Danny Dyer is stepping into new territory with a groundbreaking ITV show featuring a panel of neurodivergent and/or learning disabled interviewers.
At 47, EastEnders star Danny Dyer is no stranger to the limelight, having graced our screens from The Bill to the Queen Vic, but his latest project, The Assembly, set to air on April 26, offers a fresh perspective.
“I’d been doing a lot of press because [filming took place] around the time of the release of my film, Marching Powder,” Danny shared. “I was getting really bored of my own voice, but this revitalised me. It got me excited about being interviewed again.”
Despite the buzz around the new show, Danny harbours concerns for his co-stars’ wellbeing in the face of fame. He admires the cast’s authenticity, noting, “The cast of The Assembly are all very authentic. They have no masks,” Yet, he’s wary of the potential pitfalls of public life.
“The perks are great but there’s also a cruelty that comes with it – especially online,” Danny expressed his worries. “That concerns me slightly. I hope they’re treated with the respect that they deserve.” Danny hopes the industry will protect the panel from fame’s harsher realities.
Adapted from the highly praised French show Les Rencontres du Papotin, which has hosted big names like President Emmanuel Macron and House Of Gucci star Camille Cottin, The Assembly scrutinises fame in the most disarming and emotionally intense way possible. With no topic off-limits, guests are encouraged to ditch PR-approved responses and embrace raw, unfiltered honesty.
Last year, The Assembly’s one-off pilot on the BBC starred Good Omens actor Michael Sheen. Now, ITV has picked up the show for a four-part series version, working closely with neurodivergent communities and advocacy groups to ensure the programme speaks directly to and for those it represents.
The concept is as potent as it is straightforward: one celebrity, one room, and a panel of curious interviewers who don’t adhere to traditional media rules. The outcome? Unpredictable, hilarious, moving conversations that reveal more than any press junket ever could.
Danny is one of four celebs to step into the room for the new series, alongside football legend and broadcaster Gary Lineker, Doctor Who and Rivals actor David Tennant and Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall. Each brings their own fame, stories and secrets to the table.
Danny spent three hours with the panel, delving deep into every aspect of his life – from his working-class upbringing to the complexities of fatherhood, marriage and fame.
Danny Dyer spills the tea on his dramatic departure from EastEnders, including his true feelings about Mick Carter’s fling with Walford’s baddie Janine Butcher. He also shares his initial worries when his daughter Dani Dyer joined Love Island in 2018.
The show doesn’t hold back on the tough stuff either. Danny gets real about the time he was booted out by his now-wife Joanne Mas, way before their 2016 wedding after she popped the question.
Winning over the panel wasn’t a walk in the park. “It took a while for everybody to trust me in the room, and I think they did,” he confesses.
But it was all worth it in the end. “This was probably the most open and honest interview that I’ve ever given. I trusted everybody in the room,” he reveals, adding how liberating it felt to share his emotions with such an amazing crowd.
Underneath his classic banter, Danny isn’t afraid to show his softer side. “I’m quite naturally an emotional person anyway; I’m very sensitive,” he admits, describing the experience as deeply touching.
And there’s a musical treat at the end of each chat – a performance by the talented neurodivergent house band, providing a soul-soothing finale to the rollercoaster of feelings.
Neurodivergent individuals often face misunderstanding, misrepresentation or outright exclusion, with conditions like autism and ADHD frequently brushed aside or wrongly diagnosed. It’s only recently that the mainstream media has started to acknowledge neurodiverse voices as influential narrators.
Danny is fully behind the programme’s mission to continue breaking new ground, bringing on guests to delve into the hidden emotional layers of their lives in the spotlight.
He’s even keen to turn up the heat: “I would like any politician to be in the hot seat,” he expressed. “I would like to see them squirming trying to answer the beautiful questions.”
