INSIDE OUR MINDS WITH CHRIS PACKHAM RETURNS FOR SECOND SERIES ON BBC TWO

Following the success of last year’s acclaimed Inside Our Autistic Minds, which recently won best Specialist Factual series at the Broadcast Awards, the BBC has commissioned a second series, exploring what it is really like to live inside dyslexic and ADHD minds.

In this new two part series, presenter Chris Packham will focus in one episode on ADHD and the other on dyslexia. He’ll meet four contributors and give them the opportunity to show the world, in their own words and images, what ADHD or dyslexia mean for them.

Working with cutting edge filmmakers, animators and photographers, our contributors will recreate their unique worlds in visually inventive short films created for those closest to them. By sharing their most personal and vulnerable selves, they will give us a glimpse of what’s really going on inside their minds.

Now is the ideal time to explore the nation’s neurodiversity.

Today, it’s estimated that 1 in 7 British people are neurodivergent. But many of them don’t know it. And no one is more curious and sensitive to this subject than Chris, who was diagnosed as autistic in his 40s.

This new series aims to promote understanding of the lived experiences of neurodivergent people, tackling the prejudice and stigma they can face. Acknowledging the challenges of these conditions as well as celebrating their benefits.

Chris Packham says: “The response we had to Inside Our Autistic Minds has been unparalleled. I have never encountered such a positive reaction to any programme I have been a part of. Central to this reaction has been people saying that we facilitated a greater understanding of autistic minds and banished many misunderstandings about the condition. ADHD and dyslexia are both equally misunderstood so I am very excited about the challenge of exploring how they impact people’s day to day lives in education, work and relationships.”

Jack Bootle, BBC Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, says: “I was moved by the response to Inside Our Autistic Minds, and delighted it resonated with such a large audience. As our understanding of neurodiversity increases, I’m seeing a new wave of interest in ADHD and dyslexia, so this feels like the right time to expand the Inside Our Minds brand. Neurodiversity is much talked-about but often from the outside in. Inside Our Minds gives the microphone to neurodivergent people and allows them to lead the discussion.”

The first series, Inside Our Autistic Minds, was widely praised by viewers for its representation of autism. With a 28 day consolidated rating of 2.8m for episode 1, the series won Best Science Documentary at the Griersons, Best Representation of Disability at the MIPCOM Diversify TV Awards and Best Specialist Factual series at the Broadcast Awards.

Inside Our Minds 2x60 was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual for BBC Two and iPlayer.