The Assembly UK Season 01 Episode 02
David Tennant faces a grilling by a collective of autistic and learning-disabled interviewers, from questions about his skincare regime to his cancelled friend.
Year started: 2025
Country: UK
Categories: Reality Talk-Show
David Tennant faces a grilling by a collective of autistic and learning-disabled interviewers, from questions about his skincare regime to his cancelled friend.
Year started: 2025
Country: UK
Categories: Reality Talk-Show
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Hi. Hello, everyone. Morning, morning, morning, all right?
00:11Are you nervous? You're not nervous. I might be a little bit nervous.
00:21David? Yeah? You should be nervous.
00:25Hi, David. Nice to meet you, yes. Oh, thank you.
00:29Thanks very much. Welcome to this.
00:40Right, let's get started. Sophie, would you like to introduce us?
00:44Welcome to the assembly, our collective autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled interviewers.
00:51We are delighted to have you join us today. Our rules are no subject is out of bounds.
00:57No question is off the table. And anything might happen. Please tell us who you are.
01:02My name is David.
01:04Also, you're David Tennant. I am. Who are you?
01:06I'm Abbie A, actually. Abbie A, nice to meet you.
01:10And we're going to start with a question from Ali.
01:13Good to see you, David Tennant. Thanks, Ali.
01:17Do you believe in God?
01:19Oh, wow.
01:22Some people do. Some people do. Other people don't.
01:25That's a big one. OK.
01:27Because I was brought up in the church.
01:29And my dad was a minister in the church.
01:31So I went to church every Sunday. I went to Sunday school.
01:35At one point, I was a Sunday school teacher.
01:37Really? I know. That's nice.
01:39Yeah. So I understand where it comes from. And I've certainly felt that in my time. The belief in something other.
01:48Mm-hm.
01:49But it's not where I currently am, no.
01:52OK, I'm just finding out. Thank you for your time, David.
01:55Thank you so much. Appreciate that, Ali. Thank you for remembering my name.
01:58We've got Takara with a question.
02:01How did it feel to be rejected from Taggart 16 times?
02:05Oh!
02:08You've done your research. I think I was the only Scottish actor who doesn't have Taggart on their CV.
02:14Scottish gritty crime drama.
02:16There's been a murder. There's been a murder.
02:19But it's got nothing to do with David Tennant.
02:23Lovely. Thank you, Takara. You're welcome.
02:26Hi, David Tennant. Nice to meet you. I'm Jacob.
02:29Hi, Jacob.
02:30Me and my family think you have amazing skin.
02:34Oh, thanks, Jacob.
02:36Um, I would like to ask, what is your skincare regime?
02:41It's pretty basic, if I'm honest with you.
02:44I mean, a bit of moisturiser.
02:47That's it.
02:49What's your skincare routine?
02:51Um, well, I use sometimes, um, cream on my skin.
02:55I put cream on my face when I'm having a shower.
03:00Before you get in?
03:01Well, actually, well, when I'm in the shower, I turn the water away from me and I put moisturiser sometimes.
03:08Oh, cool. And then wash it off?
03:10Yeah, I mean, it sometimes helps because I get spots as a teenager.
03:14Right, yeah, yeah.
03:15Well, actually, I've just turned 20.
03:16Right.
03:17The spots are behind you now.
03:18Well, but I might still get spots now.
03:21We might, yeah, less than I still get them and I'm 702.
03:24Do you shave?
03:27Well, not right now.
03:29I mean, I have been known to shave, but, er, yeah.
03:33Next up, we have Essin.
03:37Um...
03:43All the work you do for my community, it's...
03:48It's...
03:49It's amazing.
03:50My questions are based around that, so I hope that's okay.
03:53Of course.
03:54What made you want to start work, like, become an ally to the community?
03:59What prompted you to say, do you know what?
04:01This injustice has gone on long enough.
04:04Erm...
04:07When I was, erm...
04:11Oh, dear.
04:12Sorry.
04:13No, it's fine, it's good.
04:14It's good.
04:15It's good, it's important.
