Episode 1 Employable Me

Could I sum up my employment history so far? Yes.

-I have literally never worked before in my life.

-Ever?

-Ever.

This programme contains strong language.

-How many jobs have you applied for?

-Hundreds of jobs.

-What was your last job?

-Hey! Hey! Stripper.

This interview is not going well.

Employers always say they want candidates who think differently.

But how much do they really mean it?

-HE MOANS

-How important is it you find work?

-HE SQUEALS

-I want to lead a normal life like everybody else does.

Meet the extraordinary job-seekers...

Meow chicken.

..whose brains are wired differently.

-What do you think are your biggest weaknesses?

-I shave my pubes.

-Whoops!

-SHE LAUGHS

-That shouldn't be a problem in this job.

-Good, thank you.

In a world where the workplace is set up for the norm,

it's been impossible for them to succeed at work.

Until now.

Businesses are starting to realise that neuro-diverse conditions

like autism and Tourette's can bring creativity,

innovation and real brilliance into the workplace.

With the help of leading scientists,

they'll uncover their unique abilities...

The numbers just kept coming in the right order.

Tick, tick, tick, how is she even doing that?

Wow, I didn't see that coming.

Goodness me, that is so impressive.

..and battle to overcome their challenges...

This, I can't... I don't know how to control this.

I'm hating this, this is so awkward.

Hey! Hey, hey, hey!

..to prove to employers how their difference...

Trust in thine armour to succeed.

..could actually be a strength.

Do you think you'd fit in here?

And when the job match is right...

-Sold for £24 to the little gentleman over there.

-Perfect.

..it could change their life forever.

So what would it mean to finally get the right job?

-HE SQUEALS

-It would mean the world.

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

Famous. Do you know Jon Bon Jovi?

HE WHISTLES, KNOCKS

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT, CLICKS

And tonight, Matthew...

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES AND CLEARS HIS THROAT

-Hey!

-HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

-One, two, three, you're in the room.

-HE WHISTLES

Huh! I'm Paul Stephenson, I'm 52 years old. And I want...

HE CLICKS

..a job.

HE MOANS AND WHISTLES

Why do you want to work?

That's what we're put on Earth to do, to work, to love our family.

And then grow old and die. Bo-boom-boom, tss.

Do you know my mum, she's really good at sex. Good.

Anyway, have I got the job? Hey!

Hey! Caz, I broke the kettle, I just ticced right hard and snapped it.

Paul lives in a small village in rural Northumberland

with his kids and his wife, Carol.

Oh, Paul!

His mum and dad live just two doors down.

Homosexual man alert!

No, baby Jesus was born in a porthole.

-Right.

-CHILDREN LAUGH

HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

"Factory worker.

"The ideal candidate will be nimble-fingered,

-"with good attention to detail."

-Yeah, looks good. Looks boring!

Paul worked all his life

until he developed full-blown Tourette's six years ago.

Since then, no-one has been willing to give him a job.

-Security officers.

-I've got a gun.

Both male and female candidates wanted.

Who's going to employ a guy who shouts "bomb" or...

-BLOWS RASPBERRY

-Hey! Mujaheddin!

-BLOWS RASPBERRY

-Mujaheddin.

-Give us a job! Sorry.

-Library assistant.

-Silence!

-"To provide face-to-face service to our customers."

-Ssh.

Ssh!

Funeral director, trainee.

-Assisting with general housekeeping duties.

-Shagging the dead.

-Maintaining...

-Dead!

-That's not going to work.

HE WHISTLES

Bobby Robson, I'm his love child.

'In an ideal world, I'd love him to go back to work.'

For the family and for himself.

Mental health learning disabilities.

Oh, I'd do that one well. Hey! Testing!

-Hey!

-It gets him down.

I'm still hoping that there's something, you know.

Means a lot for his own self-esteem.

We'll just have to see, really.

Thing is, I don't feel... Ha!

I don't feel capable, and when you've not got that confidence,

you put yourself at the back of the queue. Hey!

-I murder cats and kittens. Jesus.

-HE CLICKS AND WHISTLES

Hey! I don't want to work.

I do want to work. A tic.

Do you know I've got piles as well?

Don't go near the bonfire.

Although 300,000 people in Britain have Tourette's,

only 10% suffer to the extent Paul does...

Salmonella poisoning!

This is the worst party ever.

..with extreme involuntary tics...

