Q+A

Name of the show:

Austin

Running length/eps:

Season 1: 8 x 30 mins
Season 2: 8 x 30 mins (coming soon)

Short logline:
When author Julian’s offensive social post goes viral, his career seems over until his neurodiverse son Austin suddenly arrives.

What is the elevator pitch for the show?
When much-loved children’s author Julian Hartswood inadvertently causes a social media storm, his career and that of his illustrator wife Ingrid appears to be over. That is until Austin, the neurodiverse son that Julian never knew existed, turns up out of the blue. Could embracing this modern blended family be Julian’s route back from cancellation? Will Ingrid forgive him for being such a pompous shit? One thing is for certain: if Julian thinks Austin is going to be a pushover, he’s in for a rude awakening.

From the award-winning producers of Spreadsheet and starring British comedy legends Ben Miller and Sally Phillips, alongside Love on the Spectrum’s enchanting Michael Theo, Austin is an original comedy-drama full of whip-smart dialogue and laugh-out-loud moments, and a warm, optimistic and emotive study on becoming a family and accepting and celebrating each other for who we are.

How important was it to secure Michael Theo’s involvement?

It was critical. A lot of Michael’s lived experience permeated the script and the storylines, and also that of his mother, Vanessa, who talked a lot about how she nurtured Michael, how she encouraged him and how hard it was for her hearing things like he was unlikely to say ‘I love you’ or show any emotion. She said, ‘I can’t accept that’ and the character of Austin’s mother, Mel, is very much shaped around that. Like in the show, she would drop him off at work and then she would just sit in the car, watching and going, ‘I hope everything is OK.’ As for Michael’s involvement, he was across all the scripts and the storylines, and also for him it was important that it was his version of being on the spectrum. We had a saying on set, and I think it came from Michael’s mother, which went, ‘If you’ve met one neurodiverse person then you’ve met one neurodiverse person.’

What do Ben Miller and Sally Phillips bring to the show?

Ben suggested Sally as Ingrid and obviously everyone loves Sally. She is a comic genius and the two of them together have an on-screen chemistry that is quite rare, I think. They’re both willing to try different things. They are not afraid to go to comic places for their characters. They also bring great stuff to the scripts, like story and character notes. And because of her own neurodiverse family, Sally really connects with Michael.

It must be exciting to know that the show will be reaching a big audience on the BBC?

Very. For the show to go out on the BBC is really exciting. I grew up on all those classic BBC comedies, so it’s an honour.

The first season of Austin has captivated audiences. With season two on the way, what can fans look forward to next?

We’ve been referring to Season 2 as the “rom com” season. Love is in the air – pretty much for everyone. But in contrast to the romance, Austin breaks bad! When his book, An Autistic Guide To Britain is published and begins to do well, he becomes seduced by fame, falling under the Machiavellian spell of his new literary agent. It’s a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Ingrid and Julian are given the opportunity to produce a Big Bear TV series, but like their screwball relationship, it’s full of ebbs and flows. Ultimately Julian goes to extreme measures to save their marriage.

Do you feel a responsibility to represent autism in a positive and informative light?

I think the best way to describe it is that you are representing it honestly and authentically. We had consultants and people advising us along the way, and there were so many people with experience of neurodiversity among the cast and crew, our writers and creatives. But fundamentally Michael’s experience and his family were instrumental in guiding us. We didn’t try and impose anything on it or make anything up. We would often ask Michael if something was authentic or how he would behave in a given situation.

How did Billie Piper become involved?

Actually, Billie was friends with Ben and Jess [executive producer Jessica Parker]. She liked the scripts, and she liked the idea of playing herself, and she was fantastic. She was so good to work with because she was no-fuss and just a lovely person.

What were the logistics of filming in both England and Australia?

I always describe the film industry as modern-day carny folk. It doesn’t matter where we circle our wagons, there’s a language that everybody understands. The crews are fantastic in the UK, and I think the Australian crews have grown up in the system from the UK as well, because there’s always been that great relationship. So in terms of logistics, it wasn’t difficult at all. On the first day of the shoot it happened to be bin day, so we spent the first half-hour running around trying to move the bins out of shot. Then, half-way through the shoot, the trucks arrived, and the bins had to come back out. But apart from that it was fantastic. It ran like clockwork.