04:17Erm, when I was a teenager, there was this thing that the...
04:20Mrs Thatcher's government introduced called Section 28.
04:24Oh, yeah.
04:25Yeah.
04:26Which was about stopping the promotion of homosexuality in schools.
04:31Yeah.
04:32Erm, which was a weird umbrella term,
04:35which was basically saying it was illegal to talk about being gay in school.
04:40Or to...
04:41Or to suggest that that might be a normal way of behaviour.
04:45Erm...
04:46We look back on that now as a medieval, absurd thing to try and...
04:53..say.
04:54And I think the way the trans community is being demonised and othered...
04:58Yeah.
04:59..is exactly the same.
05:00We...
05:01Oh, sorry.
05:02No.
05:03No, listen.
05:04It's...
05:05It's become this kind of political football.
05:07Which exactly also leads on to my next question.
05:10These are very on the nose, I do apologise.
05:12No, come on.
05:13Come on, we're in it now.
05:16Erm...
05:17JK Rowling.
05:18Right.
05:19How did you feel, like, when she called you out on social media?
05:23What did you...
05:24I'm not...
05:25See, I do miss a lot of this, cos genuinely I'm not in there.
05:27Like, I have my views on her, but I just wanted to know, like,
05:30coming from an ally as yourself,
05:32I wanted to know how you thought of being called out like that.
05:36Erm, listen, JK Rowling's a wonderful author
05:38who's created brilliant stories and I wish her no ill will, but I...
05:43Of course.
05:44I hope that, erm, we can all, as a society, just let people be.
05:50But that's enough.
05:51Just get out of people's way.
05:53Don't be such a stick in the mud, honestly.
05:55Honestly!
05:56Lovely.
05:57OK, thank you, Lesin.
05:58We've got a question from Elijah up next.
06:00Good luck, Elijah.
06:02Erm, before I answer my questions, I just want to say your jumper really makes me laugh.
06:09It just says, college.
06:11It does.
06:12It just makes me really laugh a lot.
06:13Yeah.
06:16What...
06:17What made you...
06:19What made you see that jumper and be like, oh, OK.
06:21I can wear this.
06:23This makes sense.
06:25It's a...
06:26That's a very good...
06:27That's quite a deep question.
06:28Why do we see things and think that relates to me?
06:31That is my sort of style.
06:33That is...
06:35I wish I had a...
06:36I wish I had a clever and concise answer for you.
06:38It's just really funny that you saw a jumper and you were like, college.
06:41Me.
06:42I know.
06:43I know.
06:44What does that say about my arrested development?
06:46Are you tired of people always associating you with Doctor Who?
06:50No.
06:51It's a very lovely thing to be associated with.
06:53And you're also aware, when you take on something like Doctor Who, that it will be with you for the rest of your life.
06:59I'm very proud of it and very happy that it's something that I get to represent.
07:05So, very, very lucky.
07:09OK, lovely.
07:10Thank you, Elijah.
07:11Luke?
07:12I was obsessed with watching Doctor Who when I was very young, from a young age.
07:17I watched it with my granddad.
07:18Oh, yeah?
07:19God bless him.
07:21Oh, yeah.
07:22Yeah.
07:23It was hurtful when I found out that he had three strokes.
07:27The last one...
07:28Oh, I'm sorry.
07:30But I know for a fact he's always in my heart, but I know where he is.
07:35Yeah.
07:36In my heart, even at night, I can speak to him at night.
07:38Nice.
07:39That's nice.
07:40I'm very proud that Doctor Who was part of the memory of you and your granddad.
07:43It was.
07:44As long as you're here.
07:45Lovely.
07:46Thank you, Luke.
07:48Now, Luca's going to do a performance for us.
07:50Oh, fantastic.
07:51And because you've been doing Macbeth, he'd like to do a scene from the play with you.
07:54Oh, my goodness.
07:55Luca.
07:56Right?
07:57OK.
07:58What scene are we doing?
07:59Don't I know.
08:00I'll just try and catch up.
08:01Heavy summons, lies light led upon me, and yet I would not sleep.