Oh, shit. Call the fire brigade. Hey! Kicked it over.

..including violent body jerks and offensive outbursts.

-Hitler were good. Oh, shit.

-Dear me.

-Hey!

He will say things that are probably

the most inappropriate he could possibly think of.

She's overweight and grossly underpaid.

Some people's faces are like...

"How do you put up with that?"

But, I mean, obviously, he doesn't mean it.

Tasty, them burgers, aren't they?

Do you know how many baby lions were killed?

We'd been together for 15 years before Paul's Tourette's started.

Just such a dramatic change from when I first met him.

But he's still Paul,

and, you know, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, I'd probably prefer him not to have Tourette's, to be honest.

But I wouldn't want to change how he is.

Carol has had to take over the role of breadwinner

since Paul's condition took hold.

Got a 36DD breast.

He's been a good househusband and he's a good cook.

-He's a good

-BLEEP!

-That's not where he wants to be.

He wants to be back in the work and providing for t'family.

You're going to end up falling out with each other

and hurting each other.

'I've no aspirations to be a millionaire,

'I'm not asking for the stars in heaven.'

Leave Mummy alone.

'I'm just asking to be able to provide for my family.'

I just want things to go back to how they were.

I go to work, bring money in.

Right, boys...

Have a fulfilled life.

Mum! Mum! No, it tickles!

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

Can you describe your condition for me?

I'm, like...

It's hard, um, like...

Don't know, like, um...

My mind's gone, like, I'm...

thinking now how, like, how I'm stopping talk...

Mind's gone blank.

If you like, write down what you want to say and read it out?

What's the worst thing about being autistic?

Being in a world where it's geared for language,

for people communicating, rather than...

accepting people that can't...

talk.

How many jobs would you say you've applied for?

Loads, lit... Um...

Hun...hundreds of jobs.

All right?

-Yep.

-Ready?

34-year-old Brett struggles to communicate clearly

unless he writes down his thoughts and reads them out.

I'll walk up with you. You're all right.

-I don't know...

-You don't want to go in?

He lives in County Durham with his mum Tanya

who's been trying to help him

overcome his challenges to find work.

Can you tell me why you're feeling anxious, Brett?

I'm... Don't want to...

Don't know.

-You coming?

-No, I'm not.

She's heard a local taxi firm is looking for drivers.

You all right? Do you not want to go up?

See there? Drivers wanted.

-Yeah.

-We'll walk across to the door, see if you could go in.

-Um... Um....

-Hello, mate.

Sorry, I'm just looking at your sign for drivers.

All right, you've got to drive a year

-before you can apply for your taxi badge.

-Um, I have.

You've got to do a driving test, a theory test, knowledge test.

-Thanks.

-All right?

-Thank you.

No problem, all right?

-Thank you.

-You all right, Brett?

I didn't even, like, know what to say,

I hadn't prepared anything, and didn't...

Ready? Want to go back to the car?

Yeah, I could tell you were a bit anxious.

Are you helping Nana? Are you going to help Nana?

Only learning to speak aged four,

Brett has always struggled socialising

and was bullied at school.

He left at 16 with no qualifications.

He doesn't go out.

I've known him not go out of the house in six months.

I have to make him take me shopping.

He does sometimes get out of the car now, doesn't he?

But at one point he wouldn't get out of the car.

In the UK, only 15% of adults on the autistic spectrum,

like Brett, are in full-time work.

"Thank you for your letter.

"I regret that we are unable to help as we do not accommodate people

"in work experience or similar roles."

Well, at least you've got a reply.

With no qualifications, and struggling to communicate,

he's been rejected from every job he's applied for

over the past eight years.

If...

there's 100 university candidates, um...

and so why...consider me?

I don't know.

He just needs to have a chance. That's all he's asking for, really.

Just a chance to prove himself.

It's important that he finds a job for his own self-esteem.

To feel worth something.

And I feel so sorry and hurtful for him,

because he tries and there's nothing he can do about it.

What would you say is the absolute worst thing about having Tourette's?

You've got this neurological disorder that disrupts your life,

affects your employment.

It never seems to go away, I never have any time where I'm not ticcing.

Fuck off! Bomb!

HE BLOWS RASPBERRY, SPITS

Hey!

Today, Paul is facing a five-hour trip to London on public transport.

Hey! Allahu Akbar! Bollocks! Hey!

He's going to meet a Tourette's specialist for advice

on how to improve his chances of work.

