Heart-breaking scenes and revelations left presenter Chris Packham in tears during a BBC Two documentary. The Countryfile regular was hosting Inside Our Autistic Minds, a two-part series, which gives a voice to autistic people - as Chris puts it, to say what's really going on inside their minds.
Chris, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in 2015, meets other autistic people and helps them create short films to express to their family and friends their hidden world and how they are really feeling inside. The first episode aired on Tuesday, February 14.
In episode one, which is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer, viewers met the son of radio legend Ken Bruce. Ken's son Murray had no real form of communication until he was nine years old. Now 20, Murray communicates by typing on a tablet.
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After Chris asks Murray to come up with script ideas for his film, he is astonished by the reply. Wales Online reported that Chris reads an email in which Murray describes feelings of loneliness. “I was alone in my world of deep and troubled pining for a person to hear me. I would wonder if that day would ever come." As the naturalist and nature photographer reads these words he chokes up.
"I mean frankly, it's enough to bring a tear to your eye, isn't it?" Chris explains. "I don't know whether it's because I have some form of affinity for Murray but I find that incredibly touching and a bit sentimental."
Earlier in the episode, Murray's father Ken describes how there was a "cruel irony" to his son's condition, considering his own job. Ken has hosted the morning weekday show on BBC Radio 2 for 31 years and 45 years of broadcasting on BBC Radio. He recently announced that he'd be leaving the station and joining Greatest Hits Radio.
Ken adds: “What he says has a real power and influence and each word has to be treasured.” The episode concludes with Murray showcasing his film to his family, who praise his work as "precious and poignant".
- The second episode of Inside Our Autistic Minds airs on BBC Two on Tuesday, February 21. Catch up on episode one on BBC iPlayer now.
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