Autistic Superstars Programme Review

 

In April, I visited Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to watch the recording of the final stages of a show callled "Autistic Superstars" with a musical concert hosted by actor and radio DJ Reggie Yates.  I wrote up the experience in an earlier note. This blog is a review of the finished programme.

 

Episode 1

 

This autism-based programme had a heavy music focus, and it followed presenter Reggie Yates up and down the country on his quest to find autistic musicians to perform in the concert at the Riverside Studios in middle of April.  Reggie went into the homes of each of the people he recruited for his show and talked to their parents about what it's like bringing them up.

 

The show was given a focus through the presence of it's host, and although Reggie seemed a bit lost at times with what is going on around him, in the main he was down-to-earth and real.  He was never patronising or insincere, and seemed genuinely sensitive to the needs of the musicians, always quietly building them up. A moment to-camera where he confessed amazement at the commitment of the parents felt really authentic. 

 

With "Young Autistic and Stagestruck" I thought taking the cameras into the kids homes felt invasive.  Here it didn't, and this was down to welcome decorum on the part of the programme-makers.  The footage was short and discreet, you understood the kids autism without excessively dwelling on their behaviours.  There was more focus on the rehearsal room, as Reggie recruited a vocal coach to help the singers develop their voices.  Especially with Carly, a low-functioning autistic girl with a great singing voice, this footage was solid - informative yet concise.

 

Episode 2

 

Very odd watching the show as a viewer this time as opposed to a live audience member, but I thought the show was very well edited together and presented, with plenty of backstage commentary from the parents, Reggie and the teachers to go along with the performances.  There was a bit too much material from the previous episode worked in to pad the episode out to fit it's running time, and this maybe could have been cut down.  On the whole, though, this was a very successful programme.

 

I would like to see more shows about autistic people living in society.  It would be fascinating to examine for example the day-to-day lives of autistic adults in different areas of the UK (in a way that would hopefully be informative but not intrusive), or looking at how autistic people with talents in other fields (science, government or agriculture) contribute to society.  I think this could be the way forward for future shows about autism and Asperger's Syndrome.