08:05Merciful powers, restraining me, the cursed fools their nature gives way to in repose.
08:11Give me my sword.
08:12Who's there?
08:16I can't remember what bit that is.
08:18You're so intense, Luca.
08:21It's brilliant.
08:22It's act two, scene one, if that gives you any indication at all.
08:25A friend!
08:26What?
08:27Sir, not yet at rest.
08:29The king's abed.
08:30He have been in unusual pleasure and sent forth great-largest to your officers.
08:35This diamond, he greets your wife with all by the name of most kind hostess and shut up in measureless content.
08:41Being unprepared, our hospitality was servant to defect, which else should free of her own.
08:46All's well.
08:47I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters.
08:50To you they have showed some truth.
08:52I think none of them.
08:54Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve, we would spend it in some words upon that business.
08:59At your kindest leisure.
09:01If you shall cleave to my consent when tis, it shall make honour for you.
09:07So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchise and allegiance clear.
09:13I shall be counselled.
09:15Good repose the world.
09:16Thanks, sir.
09:17The like to you.
09:19Nice.
09:20Very intense.
09:21That was brilliant.
09:26That was brilliant.
09:30You also did bits that we've cut, so I was having to really listen hard.
09:33Yeah, I'm a fan of extended versions.
09:35Yeah, quite right too.
09:36Right, okay.
09:37Cameron, you're up next.
09:41Someone you've worked with a friend has been cancelled for some quite serious allegations.
09:46How has that affected you?
09:49Who are we talking about here?
09:53He worked on The Good Omens and that's been stopped.
09:56And how has it affected you?
09:59We're doing Good Omens again.
10:01We're going back to do the final...
10:03We're doing a finale.
10:05There's been a slight rejig with the personnel.
10:10Just...
10:11But we still get to tell that story,
10:13which I think would have been very difficult to leave it on a cliffhanger, I think.
10:16So I'm glad that's been worked out.
10:30So you're up next then, Harry.
10:32Hello, David. How are you?
10:33I'm good, how are you?
10:34It's good to see you.
10:35It's nice to be here.
10:36What was it like when you became the 10th Doctor Who?
10:40Yeah.
10:42Wow.
10:43I'd watched that show all my life.
10:44I grew up with it.
10:46I had posters on my wall.
10:47Yep.
10:48I met Tom Baker, who was one of the earlier...
10:49Ah, the fourth Doctor Who.
10:50Exactly, number four.
10:52He signed my poster when I was about, I don't know, eight, nine.
10:56It's a very happy thing, even if you're not a fan of Doctor Who.
11:00Very few people feel negatively towards it, as far as I can tell.
11:03I mean, you know, I'm now inviting people to get online and tell me how rubbish it is, aren't I?
11:09But they can fuck off.
11:14They might say, piss off my mind.
11:17We can beef it.
11:18Yeah, we can beef it.
11:20We can sort that out.
11:21Do you know all the Doctor Who's all in order?
11:23Do you?
11:24I do indeed.
11:25Let's take them in turns.
11:26You do one, I'll do two.
11:28First Doctor.
11:29William Hartnell.
11:30Second Doctor.
11:31Patrick Troughton.
11:32Third Doctor.
11:33John Pertwee.
11:34Fourth Doctor.
11:35Tom Baker signed my poster.
11:37Yeah.
11:39Fifth Doctor Who.
11:40Peter Davison.
11:41My father-in-law.
11:42That's weird.
11:43Yeah.
11:44Sixth Doctor.
11:45Colin Baker.
11:46Sylvester McCoy.
11:47Paul McGann.
11:48Christopher Eccleson.
11:49Tenth Doctor.
11:50Oh, that's it.
11:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:52Matt Smith.
11:53Peter Capaldi.
11:54Fourteenth Doctor.
11:55Who was that again?
11:56You.
11:58And fifteenth Doctor.
11:59Shooty.
12:00There you go.
12:01Ten points.
12:02Nice to meet you, David.
12:03Pleasure.
12:04You're a good man.
12:05You are a good man.