I hope I don't come back cos I die.

But his tics are far worse when he's in public or in crowds.

I'm not coming back.

So can I have a kiss and a hug?

As a safety measure, he'll be travelling with his brother-in-law.

Dave, you fucking ginger dick.

But Carol is still worried about the journey.

Wish me luck. Mujaheddin!

Sorry. Hey!

It's in public, there's no escape.

You going to be a good boy while I'm away?

He has no control,

so he needs somebody to be there

to make sure that he's safe,

and that other people know that he's not a threat to anybody else.

(Sorry...)

'Next train to arrive on platform two

'in approximately eight minutes' time...'

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Bah!

'Tourette's doesn't take any prisoners.

'Just come out with anything, racial slurs.

'My mind's racing about every potential dangerous situation

'that my Tourette's might get me into.

' "I'm Al-Qaeda, I've got a bomb," I tic that.'

Shut the fuck up!

HE BARKS

HE WHISTLES

Wanker. 'People don't understand.'

Excuse me, I've got Tourette's syndrome, so if I shout stuff out...

Hey! Hey!

'..Consequences are I get arrested.'

You smell of pee! Hey!

This is the last journey of your life.

'Worst-case scenario, sprayed, Tasered, locked up and charged.'

Hey!

We're going to die.

Hey! Hey!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

MUFFLED SHOUTING

Have you got the tickets? Hey!

It's open, thank God for that.

Hey!

BLEEP.

Shut the fuck up! Death to the BLEEP wankers.

Hey! Fuck off!

And I'm anxious. Wank!

I need to get somewhere safe. Hey!

-Fuck off! Wank!

-HE COUGHS

Bloody hell, nearly spewed then. Hey!

Fucking dying, man.

Let's get out of here, man. Hey! Taxi for 50p!

I want to go somewhere safe. Hey! Fuck off.

Fucking dicks.

He's a really bad actor. Fuck the shit, dick.

-HE WHISTLES

-Hey!

HE TICS AND WHOOPS

Paul's travelled to see Davide Martino,

a neurologist at King's College Hospital.

He's been treating and studying people with Tourette's syndrome

for over ten years.

Ssh! Ssh!

Give us a job.

For a long time, Tourette's syndrome has been regarded as

a severe mental illness, but in actual fact, Tourette's syndrome

and tics are generated by the abnormal development

of connections and pathways in the brain which control movements.

-Hi, Paul, good morning.

-Hi. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hey! Hey! Hey!

'Paul has a particularly severe form of Tourette's syndrome,

'and I'm very interested in understanding what situations'

make his tics better and what make his tics worse,

as this would be key to identifying the best job for him.

-Paul, I wanted to know more about how your tics developed.

-Hey!

Er, I would say,

the degree that my condition is today, it started six years ago.

A very good friend of mine passed away,

and I were overwhelmed with emotion

and the tics and the big movements started at his funeral,

at the crematorium.

And I was sat around, "ha-ha-ha-ha..."

Making noises like that.

Everybody was thinking I were grieving.

And then, after returning home, it was like an explosion.

Not only just the movements but the loud shouts.

Hey!

We know that emotional stress may lead to

sudden exacerbations of these movements.

Looking back as a child, my parents have mentioned that

I had very small motor tics and vocalisations,

which we now, I now know was Tourette's.

You have developed this ability to suppress them

when you became a young adult. But then this anxiety has had...

-A reversal.

-..a consequence,

-a reverse effect, and this ability, for some reason, got lost.

-Hey!

-Focusing attention on a skill...

-Uh-huh.

..may make tics better.

People feel more relaxed.

The combination of this focus of attention on a specific task

and the relaxation actually melts down tics fairly effectively.

-I mean, there are surgeons who have tics.

-Yeah.

When they enter theatre and they are about to start an operation,

they are absolutely brilliant in suppressing any type of tic

whatsoever and they're very good at their job.

'Although Paul's tics cannot be eradicated,

'I think that it is possible'

for him to find activities that will help him

with his tics, and some of these activities may be used

in a professional context and become jobs.

Finding a job where I could focus and be tic-free, it's a great idea,

but whether it's achievable or not, I don't know.

Maybe a workplace where I'm away from crowds, away from people.

Because that's when my tics seem to be at their worst.

Take me to the moon.

What are your biggest fears for the future?

Um...

Um, not having a job and being by myself...

