‘I could tell that the show was going to be quite different compared to other programmes on autism…’
Punit Shah, Associate Professor at the University of Bath, reviews the BBC TV show, Inside Our Autistic Minds.
07 March 2023
… I often get invites to participate on radio, TV and news interviews, but this is all usually rushed and the producers rarely feel genuinely interested in the content. Inside Our Autistic Minds, with an expert production team – including multiple neurodivergent people – was clearly setting out to do something different.
The conversations before filming were interesting and rewarding, and informed by an expert consultant, Dr Catherine Jones (Director of the Wales Autism Centre at Cardiff). This meant that the show was capturing the lived, unique experiences of autistic people, as well as being grounded – to the appropriate extent – with contributions from academic experts.
It was a real privilege to contribute as an expert on autism in adulthood, where I visited and filmed at the brilliant Chris Packham's house. It was fascinating to help the show 'explore' Chris' autistic mind.
The response already seems to be overwhelmingly positive, especially as it tapped into autistic experiences that are often not presented in popular media – such as autistic people who are non-speaking.
I think the show will set a new standard for how science and mental health documentary producers can draw on both lived experience and academic knowledge to advance understanding of complex concepts such as autism.
Reviewed by Punit Shah BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA
Associate Professor, University of Bath
Director, GW4 Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network
Deputy Director, Centre for Applied Autism Research