12:06What Harry Potter?
12:07How many?
12:08How many Harry Potters are there?
12:10Yeah.
12:11It's just the one, right?
12:12Okay.
12:13Next up, Sammy is going to ask a question.
12:15How do we feel when we lost our parents?
12:19How do I feel when I lost my parents?
12:21Devastating.
12:22It's devastating.
12:23Yeah.
12:24They both died younger than they should.
12:27My mum was 67, which is not nearly old enough.
12:30Yeah.
12:31And she had cancer and it was horrible.
12:34And I remember she got ill and then we thought she got better.
12:40So you kind of think, oh, we dodged that.
12:42Yeah.
12:43And then a few months later it came back again and then it was evident that this time it wasn't going away.
12:49Yeah.
12:50Yeah.
12:51And it's horrid.
12:52Have you lost your parents?
12:53Mum, mum.
12:54You've lost your mum.
12:55It's hard.
12:56It's hard, isn't it?
12:57Yeah.
12:58It's so hard, it is.
12:59You know it's coming.
13:00Yeah.
13:01From when you're a kid you know it's coming, but it still feels impossible to conceive.
13:05I miss my parents as well.
13:06Yeah.
13:07So it was half me.
13:08Yeah.
13:09So I just said, why?
13:10Because then you're sort of stuck, aren't you?
13:11Yeah, stuck.
13:12You're kind of on your own then.
13:13You're an orphan, you're next up.
13:17We've got Sophie.
13:19Hi Sophie.
13:20Hello.
13:21Hi.
13:22What are you secretly proud of but have never taught anyone about until now?
13:28Shall I tell you a secret?
13:31When we're recording this, it's about to be my wife's 40th birthday.
13:35A few years ago she got my name tattooed on her.
13:39Whoa.
13:40And she has been banging on at me about getting a tattoo to match.
13:45Oh.
13:46Okay.
13:47Have you?
13:48Don't like it.
13:49It's never been something I've wanted to do.
13:50I don't like needles and I was really...
13:52Okay.
13:53But because it's her 40th birthday, I just had that done.
13:57Wow.
13:59Which is her initial.
14:00Okay.
14:01I've been going around with a bandage on my wrist at home for the last few days so she doesn't know.
14:05No.
14:06So that I can reveal it as a birthday present.
14:09Oh that's so sweet.
14:10So I'm quite proud that I managed to sit and have that done without screaming or passing out.
14:15Oh.
14:16And that for the past few days I've managed to pretend it hasn't happened yet.
14:19Oh.
14:20So that's something I'm very proud of that I haven't told anyone about before this very moment.
14:24And I haven't even told my wife yet.
14:26Um.
14:27Second question.
14:28Madonna is one of your favourite artists.
14:30I challenge you to a Vogue dance-off.
14:32Woo!
14:33Ooh!
14:34A dance-off!
14:35Oh no!
14:36A dance-off!
14:37Oh no!
14:38I wouldn't know where to begin!
14:39To Vogue when you do all that.
14:40Yeah.
14:41Yeah.
14:42Yeah.
14:43Come on then.
14:44What are we going to do?
14:45How does this work?
14:46How does this work?
14:47So you start off like this.
14:48This.
14:49This.
14:50This.
14:51This.
14:52This.
14:53Oh!
14:54Oh!
14:55That.
14:56That.
14:57And you go like that.
14:58And that.
14:59And that.
15:00And that.
15:01And that.
15:02Oh no!
15:05Oh no!
15:06Oh no!
15:07Oh no!
15:08Oh no!
15:09Oh no!
15:10Oh no!
15:11Oh no!
15:12Oh no!
15:13Oh no!
15:14Nice.
15:15Well done!
15:18Wow.
15:19That was a good part, being so well.
15:21You're being very encouraging.
15:23I really appreciate it.
15:25Next up we've got a question from Adam.
15:27Hi Adam.
15:28Oh very good David.
15:29Hi.
15:30Hi!
15:31I'm also Scottish as well.
15:33Oh great!
15:34You're a vision in purple.
15:36Oh wow.
