In a television that is no longer given to surprise, a format emerged that became a revelation in France. Suddenly, a group of people with different autism spectrum disorders (ASD) stood in front of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to ask him questions and get the headlines that, until now, journalists had not achieved. The program, originally titled 'Les Rencontres du Papotin', swept the audience in terms of audience and now comes to Spain through Telecinco, with a first interview with Malaga actor Antonio Banderas (premiere at 10:50 p.m.) with thirty reporters who They are going to dislocate and make the guest blush.
'100% Unique', the name of the Spanish adaptation of a format that will also soon be extended to other countries such as Italy, Germany or the United Kingdom, aims not only to captivate and interest the viewer with its original proposal, but also to make reality visible. of people with ASD and how this condition affects their daily life and that of their environment. The program, produced by Shine Iberia ('MasterChef'), has the collaboration of Autism Spain and the advice of support staff from different associations.
“It is a very exciting project, because at first one can consider it as a charity thing, but they are really helping yourself,” explains its presenter, Guillermo Fesser. «You are learning and meeting people that you would have missed if they had not given you a simultaneous translator. In the end, autism is like another language; We don't know, because it is another way of understanding life, with another rhythm and it is difficult for us to fit in,” he reflects.
The journalist, based in the United States, regrets that Spanish society does not listen to people with autism and prefers, sometimes, not to have contact with them or give them the opportunity to get to know them “because we don't know what to do.” “But the energy we are creating, paying attention to a group that people normally don't pay attention to, is wonderful,” celebrates the communicator, who believes that '100% Únicos' will also serve as a learning experience for the audience.
Fesser also values the high level of the questions and the curiosity that the interviewers pose to their guests because, as he defends, “the best journalist is not the one who asks the most original question, but the one who gets the most interesting answer.” ». The program, which will be broadcast every Monday on Telecinco, will feature popular characters such as presenters Mercedes Milá and Xavier Sardà; the actors Leo Harlem, Javier Gutiérrez, Daniel Guzmán and Carmen Maura; chef Dabiz Muñoz; the former president of Ciudadanos Albert Rivera and the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
Sánchez, interested in attending
The executive producer of the program, Ana Rivas, acknowledges that she presented the project to Mediaset and they approved it immediately. The next step was the casting of the interviewers, something that, according to the person in charge, generated a certain fear. «We spoke with Autism Spain and they immediately launched their entire network of associations for whoever wanted to participate. We have never done a casting simpler than this,” she admits. The program sends them a video with a brief biography of the guest and the collaborators send any questions they want. «They do not have any type of filter when it comes to asking questions (.) They are studious, super diligent and obsessive about everything, they prepare very well. The only thing we try is that the questions are not repeated and that everyone can intervene,” she says.
Thus, each installment has two interviews in which thirty reporters participate. This is a group that covers a wide range of people and ages to make visible a different reality within the autism spectrum, in which different types of communication or degrees of dependency are also discussed. Program participants are always accompanied by a group of therapists who have helped them prepare their interventions.
As in the French version, '100% Únicos' also extended an invitation to the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. “There has not yet been an option, but we know that he is very interested in coming,” says the producer, who wants more politicians to come to the program because it is “an opportunity” for them to listen to people with autism. «It is the best way to stir consciences and make something really happen. The number of autistic people is very high in Spain: there are 450,000 people throughout the Spanish territory,” says Rivas.
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