..is my biggest fear for the future. Just...

being the typical lonely old man, no job, no nothing.

Are we feeding you?

To turn around eight years of failed job-hunting,

Brett needs expert help.

So today, he's leaving the house for the first time in two weeks.

It always has been unnerving

whenever I'm away from home.

Brett's going to Cambridge University

to meet Professor Simon Baron-Cohen,

a world-renowned expert on autism.

I think there's a big change happening.

Employers are now starting to realise that there's an advantage

to having people who think differently in a team.

-Have a good time.

-I will do. Bye.

-Hi, Brett.

-Hello, Simon.

-Welcome to Cambridge.

'The autistic brain is simply different to the typical brain.'

Some people with autism are socially quite withdrawn,

and that might not give you any clue that the person might also

have superior abilities in certain areas.

So we really have to look past the social difficulties

to see what they're capable of.

With over 20 years dedicated to researching autism...

Come on in.

..Simon wants to assess Brett's skills and talents

to help him focus on a new strategy in finding work.

So it's very nice to meet you.

Yeah.

When did you get your diagnosis?

Um...

Um...

-about four years ago.

-So quite recent.

Um...

I've been told I didn't start talking till around three,

-four years old.

-We would probably say that was a bit late.

Most kids are talking by about one or two years old.

So what do you remember from that early period?

Um, I would just sit by myself and looking at stuff.

-So you're more of an observer, really?

-I think with pictures.

In someone with autism, there's much more activity

in the visual parts of the brain at the back

rather than in the frontal lobes.

They don't necessarily think in words, so they're thinking visually,

spatially, and that might be part of their strength.

So, I've got various things here.

-Are you happy to try some of these tests?

-Yeah.

-If I can set this up, we have six compartments.

-Yeah.

And the idea is that if we just take one match away,

can you make another kind of pattern where there are six compartments?

The matchstick test is a test of logic and problem-solving

for someone who thinks in a very visual way.

That's interesting, going for a different shape.

Wow. This is very interesting.

Is that six? I think that is, isn't it? Yeah, that's six.

-Yeah.

-So you've turned it into more like a hexagon.

-Yeah.

Six triangles, that's fantastic. Incredibly fast.

And just to tell you, I couldn't do that,

I had to look up the answer, but you did it on your own.

People with autism shouldn't be underestimated.

They might see things in a fresh way

and that could be really valuable in the workplace.

-Do you like learning things?

-Yeah.

-Like drawing...

-Drawing, yeah.

-And piano.

-Piano? You taught yourself the piano?

-Yeah.

-I don't know what you'd feel about playing me something?

-Would you like to do that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Normally I just, um, improvise.

-OK.

Um...

HE PLAYS POETIC, GENTLE MELODY

Thank you very much. It's wonderful.

I actually found it very moving listening to it,

because it's a very emotional song as well, isn't it?

A lot of people with autism love systems,

where there are repeating patterns.

And the piano is just one example, isn't it, really,

where you can create these patterns.

He's got incredible talent.

When he walked over to the piano,

and started playing his own composition, it was extraordinary.

He's got a real ability to learn

and that's going to be a really good skill

when it comes to the workplace.

Isaac Newton. Some people speculated that Newton might have had autism.

Although he was obviously incredibly talented as a scientist,

as a physicist, he struggled with social relationships.

He was quite interested in music as well, actually.

I've never really met any specialists that can

give us more of an insight, like what Simon's done today.

It has made me feel better in looking for work.

Like many people with autism,

Brett's big difficulty is going to be having the social skills,

the language skills, to get through an interview.

But if he could just get onto a work trial, he'd have a better chance

of getting into a job based on his actual abilities.

What I would like is an employer that would understand autism.

If they can give me a job, I might not know about it,

but I will quickly learn and find my own solutions.

What would you say your biggest weakness is?

Small cock... Ah. Cock.

Er, my weakness, I would say, is my condition.

-HE WHISTLES

-Hey!

We have ways of making you talk.

-HE WHISTLES

-Hey!

Frank Spencer is not real.

Taking advice from a Tourette's specialist,

52-year-old Paul is looking for jobs away from crowds

that focus his mind so his tics reduce.

While I was at school, worked on a milk round.

Since then, working in a timber yard,

bus driving, window cleaning, and also worked as a doorman.

Living just a stone's throw from a busy harbour,

Paul's heard there are vacancies on the local fishing trawlers,

offering long stints working at sea, far away from people.

