ITV renews The Assembly for second series with more episodes as Hollywood star set to join
ITV's ground-breaking interview show The Assembly will return with an extended seven-part run next year after the success of the first series. And this time it will have a Hollywood star among the six big names being interviewed, with no questions off the table.
It comes after Danny Dyer, David Tennant, Jade Thirlwall and Gary Lineker proved a huge hit with viewers, with producers now in talks with others from the worlds of TV, film, music and sport.
A show source told the Mirror: "Bosses are thrilled that, not only is there a second series, but that they can do more episodes this time around, too. The appetite for this show has been huge. With so many ideas for celebrities to take part, it needed to come back with a longer run. The calibre of names being discussed is really impressive – it's looking like there could be a big Hollywood name in the mix."
The series, hailed as 'the most groundbreaking TV show of the year' by one critic, saw a group of autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled people interview some of the UK's best known faces. Danny was left sobbing during his chat with the group as he looked back on his life, while Gary Lineker and David Tennant also got emotional.
This time around, the rules will remain exactly the same: no question is off the table and no topic is out of bounds. The series will run to seven episodes - six new interviews plus a seventh episode, The Assembly: Unseen, containing extra footage.
ITV entertainment commissioner David Smyth said the response to the first run had been 'thrilling'. 'There was no doubt in my mind that we needed to do more,' he added. 'I can't wait to see what questions The Assembly will put to our next group of bold celebrities and what their responses will be.'
Producer Stu Richards, of Rockerdale Studios, laughed: "I cannot believe we're still getting away with this. The chance to make something that plays by almost none of the rules of normal telly is just such a ludicrous privilege. I'm absolutely buzzing."
The series attracted huge critical acclaim when it launched earlier this year. LBC's Nick Ferrari declared: 'If there is a better show made for terrestrial television this year, I'd be staggered. It is breathtaking.' The Mirror called it 'a breath of fresh air' while the Radio Times agreed it was 'extraordinary'.
ITV entertainment boss Katie Rawcliffe said that the series was 'ITV entertainment at its best'. She added: 'It's warm, funny, revealing and just that little bit mischievous. We've got lots of ideas about which famous faces will join for series two and we're eager to see what we'll learn from the fantastic questions The Assembly will have.'
The show's format is an adaptation of French series Les Rencontres du Papotin, which made headlines when President Emmanuel Macron was asked if it was really role model behaviour to marry one's teacher.
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