BBC Series ‘A Kind of Spark’

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A Kind of Spark is a new 10-part CBBC show focussing on autistic women and girls. The main character Addie Darrow (Lola Blue) is an 11-year-old autistic girl navigating starting high school and all the troubles that comes with it. Her cheerleaders and ride-or-die girl gang are her sisters Keedie (Georgia De Gidlow), who is also autistic, and Keedie's twin Nina (Caitlin Hamilton), who is neurotypical.

Based on the bestselling novel by Elle McNicol, the show follows Addie on her quest to get a memorial for women tried as witches in her town. However, the big expansion to the show is that we also see how the town was affected by the witch trials and how the townsfolk were taught to fear anyone different that they didn't understand.

This storyline follows high-born Maggie Fraser (Hattie Gotobed) who is helping the accused women and standing up against witch hunter Adam Quinn (Ben Willbond). Maggie's sister Elinor (Ella Maisy Purvis) is desperately trying to protect her sister and the other women, whilst also hiding the fact she's autistic.

The story is ultimately one of autistic women not being ashamed of who they are, something that is rarely seen in media.

Author Elle McNicoll, who was also involved in writing the show, describes only ever seeing "white boys who loved trains" growing up.

Ella Maisy Purvis, who plays Elinor, agrees, saying their character's story shows that "autism isn't a thing that's just been created in the modern world. It's not created by vaccines or it's not a buzzword or like this cool new trend."

As if the show wasn't amazing enough, it's also groundbreaking in terms of production, with most of the cast being made up of neurodivergent people – even some of those playing the neurotypical characters.

Caitlin Hamilton, who plays Addie's neurotypical sister Nina, says she didn't declare she was autistic in the audition because she was worried "it would be a hindrance rather than a good thing. And that's really sad."

Hamilton has been acting since the age of 6 but wasn't diagnosed with autism until 17, quite typical for autistic women. She says, "I grew up not knowing how autism can present itself in so many different ways. Even when a teacher suggested it, because everything I'd seen it just didn't feel like my experience. I thought I was just making it up or being really dramatic."

"The show really helped me to realise I exist as an autistic woman. It helped shut up the imposter syndrome," says Georgia De Gidlow, who plays Keedie.

De Gidlow's character feels she has to mask her autism and doesn't tell her new friends, ultimately resulting in burn out. She said this shows the importance of authentic casting as "I know what it's like, it was exciting more than anything to portray the actual daily experience of an autistic woman."

De Gidlow agrees, saying that if the show came out when she was a teenager it "could have meant an early diagnosis, without years of having meltdowns and thinking I had a mental illness."

It will be striking for many that within the first episode Addie proudly explains "I'm autistic" and actually uses the words, or when her mum tells a meddling teacher "autism isn't something you have, it's something you are" – something we never see on television.

“I felt like for our generation and older generations this show is going to heal their inner child. For the younger generation hopefully, that inner child isn't going to need to be healed.” De Gidlow says.

As Purvis says, A Kind of Spark shows "We're here and we've always been here."

I hope we get this in Aus.
It's a pet theory of mine that the witch trials would have mostly targeted autistic women - so I'm interested to see what they've done with the same idea.

We spoke with two stars from series, neurodivergent actors Lola Blue (Addie) and Caitlin Hamilton (Nina), about working on a show in which approximately 50% of the cast and crew are neurodivergent.