Ooh! Horse piss.

He's keen to send in his CV.

I've held professional driving licences including HGV,

and I've had many years of practical driving experience.

I might put "safe" because I've never had an accident.

I killed a man once. I didn't.

HE WHISTLES

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Right. Hup!

HE TICS

Fuck off! Hey!

Hey! Hey! Fuck off! Hey! Hey! Fuck off!

TICS INTENSIFY

Bollocks! Fuck!

Fuck!

Hey! Wank! Fuck off!

If he don't take time out now,

he'll probably have a full-on tic attack,

which means that he just constantly tics and he can't...

he can't stop them.

HE TICS CONTINUALLY

There's nothing I can do to help him or anyone else,

he just has to deal with it and let him come back down.

It's usually something's causing him to be anxious.

In the past, he's actually ended up on the floor,

not being able to get up, and the only thing I could do

was put a cushion under his head to stop him hurting himself.

Hey! Caz, I'm going up.

TICS CONTINUE

Yeah, which, if you're on a job somewhere, doing something,

isn't the best, is it, really?

Fuck off! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey!

What would it mean to you to get a job?

Um...

Everything, really. Um...

Independence, and being able to feel that I'm,

like, being useful.

Come on! Come and get a gravy bone. Come on!

Unemployed Brett has not only taught himself piano from scratch,

but his autistic mind has also enabled him

to master 3-D modelling and computer animation.

The way his brain works is a lot more advanced than mine.

None of the others can do that - there's only Brett that can

look at something and know how to do it immediately.

Despite his talents, he's not been able to find a job.

So how's things?

Um...

Following Brett's meeting with Simon Baron-Cohen,

he's got an appointment with a specialist employment advisor.

Sometimes the employers see just

the label and they're not sort of

prepared to give that person

a chance to prove themselves.

Hopefully, if Brett gets some

worthwhile work experience,

he'll be able to prove that he has got excellent skills.

I've got a few little possible leads.

John has compiled a list of companies with vacancies that match

Brett's skill set and which might be interested in offering a work trial.

The first opportunity that's come about is a family-run company

that makes medical equipment.

The team mostly develop software that helps streamline

the company's processes.

-Is that, like, software testing?

-Yes.

Oh, because I think I could be good at that.

I think you have a lot of transferable skills

-you could use for that one, couldn't you?

-Yes. Um...

I have got the skills to do the jobs,

but I've had not a lot of success

in the past and I'm still a bit

dubious as to whether any employers would still want to...

consider us.

-Take care, now.

-OK.

-Bye.

-Bye.

MAN BARKS Woof!

Paul is hunting for a job that lessens the severity of his tics.

-I'm nervous.

-After sending out his CV, he's been invited to meet

the director of the local fishing association.

We don't make love any more because, yeah - I'm a spastic.

-HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

-Bop-bop-bop!

-CHILDREN: Bye, Dad!

-Love you.

-Love you, too. Woof! Get down, now.

I'm sure it'll be fine, love.

-HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

-Ha!

You all right, mate? Wanky taxi driver!

Woof!

Do you know baby Jesus liked petrol stations?

-Paul is interviewing to work on the local trawler boats.

-Fishy fanny.

Whoo!

Far away from the triggers of his Tourette's,

it could be a good choice to keep his tics under control.

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

Hey! Hey!

-Hiya.

-Hey!

Just put that brolly there.

Hey, hey, hey!

Nice to meet you, I'm Paul Stevenson.

-I'm Dennis Osborne. Grab a seat.

-Hi, Dennis. Ha!

A word about my tics - don't be alarmed.

If I tic anything that might sound personal or anything, ha!

..it don't reflect my opinion at all.

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

Do you know anything about the industry?

Not at all, other than what I've seen on TV. I just wanted to...

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

HE CLEARS THROAT AND WHISTLES

..look into different options and different things, so...

-The industry itself is an extremely hard-working industry.

-Uh-huh, yeah.

It's wet, it's cold, it's dangerous.

I can't swim! I CAN swim, sorry.

-You've got to really want to do this.

-Right.

-It's a hard life out there.

-Aye.

I've worked all my life from being 14. I had part-time jobs and stuff.

Hey! My heart and everything is willing.

And then I'm in this through no fault of my own.

This condition came on in the last six years, so...

Excuse my ignorance, but...

how does pressure affect your condition?

It has a tendency to make my tics worse...

