TV presenter Chris Packham believes neurodivergent individuals are frequently misunderstood and unfairly stereotyped. He shares his thoughts with Camilla Foster.
The BBC science documentary Inside Our Minds launched its new episodes on May 12, 2025. Presented by Chris Packham, the show explores the experiences of people with ADHD and dyslexia, following the success of Inside Our Autistic Minds. Viewers outside the UK can watch it using a VPN.
Building on the success of his acclaimed series Inside Our Autistic Minds, beloved TV presenter Chris Packham returns with a follow-up—this time delving into the experiences of people with ADHD and dyslexia.
Best known for presenting nature shows like Springwatch and The Really Wild Show, Packham is also a conservationist and openly autistic. He’s passionate about using his platform to break down stereotypes and foster a deeper understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions.
In this two-part series, four individuals team up with top filmmakers, designers, and animators to produce powerful short films that reflect their unique personal journeys.
Through powerful storytelling and visuals, each participant opens up to their loved ones, sharing what it’s truly like to live with ADHD or dyslexia. Their stories give viewers a deeper, more compassionate insight into these conditions.
Our consensus was that ADHD and dyslexia are still cloaked in a thin skin of stereotypes, which means that people really just don’t get what they are about, So, it was a logical step for us to do what we could, using the tools that we involved in our first series to help those communities as much as we had succeeded, it seems, in helping the autistic community.
says the 63-year-old TV presenter.
Being a neurodiverse person means that there is already a sense of community there, because some of the struggles that you go through in dyslexia, ADHD, Tourette’s, or ASD are going to be parallel, [for example] the difficulties you face when you’re younger, the lack of understanding, the inability to communicate the way that the condition is impacting you because you can’t articulate that as a young person or as a child.
The first episode of the new series, centered on ADHD, shares the experiences of two individuals: Jo, 51, from Hertfordshire, who was diagnosed with ADHD at 49 during menopause, and Henry, a 23-year-old tour guide from London, who received his diagnosis at 17.
In the episode, Henry opens up about the ongoing frustration of frequently missing important appointments and reveals that his main reason for joining the programme was to help his parents and sister understand the real impact ADHD has on his daily life.
Henry is a brilliant young man, and I felt a compunction the minute we met to make sure that his parents could appreciate that and see that part of his light that they hadn’t previously been shown, because Henry was definitely hiding it, But that’s our overarching mission. We’re part of a conversation which is bringing these conditions to a wider awareness so that those changes can be integrated.
reflects Packham
Packham shared that his main role in the new series was to help the participants feel confident enough to share their stories on camera.
It’s about drawing that out and getting it on screen and asking those questions, which will allow them to distil their thoughts, their feelings, their emotions, into that moment and express something which previously, maybe they haven’t had the opportunity or the confidence or the foundation to be able to so,
highlights Packham
In an era where reality and quiz shows dominate television, Packham said he takes pride in being part of what he considers “proper public service broadcasting”—programming that meaningfully raises awareness and helps drive change.
“I hate to say it, but there’s a lot of really bad TV made these days,” says Packham. “I’m really pleased to be working with BBC on projects which I do consider to be proper public service broadcasting.” Packham shared that the overwhelmingly positive response to the first series motivated the team to continue their work.
This was playing a role in assisting a huge number of people whose conditions were misunderstood, and the feedback was that not just I but the whole team were getting after the first programme was so positive that we had a duty to move forward and make sure that we broadened our capacity to do good.
A standout moment for him was attending an ADHD support group for women in Bristol.
They didn’t know one another previously, and they came and sat down with a usual sort of wariness, And then all of a sudden someone lit the blue touch paper and they exploded – recounting all of their personal stories where there were a lot of overlaps and parallels. Some of which were quite disturbing in the way that they’d been treated by the healthcare profession or not had access to that at the appropriate time. It left me with an even greater sense of what we’re doing here is incredibly important because they deserve, we all deserve better, particularly when we’re young, fragile individuals.
recalls Packham
While the series addresses shared struggles, Packham stresses that it also highlights the strengths of neurodivergent people.
One thing to make clear is that throughout this series, and the ASD series that we made previously, is that we’re not solely focusing on the challenging, the negative, or the debilitating or even disabling aspects of these conditions, we’re also celebrating the aptitudes that they give people,
emphasises Packham
Inside Our Minds premiered on BBC Two on Monday, May 12, with the first episode, Inside Our ADHD Minds. The second episode, Inside Our Dyslexic Minds, aired on Monday, May 19.
Source: Yorkshire Post