The Assembly (TV series)
| The Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary television |
| Based on | Les Rencontres du Papotin by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache |
| Directed by | Melissa Maclean |
| Presented by | Leigh Sales |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Mark Fennessy |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Helium Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC TV |
| Release | 20 August 2024 – present |
The Assembly is a seven-part Australian television documentary series on ABC TV, which premiered on 20 August 2024.
Format
[edit]Hosted and mentored by Leigh Sales,[1] the documentary series focuses on a group of 15 autistic journalism students and lecturers at Macquarie University[2] as they prepare for and eventually interview some of Australia's best-known personalities.[3] The students have been given paid internship at the ABC.[4] The series' format is based on French series Les Rencontres du Papotin, created by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache.[1]
Production
[edit]The seven-part series[5] is produced by Mark Fennessy's Helium Pictures for the ABC, with production beginning in May. Fennessy also executive produces the Australian version alongside director Melissa Maclean, Therese Hegarty,[1] Vanessa Oxlad and Julie Hanna.[6]
Season overview
[edit]| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | ||
| 1 | 7 | 20 August 2024[6] | TBA |
Episodes
[edit]Season 1 (2024)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Interviewee Title | Original air date | Aus. viewers (national) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sam Neill[7] | 20 August 2024 | 577,000[8] |
| 2 | 2 | Hamish Blake[9] | 27 August 2024 | 486,000[10] |
| 3 | 3 | Anthony Albanese[11] | 3 September 2024 | 435,000[12] |
| 4 | 4 | Delta Goodrem | 10 September 2024 | TBD |
| 5 | 5 | Adam Goodes | 17 September 2024 | TBD |
| 6 | 6 | Amanda Keller | 24 September 2024 | TBD |
| 7 | 7 | Becoming the Assembly | 1 October 2024 | TBD |
Reception
[edit]The first episode of The Assembly received an overnight average audience of 577,000 viewers,[13] alongside a national audience reach of 859,000 viewers.[8]
David Knox of TV Tonight gave the series four out of five stars.[11] Debi Enker of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote about the series' tone, "The tone of The Assembly, like other ABC factual productions, is warm. ... So in addition to being a worthwhile and engaging undertaking, it represents a breath of fresh air in terms of TV interviews, particularly those featuring politicians, but not confined to them.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Whittock, Jesse (9 May 2024). "'The Assembly', Groundbreaking Interview Format That Sent Michael Sheen Viral, Set For Australian Remake". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Rugendyke, Louise (15 August 2024). "Leigh Sales on the bold show that puts 15 autistic students in charge". TV & radio. The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Laidlaw, Kyle (10 May 2024). "ABC announces 10 additional new series still to come in 2024". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Vann-Wall, Silvi (12 June 2024). "ABC offers internships to cast of The Assembly". ScreenHub. Creative Hubs Group. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Sales, Leigh (15 August 2024). "Leigh Sales on what she learned about interviewing from autistic journalism students on The Assembly". ABC Backstory. ABC News. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
While The Assembly's official guest list is six people long — Sam Neill, Hamish Blake, Anthony Albanese, Delta Goodrem, Adam Goodes and Amanda Keller — as it turns out, there was a seventh interview.
[non-primary source needed] - ^ a b Knox, David (22 July 2024). "Airdate: The Assembly". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Ellis, Scott (15 August 2024). "Actor Sam Neill fields fabulous questions on 'The Assembly'". Now To Love. Are Media. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ a b Knox, David (21 August 2024). "Tuesday 20 August 2024". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (26 August 2024). "The Assembly: Aug 27". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (28 August 2024). "Tuesday 27 August 2024". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b Knox, David (18 August 2024). "The Assembly". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (7 September 2024). "Tuesday 3 September 2024". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (21 August 2024). "The Assembly doubles Made in Bondi debut". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Enker, Debi (22 August 2024). "Real people in unreal situations: why series like The Assembly engage". Green Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Nine Entertainment. Retrieved 24 August 2024.