Well, not a tendency, it DOES make my tics worse. Hey!

The problem is that...

a fishing vessel,

unlike anything else anybody else works on, is constant motion.

How are you going to cope with that?

I don't think you could, really.

Once your motion goes, you would be over the side.

And the sad part is you could take somebody with you, you know?

HE CLEARS THROAT, WHISTLES

Does that make sense to you?

I've not come to the end of a road

-by you saying I'm not suitable for this.

-Absolutely.

-I'll look at other avenues.

-Yes, I can understand that.

I really appreciate you giving me

the time today to come and talk to you.

Obviously, good luck for the future in anything else you attempt.

-Hey, hey, hey!

-HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

Not a nice experience for somebody to say, "I'm sorry,

"you wouldn't be capable of doing it".

-Thanks for coming, Paul.

-I appreciate you taking the time.

'It has a big impact on your self-worth,

'because while my heart is willing and my brain is willing,'

the reality of me doing a job like that is pretty zero.

See you later, bye-bye. Hey. Dolphin!

It affects your self-esteem...

..and gives me doubts about my capabilities of...what could I do?

-Ha!

-HE WHISTLES

Hey! Jump in the river.

Ooh!

I'll cry when I get home. Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

-Hey, hey, hey!

-I could wear white.

-Well, I like the black and grey.

I like it as well, yeah.

Brett has had some welcome news.

One of the companies approached through his employment advisor

has a vacancy.

What are you worrying about?

Absolutely everything.

Absolutely everything.

They've invited him to an interview for a two-week work trial

that could lead to a full-time job.

Brett's told them he has autism.

Are those ironed properly there, Brett?

No. They're not.

I really struggle with talking to people anyway

and in the interview setting,

it just escalates it.

I've failed at every interview I've been to.

Here we are, let me just turn that a little bit, there. There you go.

Build yourself up, tell yourself you're going in there

and you're going to show 'em exactly what you can do. Be confident.

Brett's interview is at a company that designs

and builds medical equipment.

His gift for visual problem-solving could prove a valuable commodity,

if the interviewers can see past his awkwardness.

Brett. I'm Peter.

Good to meet you. Come through.

The vacancy that we've got at the moment

is for a technician in the factory, it's computer-related and we need

people with an eye for detail, quick learners and good with systems.

We can start with you telling us a little bit about yourself.

Um...

I, um... I've...

I've, er...

Um, I've struggled with social communication and stuff,

but I like modelling on the computer.

OK.

OK.

I don't know whether this is the right phraseology,

his brain is processing on the inside, but he's struggling

to get the words to the outside.

There's some kind of blockage in the pipe between his brain

and the outside world.

OK, Brett, what is it that you find appealing

about coming to work with us?

You are being innovative, not stopping,

you are looking for new ways and I think that's how my mind thinks,

I'm always thinking of something new,

trying a different way to push something.

OK, Brett. Well, thanks for coming over this afternoon.

-We'll be in touch.

-Thank you.

He struggled, verbally,

but that's not important for the role that we're looking for.

What's more important is that the person fits the job

and can do the job and wants to do the job.

Could I ask who's calling?

I'll pass him over, thank you.

Hello?

'I'm just calling you to let you know that we've

'reviewed your application...'

Yes?

'And we're happy to let you know that that has been successful.'

-Thank you!

-'Thanks a lot, Brett - take care.'

-Bye!

-'Bye.'

Very good! What do you think? Are you pleased?

Shocked.

Well done, Brett, you should be buzzing!

-I don't know...

-I'm pleased for you, Brett, I'm really pleased.

-It's something you want to do.

-It's a good thing, yeah.

You did good, yeah - you did do good.

I'm chuffed.

Because there's a chance to prove yourself, that I can cope with it.

-INTERVIEWER:

-When was the last time you had something like that happen?

I haven't.

Yes!

If Brett performs well in the trial,

it could lead to a permanent job.

But, for such a social recluse,

even the journey to work is a step forward.

He's feeling a bit apprehensive about travelling.

But it is a big deal, it's...

Because it's something that he would enjoy doing.

I think I'll be able to do whatever work that they're showing us,

it's just meeting everyone,

introducing myself, that I'm all anxious about.

Brett, good morning.

-Morning.

-Good to see you.

-All right, Brett.

-Hiya.

Talking to new people is Brett's greatest difficulty,

though he can write what he's thinking.

'When you're struggling to speak to strangers,

'it feels like I can't break through.