15:38What was it like to being infamous like Postman Pat?
15:42Oh.
15:43Postman Pat was great.
15:45Yeah.
15:46Oh I know.
15:47I was the baddie really in that.
15:48I was the voice of the baddie in that.
15:49Okay.
15:50Yeah.
15:51Oh I know.
15:52It was a great thing to be involved in.
15:53And a great job.
15:54I know.
15:55And Stephen Mangan who plays Postman Pat is a friend of mine so it was lovely to be in a film with him too.
15:59Oh that's really cool.
16:00I saw Stephen Mangan at the Lyric Theatre.
16:02Did you?
16:03When I went to a pantomime.
16:04And I was also in the toilet at the same time as him at the Lyric, I remember as well.
16:08Yeah.
16:09Oh sweet.
16:10Oh that's really cool.
16:11Yeah.
16:12It's an honour to meet you.
16:13Oh it's so nice to meet you.
16:14Thank you very much.
16:15Thank you for your question.
16:16Lovely.
16:17Thank you Adam.
16:18Up next we've got Jelani with a question.
16:23When were you most scared?
16:27Well I mean probably when one of my kids was sick.
16:33Oh you were sick?
16:34Yeah.
16:35And there was a moment where it looked quite scary and quite serious.
16:38In that moment when you suddenly look at the possibility of something happening to one of your kids.
16:45That's a sort of inconceivable horror yeah.
16:50That's not a very cheery answer.
16:53But it's you know I think those are those life moments that you kind of, you don't really ever forget.
17:02And now we're going to come to Charlotte.
17:04Just like other people on the spectrum, I suffer with anxiety.
17:11It becomes all consuming for me.
17:14Have you ever struggled with your wellbeing?
17:18I definitely have struggled and I remember when I first, when I did Hamlet.
17:24The very first public performance of that, I was pretty overwhelmed by I guess the expectation, the size of it.
17:32You know just the amount of words to remember.
17:34And that was probably the most scared I've ever been.
17:39I was on the floor of my dressing room in the fetal position when the, a wonderful woman called Linda Arnley.
17:46She came in to sort of wish me luck for the first performance and found me in the fetal position on the floor.
17:52Oh my dear.
17:53And but for Linda Arnley that night, who sort of talked me through, made me calm, helped me, gave me some breathing exercises.
18:00I may never have gone on stage that night and my, the rest of my life might have been very different.
18:05So I always look back on that moment as a, as a, you know, those sort of crossroads where things could have gone either way.
18:11Yes.
18:12Linda Arnley getting me off the floor that night.
18:14And then from then on each night just got that little bit easier.
18:17And now we have some music that we think you're really going to enjoy.
18:21Wow.
18:22I definitely want to work with you again.
18:24Well, let's do it. Let's make it happen.
18:26Um, feel more.
18:28Yeah.
18:29Okay.
18:30Anything.
18:31Or we can do Shakespeare.
18:32Up to you.
18:33Listen.
18:34Everything is available to us.
18:35Yes.
18:36Yeah.
18:37But I definitely want to work with you again.
18:38Oh, good.
18:40Deal.
18:41Cool.
18:42That's how you get it done.
18:44My heart was broken.
18:57My heart was broken.
18:59Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, sorrow.
19:07Oh, my heart was broken.
19:10My heart was broken.
19:12My heart was broken.
19:15He saw it.
19:17He claimed it.
19:19He touched it.
19:21He saved it.
19:24While I'm working.
19:25I'm working with you.
19:27While I'm working with you.
19:28In my room on this earth, I will be with you.
19:39While the chief and sunshine on me
19:46I thank him for his work
19:50And your birth and my birth
19:55Yeah, yeah, yeah
20:09My heart was broken
20:34My heart was broken
20:38My heart was broken
20:50My heart was broken
20:53You saw it, you claimed it
20:57You touched it, you saved it
21:02While the blood of the Lord has died
21:09I will be with you
21:16While the chief and sunshine on me
21:24I thank him for his work
21:28And your birth and my birth
21:35Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
21:39I thank you for your support