Aitch has insisted that The Assembly hotseat is ‘more intense’ than the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as he is grilled by autistic and neurodivergent panel.
The critically acclaimed show, fronted by autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled interviewers, has been widely praised for its disarming honesty and refreshing approach.
Previous guests in the first series included Danny Dyer, David Tennant, Jade Thirlwall and Gary Lineker.
And taking the hot seat this Wednesday, Aitch said it was an ‘absolutely unreal’ experience which gave him a ‘breath of fresh air and faith in humanity’.
However when Aitch, whose little sister Gracie has Down’s syndrome, was asked what was harder, a Bushtucker Trial or a grilling in The Assembly hotseat, the YouTube star said he ‘sweated’ a lot on the new series.
He said: ‘I would actually say it’s more intense in the Assembly hotseat than a Bushtucker Trial. I really don’t know why but I sweated more in that chair than I did in my whole time in Australia – put it that way.’
Aitch has insisted that The Assembly hotseat is ‘more intense’ than the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as he is grilled by autistic and neurodivergent panel
The critically acclaimed show, fronted by autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled interviewers, has been widely praised for its disarming honesty and refreshing approach
Elsewhere Aitch was asked which of his celebrity A-list pals he would like to see appear on The Assembly next.
He said: I think out of Ed Sheeran, Anne-Marie and Ashanti, Ed Sheeran would be an amazing guest on The Assembly.
‘He’s just a good person, he brings good vibes no matter where he is. I can’t lie, I would definitely be locking into that episode solely for entertainment purposes. I feel like it would be a good laugh.’
It comes after last week Sir Lenny Henry put his head in his hands as he was asked a very personal question about his relationship with his girlfriend of 13 years.
The actor and comedian is the next celebrity to face The Assembly, a crowd of interviewers made up of autistic, neurodivergent, and/or learning-disabled people.
A first look clip saw Sir Lenny, 67, left gasping ‘do they just ask you anything?’ as talk turns to his relationship with Lisa Makin, who he has been in a relationship with since 2012.
The actor was previously married to fellow famous face Dawn French, from 1974 to 2010 – and is yet to pop the question to his long-term partner.
However, interviewer Mikey did not shy away from asking the all-important question in the upcoming episode of The Assembly, leaving Lenny in shock.
‘I heard your partner is a casting director,’ the interviewer begins, leaving Lenny smiling and responding: ‘She was actually a producer on a show that I did.
‘I was in Shakespeare’s Othello, so I met her then and we had lots of cups of tea and I just started to like her more and more.’
Taking the hotseat this Wednesday, Aitch, whose little sister Gracie has Down’s syndrome, said it was an ‘absolutely unreal’ experience which gave him a ‘breath of fresh air’
Met with gushing sounds of approval from the crowd, the interviewer then questioned: ‘Why haven’t you put a ring on it then?’
Letting out a groan, Lenny bent forward in his chair and placed his hands over his face, before responding: ‘Have you been talking to her?’
Turning to one of the other interviewers, a baffled Lenny then gasped: ‘Do they just ask you anything?’ to which she smiles at him in response.
It comes after Nicola Sturgeon was left in shock after one interviewer took a brutal swipe at her looks – after she teased a ‘radical’ makeover.
The Scottish politician, who served as the First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party from 2014 to 2023, starred in the second episode of the new series of the ITV show.
Nicola, 55, faced questions from the crowd of interviewers, which is made up of autistic, neurodivergent, and/or learning-disabled people.
And when she was asked about her signature hairstyle, Nicola folded over in her chair and let out an awkward laugh as one contributor compared her to a less-than-flattering movie character.
Nicola was asked: ‘You’ve had the same hairstyle for many years… have you considered getting another one?’
Letting out a chuckle, the politician replied: ‘Yes I have. Look, I’ve got really, really difficult hair, it’s really thick, you can’t do anything with it, I hate my hair.
‘But, I am thinking of doing something quite radically different to mark leaving politics, I’m not quite sure what yet… like bleaching it or something like that.’
Before she could continue, one of the interviewers blurted out: ‘Your face and your hair looks a bit like Mrs Doubtfire.’
Mrs Doubtfire is a movie character played by the late Robin Williams in the 1993 movie of the same name, which sees Robin’s character Daniel, a devoted dad facing divorce, disguise himself as an elderly Scottish housekeeper.
Amid shouts and jeers from the group at the comment, Nicola was seen doubling over, placing her hands over face in shock.
Elsewhere in the interview, Nicola broke down in tears as she discusses her miscarriage and is left ‘exhausted and drained’ after being grilled on ITV’s The Assembly.
Nicola previously opened up on being quizzed by the audience on the programme as being ‘cathartic’ but admitted she was left ‘drained’ from the line of questioning.
The member of Parliament, who suffered a miscarriage in 2011, will speak about losing the baby that she believes would have made her a better mother.
She admitted that she cried so much she ‘didn’t think she was going to be able to stop’ after answering the question about suffering the loss.
Elsewhere Aitch was asked which of his celebrity A-list pals he would like to see appear on The Assembly, he said: ‘I think Ed Sheeran would be an amazing guest. He’s just a good person’
Speaking about her experience on The Assembly ahead of her episode, Nicola said: ‘There were a couple of points when I felt quite overwhelmed.
‘For example, when I started talking about the baby I lost to a miscarriage, the tears just started to flow and I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop.
‘What I took from it was how cathartic it is to open up emotionally to a group of people with no agenda other than hearing honest answers – and to give my answers totally instinctively, without first putting them through the filter of how they might translate into hostile headlines.’
Despite the tricky line of questioning, Nicola added: ‘I felt exhausted and really drained, but in a good way. It was a genuine rollercoaster of emotions – one minute I’d be laughing and the next, crying.
‘This interview was different to anything I’ve done before – a totally unique experience. It sparked more raw emotion in me than I have ever shown on TV before, even in the most candid of the political interviews I’ve done over the years.
‘There was no spin; just raw vulnerability on both sides.
‘I am someone who naturally wants to wear my heart on my sleeve, but for a long time, my job and the kind of interviews I did meant that I had to be serious and guarded and keep my emotions in check.’
The Assembly continues 10.05pm Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd April on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player