'The picture in my mind breaks down

'and fear and anxiety replaces it.

'Social interaction is like a puzzle that can't be solved.'

-Can I introduce Brett?

-Hi!

Pleased to meet you.

'These people are waiting for a response - something,

'anything - and everything depends on it.'

So this is the job card. Let's input all that information.

Brett's first task - customising shoe insoles for patients -

could tap into his talent for visual thinking

and self-taught computer modelling.

Just open any insole...

It's like that.

-Do you think you'll be all right giving that a go?

-Mm.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How is Brett doing?

He is picking up really quickly,

but communication is probably

a little bit low.

Are you feeling all right with it so far?

Sorry?

That's probably the trickiest part.

-Are you finding it all right, then?

-Yep.

-Yeah?

-Have you got any...?

-Um...

Don't worry. I generally just talk a lot,

so don't worry about it!

I'm going to go for my break now.

-You just going to stay here?

-Yeah.

Yeah?

RAUCOUS LAUGHTER FROM FAR TABLE

It wasn't a career option to get a disability.

I didn't ask for this, but I'm certainly not letting it beat me

and I'm certainly not sitting down, accepting it.

Fuck off.

HE WHISTLES

Do you know if Osama Bin Laden's been in this taxi?

Despite all his efforts,

every job avenue Paul explores is blocked by his Tourette's.

My bra's chafing. Woof!

Today, he has an assessment with an occupational psychologist,

to see if there's anything else he can try.

Nancy Doyle specialises in finding the hidden talents

in people on the extreme end of the neurological spectrum.

People with neuro-diverse conditions like Tourette's

tend to have strengths, but a lot of weaknesses as well.

What they've been paying attention

to is all those weaknesses,

but what I'm hopefully going to do today with Paul is draw out what

those strengths are and what those might look like in a career choice.

-Paul.

-Hiya.

-Nancy.

-Come on in, Paul.

-Hey! Fuck...

-HE CLEARS VOICE, WHISTLES

-It's a bit of a mess. Sorry.

Hey, hey!

-Take a seat, Paul.

-Thank you very much.

Hey!

Cool.

-Um, so...

-You're gorgeous! Sorry.

-Thank you very much!

-THEY LAUGH

-Sorry. You've got lovely legs.

-Thank you very much!

The plan is to go through these cognitive tests,

then consider those in relation to work that you might do.

The first one we're going to do is block design.

This is the picture

and this is how you make the blocks look like the picture.

-Ready?

-Yes.

-OK.

I'll be testing Paul on a range of skills

and these will include perceptual reasoning,

which is how well he can analyse situations visually.

-Pretty shit.

-It was pretty good, actually.

'And make sense of patterns.'

But also verbal skills.

In what way are a fly and a tree alike?

-A fly and a tree?

-Yeah.

Can I just... Hey!

Do you want to just stop and have a stretch, a walk about? Yeah?

Hey! Hey!

-I hope you can...

-Hey!

Right.

OK.

I'll do the scoring and we'll come back and talk about it in a minute.

Since Paul's diagnosis, all doors to work have been closed for him.

Can I go home? Wah!

Nancy's results could hold the key to types of work

he could actually excel at.

OK, so perceptual reasoning,

you've got an IQ of 123,

which is in the top 6%.

Those are really, really strong scores.

You've got a higher ability than most to think about shapes,

space, where things fit together and how they work.

I'm pretty creative in visualising things.

When my Tourette's started, I didn't leave the house for like,

three months, so Carol bought me a little compact camera.

I just went out and got some cracking shots.

I can visualise images, so I wondered how that would fit.

It's not a surprise that you're good at photography or art at all.

Those are without a doubt your outstanding abilities.

There are plenty of ways to make a living from that, actually.

He's in the top 6% of the population

for his ability to make sense of pictures and shapes

and that really tallies with his interest in photography.

BUT it's a really competitive field and he needs to go out

and see whether there is a market out there for his skills.

-See you later, Paul, take care.

-Have a safe journey back. Hey!

Don't get pissed! Sorry.

For somebody to actually...

come out and say things like that,

it's pretty good for my self-esteem. Hey!

Gives me more ammunition to succeed.

I'm not going to let it go to my head!

But... it's a good confidence boost.

BIRDSONG, SHEEP BLEAT

-Hey!

-HE WHISTLES

Up until now, Paul's photography has only been a hobby,

and a way of calming his tics.

