How to watch 'The Assembly' online with Michael Sheen from anywhere

What made you say yes to being a part of The Assembly?

I said yes to being a part of The Assembly because it was just such an extraordinary and interesting idea. Then reading about the original French series, it just sounded so extraordinary, different and potentially a very revealing way to approach the tried and tested interview process, but obviously it is a lot more than just being an interview. The interview part of it is just one aspect of the project and I think there is still a lot of confusion, ignorance and fear around people with any kind of difference. I think being able to be involved in a project like this could maybe break down some of those barriers.

How is this different from any other TV show you’ve been a part of?

It’s very much unfiltered and that’s really exciting and quite nerve wracking for that reason! So much on TV is sort of smoothed out and filtered and made safe and this, certainly in the making of it, felt very not that! All the better and more refreshing for it too. I know a lot of work is put into the research and preparation for a show like this, but in terms of the actual questions being asked and the experience that you have in all being together when you’re filming, it feels very unpredictable in a really good way and really lead by the people taking part, which is terrific.

How did you feel going into filming?

Well I didn’t really have anything to go on, so I was excited. Sometimes when I’m going to be interviewed, I know what the interview is going to be about, I have a vague idea of the questions that will come up, I know the sort of things that I need to get across about what I’m there to talk about. But with this, I really had no idea what I was going to be asked, so I had to be prepared for everything and anything, there was a kind of freedom in that I suppose. Because of the unfiltered nature of what was going to happen and not being able to anticipate what might be asked, it was a little nerve wracking yes, but I was mainly just very excited!

Did your experience differ from what you were expecting and if so how?

Well I didn’t know what to expect really, so it’s not that it wasn’t what I was expecting because you can’t expect anything! There's no way you can expect anything because you just don’t know what’s going to happen, and because it is so unfiltered and unpredictable in terms of what might happen, where things might go, how people might be feeling on the day. For all the difficult questions that got asked at times, it just felt very loving and joyful and that everyone was very happy and excited to be there even though people were nervous or had anxiety at different times. There was a genuine feeling of community and I felt very welcomed into that community and ready to play so to speak, and you have to be ready to play. I felt very safe and looked after and it was just really, very funny as well – there was lots of laughter and wonderful things that people asked, responded to and performed, I mean I wasn’t expecting all of that, that was just wonderful! So many moments that I’ll never forget.

How does this compare to any other interview you’ve experienced?

It’s so unfiltered! The closest thing I can say is The One Show, where you go on to talk about one thing and then they ask you about everything else that’s going on on the show, so you get a question about your favourite bus route, then they ask you about otters! There’s an extraordinary pinball effect of questions and that’s the closest I could describe, but The Assembly is that x100. It really is extraordinary and that’s very unlike any other interview I’ve done really, usually everything is meant to follow on logically and have a kind of smoothness and polish to it, and this is just really raw and unfiltered and uncensored and I love that, I thought that was wonderful.

What can viewers expect from the show?

I imagine it will be very funny and I think quite moving. I was quite moved at times by seeing how much people had to struggle to overcome certain things they were dealing with in order to ask questions at times. That was uplifting. I think it will be different, it will be thought provoking I hope, and challenging in certain ways; challenging certain kinds of myths and stereotypes I think and ultimately just really entertaining and fun and joyful. I can’t really remember what I said, so I don’t know what people will learn about me... but it’s not about me, it’s about that fantastic group of people, but I certainly got a huge amount out of it too and I hope an audience will as well.

Cameron, 21

“I wanted to be part of the Assembly as I wanted to be able to highlight the neurodiverse community. My experience filming was enjoyable as everyone in the crew was lovely and really supportive of us at all times and the day ran smoothly. Interviewing Michael Sheen was great, he’s an amazing man, very interesting stories to tell and was open to any question we had to ask him.”

Julice, 18

“When I heard about it I wanted to be a part of The Assembly because it’s very rare for people like me to get this kind of opportunity, let alone a whole group of us, and for us to be the focus of it is incredible. Filming was an amazing experience – everyone was really inclusive (and that’s one of my biggest worries when I go anywhere) so it was really, really comforting to see that so many changes were being made to benefit us. Interviewing Michael Sheen was a bit intimidating at first because social settings aren’t my strong suit but he was really comforting, very down-to-earth, and very understanding of everyone, very patient so it was amazing.”

Ali, 29

“To be part of the BBC’s The Assembly and to meet Michael Sheen, the actor and director, and to showcase my talents are all why I wanted to take part. It was an exciting and new experience and it was the very first time I’ve been in front of cameras in my life AND to meet Michael Sheen! Even though I was very excited to meet him, I was very nervous at first but, when it came to talking to him, my confidence started to build up.”

Charlotte, 27

“I definitely enjoyed it. My highlight was sitting next to Michael Sheen and getting answers to my questions I wanted to hear. He said a lot of stuff and it was just incredible!”

Marcus, 21

“It was fabulous! Amazing! I asked Michael Sheen a cheeky question and he definitely answered it. My favourite bit was being on TV – I loved it!”