Growing Up Autistic with John Harris and Heartstopper’s Bradley Riches
Bradley Riches joins John Harris for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation exploring life across the neurodiverse spectrum.
Riches is an autistic actor, author and advocate, best known for Heartstopper, Celebrity Big Brother and Emmerdale. Harris is a writer and broadcaster whose recent work reflects on parenting his autistic son and the role music has played in their lives.
Drawing on their own experiences, the discussion will reflect on growing up autistic, parenting autistic children and the evolving understanding of neurodiversity in families, schools and society.
From diagnosis and education to masking, identity and belonging, the panel will explore the challenges and breakthroughs that can shape the journey towards self-understanding.
Honest, insightful and hopeful, this event considers how greater awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity can transform not only individual lives, but the communities around us, too.
About the Speakers
Bradley Riches
Bradley Riches is a queer, autistic actor best known for the Netflix series Heartstopper, a role in the film Saltburn and his role as an autistic character in Emmerdale. With a fast-growing social media following of 1.6M, Bradley has cultivated an online community centred on celebrating neurodiverse minds. His advocacy work includes workshops, online support groups and contributions to neurodiversity-focused publications.
John Harris
John Harris is a prize-winning writer, journalist and presenter. He has a weekly column in the Guardian , and co-created its BAFTA-nominated video series Anywhere But Westminster. He has been awarded the Orwell prize for political journalism and the UK press award for political commentator of the year.
About the Chair
Remona Aly
Remona Aly is a journalist and broadcaster. She writes for The Guardian, is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Something Understood. She is also an editor and podcast host for various platforms.
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