Rockerdale’s award-winning interview show, The Assembly, has launched a 10-part YouTube series featuring dozens of celebrity anecdotes that have remained unseen until now.
The Assembly: B-Sides includes “all the funny, touching and downright bonkers moments” that took place during filming for the ITV show but never made the final cut.
The show features David Tennant, Gary Lineker, Jade Thirlwall and Danny Dyer along with Sir Stephen Fry, Nicola Sturgeon, Sir Lenny Henry, Anna Maxwell Martin, Aitch and Rylan – as well as Michael Sheen, who appeared in the original BBC pilot episode.
The Assembly sees famous faces are quizzed by a group of inquisitive interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled, “asking questions viewers didn’t even know they wanted answered.” The show is produced by disabled-led production company Rockerdale Studios, who will independently distribute the YouTube series.
Stu Richards, Co-founder of Rockerdale Studios, said: “Trust me, if you’d have seen that cutting room floor, you’d have commissioned a YouTube spin-off series too.
“Our interviewees generously give up hours of their time to be grilled by our brilliant panel, so it’s inevitable that some moments of pure gold don’t make it into the half-hour TV show. But the digital gods have saved us by providing a home for every shocking, emotional and hilarious revelation made by all those famous types during filming.
“The Assembly has done really well on ITVX, STV Player and ITV’s YouTube channel, and this digital-native spin-off series is an exciting next step in the brand’s multi-platform evolution.”
The Assembly’s format, distributed by CAN’T STOP media, is an adaptation of French series Les Rencontres du Papotin. It now airs in 20 territories including Canada, Australia and Brazil, with more than 250 celebrities already welcomed globally, including Erling Haaland, Gal Gadot, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Deneuve.
Rockerdale Studios is a Channel 4 Creative Investment Fund company and is part of the STV Studios family of labels.
The Assembly: B-Sides is available to watch on YouTube now, with new episodes dropping fortnightly.
Jon Creamer
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