SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 7.30PM
In this heartfelt episode of The Assembly, Leigh Sales mentors Autistic journalism students as they prepare to interview music star Guy Sebastian.
With shared passions for art and music, the students connect deeply with Guy, resulting in an interview that ends on a powerful, emotional high.
Leigh Sales is on the cover of TV Week this week.
SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER 7.30PM
On this episode of The Assembly, Autistic students, mentored by Leigh Sales, prepare to interview iconic journalist Ray Martin.
The students connect with Ray over shared passions – from politics to photography – delivering a disarming and insightful interview that reveals the legendary reporter as he’s rarely
seen.
SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 7.30PM
In this episode of The Assembly, Leigh Sales mentors Autistic journalism students as they prepare to interview beloved comedian and presenter Julia Morris.
With questions ranging from her recent ADHD diagnosis to behind-the-scenes TV moments, the students draw out a candid and moving conversation that’s equal parts funny, heartfelt and unexpected.
SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER 7.30PM
Leigh Sales reveals the next celebrity guest is world renowned cricketer and former Australian of the Year, Steve Waugh.
Many of the students are excited and we learn Shay is a big sports fan, regularly attending cricket games, but unfortunately Xanthia is not. Leigh works with her and the other students on how to see the human behind the athlete to find their own connection with Steve.
Steve’s sense of humour and warmth spreads throughout the interview as he opens up about his sporting career, family, starting his own charity and his first celebrity crush.
SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER 7.30 PM
In this episode of The Assembly, Leigh Sales mentors Autistic journalism students as they prepare to interview beloved cook and TV presenter Maggie Beer.
Maggie opens up about her early struggles, enduring marriage, passion for food, and personal loss — in a moving, heartfelt conversation full of warmth and honesty.
In this episode of The Assembly, Leigh Sales mentors Autistic journalism students as they prepare
to interview beloved cook and TV presenter Maggie Beer.
Maggie opens up about her early struggles, enduring marriage, passion for food, and personal loss —
in a moving, heartfelt conversation full of warmth and honesty.
ABC Showcase announced returning with a third season in 2026.
The Assembly S3 features interviews with Andy Lee, Claudia Karvan, Jimmy Barnes, Dave Hughes, Jess Mauboy and Ian Thorpe.
The ABC is excited to announce that season three of the highly-acclaimed factual series The Assembly returns on Sunday, 26 April at 7.30pm on ABC TV, with all episodes available to stream for free on ABC iview.
In its third season, The Assembly evolves into a deeper, more ambitious series, with Autistic journalism students from previous seasons returning to question some of Australia’s most recognisable personalities for revealing, in-depth interviews that go beyond their public image.
Taking the next step in their media training under the continued mentorship of award-winning journalist Leigh Sales, the graduate students share their personal success stories from their first foray into the media. For the first time, Leigh takes the students on field trips, to sharpen their research and interviewing skills while uncovering the real stories behind the featured guests.
Under Leigh’s guidance, the students visit locations that played host to career defining moments for the interviewees, meeting with close supporters and friends to tap into the origin stories of these famous Australians in a way that we’ve never seen before.
A-list guests in the hot seat this season are Andy Lee, Claudia Karvan, Jimmy Barnes, Dave Hughes, Jessica Mauboy and Ian Thorpe.
Dynamic, inspiring, and heartfelt, The Assembly continues to redefine media training, inclusive employment and storytelling, celebrating neuro-diverse voices and empowering the next generation of journalists.
Produced by HELIUM, The Assembly is made with comprehensive support for the student journalists, through a partnership with Aspect (Australia’s largest service provider for people on the autism spectrum), Dr Helen Wolfenden, Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University (delivering tailored journalism training), and Bus Stop Films (Australia’s leading inclusive filmmaking organisation). Together, these partners help create a production environment that is inclusive and empowers storytelling.
Production Credit: The Assembly is produced by Helium Pictures for ABC. The Assembly is an inclusive production proudly supported by Aspect (Austism Spectrum Australia) and Bus Stop Films. Executive produced and directed by showrunner Melissa Maclean, executive produced by Therese Hegarty, HELIUM’s Mark Fennessy and ABC Commissioning Editor, Factual Julie Hanna. ABC Head of Documentary & Specialist, Susie Jones. HELIUM has developed The Assembly for an Australian audience from a format created by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, originally produced by KIOSCO.TV & QUAD+TEN, and distributed by CAN’T STOP Media.
An earlier starting date for the show.
The previous two seasons both aired in September to October.
SUNDAY 26 APRIL 7.30PM
The Assembly’s previous graduates return to further develop their craft of journalism, under the continued mentorship of award-winning journalist, Leigh Sales.
In the first episode, graduate students from previous series reunite as the universes collide, with students from alternate series meeting for the first time. As we catch up on what they’ve been doing since their series aired, Leigh reveals that the first interviewee of the new series is the charming comedian, author, radio and TV host, Andy Lee.
The interview is hilariously unguarded, uplifting and shows a vulnerable side to Andy that is rarely seen.
