My top 2022 neurodiversity on TV moments

It's been a pretty big year for neurodiversity in the media - some of it more positive than others. Let's round it up!

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As an autistic, dyspraxic, ADHDer, seeing myself in the media is always an interesting time. A lot of the time, clicking the play button always comes with a bit of reluctant wincing, but this year we’ve seen some excellent neurodivergent media moments.

So here are my top five neurodiversity moments in TV from 2022…

1. Kelly Given on Make Me Prime Minister

This list was obviously going to include our queen Kelly Given, an autistic and ADHD woman, featuring in the inaugural season of Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister.

All in all a very interesting show by concept alone, with a lot of twists and turns - and many a laugh at just how ridiculous it could get. But for many of us, Kelly’s feature was the real star of it all.

Charli Clement @charliclement_

It means the absolute world to watch someone express their sensory overwhelm and the impact of it on a screen like this. I’m glad Channel 4 seem not to be sensationalising - it’s a fact, it’s just a part of Kelly’s experience of the world and the situation. #MakeMePrimeMinister

Kelly smashed every single challenge going on the show, and I know I was not the only neurodivergent person who got to see themselves on a screen in a way we normally don’t. Between expressing sensory overload and showing the ways we think differently - and the amazing work that can come from that - this was such an groundbreaking moment for neurodivergence on British competition television.

2. Fern Brady on Taskmaster

Taskmaster is a show that generally celebrates and rewards original or different thinking, so I was extremely excited to see an autistic woman on the show. It has easily become my favourite season of the show between the representation Fern provided and the chemistry of the rest of the cast.

Charli Clement @charliclement_

“I’m not really a team player” and the disgust in “we have to touch each other?!” @FernBrady talks for autistics in two simple sentences #Taskmaster

I think one of the main reasons this one is so important is because it’s never about Fern’s autism specifically, it’s not made a big deal. But you get to watch the absolute joy that is Fern’s brain, and when you’re autistic too, the little idiosyncrasies and traits are clear and just so fun to watch.

From tasks with literal thinking, to proprioception clearly going awry, to her unmasking in the studio, but also just her own personality, frankness and… interesting prize task contributions, Fern is hilarious and goes against the stereotype that autistic people couldn’t possibly be funny.

To hear more about Fern’s experience of unmasking on the show, you can read it on her Instagram.

3. Quinni, Heartbreak High

Possibly the most obvious in this list - Chloe Hayden’s Quinni has truly been the moment this year.

I wrote two articles about the impact of Quinni, one for The Unwritten all about her, and the second for Digital Spy about the importance of her relationship with Sasha, so I won’t go on about her too much here.

Chloe Hayden is a phenomenal advocate and actress, and I adored every nuance of the representation we got. Seeing special interests and meltdowns in such realistic depth is rare, alongside seeing Quinni’s routines and social differences.

4. BBC’s The Traitors

Although subtle, we got some confirmed representation in possibly the best show of the year, The Traitors. Aaron shared that he has ADHD and that this makes him really curious.

Charli Clement @charliclement_

Every single time I see an ADHD trait in Aaron, it’s later what they use against him. Every single time. Obviously they have to find evidence somewhere, but with him, it is never anything genuinely suspicious, it’s impulsivity or RSD or fidgeting. #TheTraitors

Unfortunately, this one also showed the ways society is still showing many signs of stigma - Aaron’s panic attack (that to many ADHDers seemed a product of RSD) was taken for a long stretch of the series as suspicious, as was some of his impulsivity and the aforementioned curious natures.

Away from Aaron, I think this show overall just showed the way neurotypicals view behaviours that are out of social norms as inherently suspect. Although it had such a diverse cast in every way, this was a common theme particularly in the first few episodes for various cast members.

5. Hamza’s win on Strictly Come Dancing

I’m not actually normally a Strictly viewer, but ended up watching it in the background at uni, and in typical Charli style, got invested. What can I say, it’s a pattern.

I was very excited to see Hamza discuss dyslexia as a huge part of his win of the show, including the way he thinks in 3D and in pictures, as well as having a photographic memory.

Seeing Jowita work alongside him to make dancing accessible was so important and affirming, and something I hope to continue to see as the show continues to incorporate disabled contestants.

What next?

Next year I’d love for this list to include a wider variety of representation - I’m desperate for us to see more dyspraxia on screen, as well as our representation of all neurodivergences being in a more diverse range of people.

I’d also like there to be more casual representation in fictional television where it isn’t made to be a big deal, but isn’t just coded, too.

Happy 2023 everyone - let’s see what it has in store for representation.