certificate, said the show was amazing to be a part of.
The psychology student was involved in the Ryan Tubridy and Rosie O’Donnell interviews.
She said: “They were really fascinating. They seemed like they were on the show because they wanted to be on the show – not because they were looking for clout.
“When we were filming the episode with Ryan, we kept going over time because he kept asking us questions back.
“He kept trying to chat with all the participants, which was really sweet, and they had to tell him to stop.
“Both him and Rosie had really interesting and thoughtful answers. It seemed like they had done some self-reflection and thinking before going on the show.”
Despite the fact that they could ask anything, Ella said the purpose wasn’t to be deliberately mean or put anybody on the spot.
Ella said she asked Tubridy if there were any words or quotes that he lives by before she recited her favourite poem, “To the West” by William Percy French.
This poem expresses a longing to escape the hustle and bustle of London for Connemara in Ireland.
She said it really resonated with him. Ella added: “It made him cry; he really, really liked it.”
Ella also revealed she asked Rosie if she could find out the answer to anything, what would it be. The US comedian shot back and said “aliens.”
Ella also believes both Rosie and Ryan answered her questions, but felt Tubridy might have skirted around questions relating to the RTE payment scandal.
She explained: “Perhaps they did for some other questions, there were one or two questions about the RTE scandal, and I think he quite cleverly did answer, but didn’t really get into it too far, which is his right.
“I felt most of my questions were well answered, and I didn’t feel cheated out of an answer.”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin(Image: )
She also stressed that being neurodivergent has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to interviewing.
Ella explained: “I think it has advantages and disadvantages. I think obviously it has advantages in the way I look at the world, and the way I look at things might be slightly different.
“So the questions I might think to ask are quite different then what would be typical.
“I suppose it depends on the person being interviewed; that might be an advantage or a disadvantage if you’re caught off guard.
“Being neurodivergent, we tend to be quite honest and frank – that might catch people off guard if you’re not expecting such a straight question.
“But I also think it can be a disadvantage in certain circumstances because it can be hard sometimes if somebody is being sarcastic or not really answering your question truthfully.
In the new series, Micheál Martin, Joanne McNally, Rosie O’ Donnell and Ryan Tubridy honestly answer, or try to, all the questions posed to them by a group of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers(Image: )
“You might ask them something – they might give you a sarcastic answer, and you might not realise. I’m not saying the celebrities did that, it’s just something I’ve come across.”
She also hopes the show can dispel the myths about autism. Ella said: “I really, really hope it does.
“The biggest thing I hope it changes is that there is a bit of a one-size-fits-all all perception around autism, specifically.
“I think people hear autism and think of one person, they think of a four-year-old boy with headphones on, and he loves trains.
“It’s a spectrum, it’s so diverse, and there are so many different presentations.
“I would hope it changes some people’s perception of autism solely as a disadvantage.
“I wouldn’t think of my autism as a bad thing; it’s just a neutral thing.
“I have blonde hair, I have blue eyes, I have autism. It has its pros and it has its cons.
“Sometimes when people find out that I’m autistic, there’s a bit of ‘oh god, I’m so sorry.
“It must be so hard. This is just a fact of life, so I would hope that it would change people’s perception in that regard.”
Ella said she would love to be involved if there was a season two and hoped Hoizer could be involved.
David Punch(Image: )
Meanwhile, Cork man David Punch described being part of the show as a “privilege” and said it was a surreal experience to interview the Taoiseach.
When asked if the Fianna Fail leader answered the questions, the 29-year-old said: “Well, he is a politician, you know the way politicians answer questions – not very directly.
“With the questions I asked him, he did answer directly … the Taoiseach definitely did his best to maneuver his way around.”
David, who is a keen musician, was involved in all four interviews. He said Ryan Tubridy was his favourite interviewee.
David said: “We were all nervous, but he made us all calm and relaxed.”
Speaking about the concept of the show, the Cork man said: “There were no agents, and there was nobody there to say you can’t ask that question, there was no publicist – so it was good.
“It’s a great concept because it does show that we are able to communicate with people. I was bullied before people thought I was stupid. It’s a great concept.
“Hopefully, the Irish people will love this. I think having autism or being neurodivergent is an ability and not a disability.
“Ryan Tubridy was the soundest, the Taoiseach was grand as well …Rosie O’Donnell was nice as well. Joanne McNally, I wouldn’t be a fan of her, to be honest. She’s okay, she’s alright.
“I wouldn’t be going to her shows or anything. They were all sound out.
“I thought Ryan Tubridy was going to be ‘okay’, I thought he was going to be like a high celebrity, but he completely changed my mind.”
Comedian Joanne McNally(Image: )
David also said he would be keen to take part in a second series and said he would love the opportunity to grill Roy Keane on Saipan.
When asked how the needs of those who participated in the show were taken in account, the production company behind the show, said: “The production team were advised throughout by autism consultant Laura Crowley.
“Everyone’s individual support needs were taken into consideration.
“This involved clear communication, individual arrival plans, direct information during the record on timings, the opportunity to explore the space in advance, clear schedules, and individual preferences across the board.
“We filmed without using lighting. Members of The Assembly could come and go from the open plan space as they needed to during filming.
“We had a sensory space available, and both an autistic autism consultant and psychologist available to support the Assembly members off camera.
The individual participants had complete autonomy about the areas they researched and what questions they asked.”
The Assembly Ireland premieres on January 19 at 9 pm on Virgin Media One.
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