“This is, in my history in show business, the most honest, beautiful, original, authentic conversation I’ve ever had on camera.” - Howie Mandel, Season 1 celebrity guest
On World Autism Awareness Day, CBC is announcing the renewal of the groundbreaking unscripted series The Assembly for a second season, featuring an expanded cast of more than 30 neurodivergent and autistic adults interviewing celebrities. In each episode, a different celebrity will take part in unpredictable, probing and direct questions in a no-holds-barred interview, resulting in profound revelations, authentic conversations and lots of laughs. Produced by Small Army Entertainment and based on the international hit format, filming begins this month in Vancouver with the new season targeted to premiere this fall. Radio-Canada’s French-language version, Facteur A, has also been renewed for a second season.
“The Assembly has connected deeply with audiences across Canada and beyond, and we’re excited to continue those honest, candid and thoughtful conversations in season two,“ says Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content, CBC.
“We are beyond excited to work with our incredible roster of interviewers again,” says Stephen Sawchuk, Executive Producer, Small Army Entertainment. “With season two, we hope to broaden representation of the autistic and neurodivergent community by introducing audiences to even more members of The Assembly.”
Sean De Vries, Executive Producer, Small Army Entertainment adds, “this season promises more big names and more opportunities for entertaining and authentic conversations that audiences simply won’t see anywhere else.”
Season 1 of The Assembly has been nominated for two 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Factual Series; a Banff World Media Festival Rockie Award nomination in the Social Issues & Current Affairs category; and two Yorkton Film Festival nominations, including recognition in the Factual Documentary Series category.
Audiences can watch the first season on the free CBC Gem streaming service, featuring Allan Hawco (Saint-Pierre), Arlene Dickinson (Dragons’ Den), Howie Mandel (The Price is Right Tonight), singer-songwriter Jann Arden, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) and comedian Russell Peters.
The show’s format is an adaptation of French series Les Rencontres du Papotin, which launched in 2022 on France 2 with guests including Killing Eve star Camille Cottin and French President Emmanuel Macron. Now a global hit, other iterations of The Assembly have featured guests including Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, and Sam Neill, among other international stars.
The Assembly is produced by Small Army Entertainment for CBC, with executive producers Sean De Vries and Stephen Sawchuk. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Susan Taylor is Executive in Charge of Production.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dëne Sųłıné, Dene Kǝdǝ́, Dene Zhatıé, Eastern Cree, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun and Tłı̨chǫ. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Small Army Entertainment
SMALL ARMY ENTERTAINMENT is a Vancouver-based film, television, and media production company led by award-winning Executive Producers Sean De Vries and Stephen Sawchuk. The company develops and produces premium global content for broadcasters, streamers, and digital platforms.