What I enjoy about photography is it's something I can do

pretty much unhindered, with no intrusion from my condition.

And at the end of the day, I need it.

If you were to ask me my ideal situation,

that'd be just me and my camera in the middle of nowhere.

-INTERVIEWER:

-So, are you at your happiest when you're out here, doing this?

-Yes, definitely.

A little bit of old me back.

In an ideal world, I would love to do it as a profession. Hey!

-Cotton picking.

-Do you know much about the photographic industry?

No, not at all. I don't know nothing at all.

Paul may have found a natural gift and an activity to ease his tics,

but to have a chance of success in such a competitive trade,

he needs to send his images out to industry professionals.

It would be good if I could make a living of it.

As to whether other people like my taste and like the fact that,

you know, I see things differently, I don't know.

And as to whether anyone is going to put their hand in their pocket

and give me an income from it, I don't know.

Ha!

-Point and shoot.

-HE CLEARS HIS VOICE

Brett is on a work trial at a local medical company.

He has two weeks to prove himself in order to be

considered for a permanent role.

Until now, his autism has made it difficult for him

to communicate with his colleagues.

Try again.

-BEEP

-There we go.

But his next task has the potential to show off his autistic mind,

by harnessing his talent for recognising patterns.

We'll make a start, Brett - we'll go in... Good morning, by the way!

Brett has to test an app

to be used by clinicians on the front line of patient care.

We're going to give you a set of test scripts

and we want you to test our software.

It's got to work first time, every time, OK?

Software testing is really, really hard.

It does take somebody that's got the ability to

focus their attention on the details and get it right.

I think differently, very differently from the average person.

My autism makes me question the world based on truth and logic.

I've pressed space-bar

and it came up with an error for the whole application to close.

I've no idea...

why it's done it.

I'll go back to see what step I've done before then.

Systems, however complex, gradually become easier to understand,

the more questions you ask of them.

All the secrets are there just waiting to be uncovered.

I've got it.

In just four hours, Brett has got to the bottom of a bug in the software.

I've worked on this page,

number 12 step, it was doing...

-Obviously what I've done...

-How do you do it?!

Instead of clicking on the three dots,

I've just pressed space-bar to try and...

..get in. I'll do that again.

That's the hard part, remembering that step before the crash happens.

Brett actually worked out exactly

which mouse presses

and keyboard presses were needed

in which specific sequence

to exactly identify how the crash happens.

-So that's really helped us out.

-Back...

How did it feel, being congratulated

by your bosses like that?

Um... I dunno.

Pleased!

Is this the way to Ama-dildo?

Encouraged by his meeting with occupational psychologist Nancy,

Paul has an appointment with a photographic publisher

to find out if he can make a living from the only activity

that seems to calm his tics.

Ha!

Jehovah's Witnesses calling.

Pull the door.

Thank you very much. Ha-ha!

We supply wall art to John Lewis,

Oliver Bonas, Selfridges...

All the major museums.

If you go into the Tate or the National Gallery shop,

those pictures would be coming from us.

Ha! Hi. Ha!

'Walking into that building, I was feeling intimidated.'

If I say anything that's offensive, please... Ha! It's not intentional.

'These guys make a living in one of the biggest cities in the world.

'There's a lot of money going on here

'and the work's going to have to be excellent quality.'

I see lots and lots of artwork all the time,

so a lot of it is instantly dismissible.

These sort of nature shots

would be more difficult for us to use.

There's so many of this sort of thing out there.

But...

Ha! Ha! Ha!

-Something like this...

-Yeah.

..is absolutely the sort of thing that you look for,

particularly in a landscape.

Sorry for interrupting, but this image is an image of my son

and it's just that eye.

Really powerful, it's a really powerful portrait.

-I've had no training.

-Looking at this, you don't need it.

-You know, you're doing it in an intuitive way.

-Right.

I'm happy you said that, because it does a job as therapy for me,

-but am I disillusioned...?

-No, I don't think you are.

There are some shots here that we would publish.

We would love to see more. How much that pays

depends on how well they sell.

Given all your situation,

you'd be mad not to pursue it

-because there's a lot of talent here.

-Yeah, thank you.

There are a few things there

that we'd be happy to publish immediately.

I'd hone in probably on this sort of feel.

And then we'd probably be looking for him to fill that body of work,

make it a bigger portfolio.

-Pleasure.

-Really nice meeting you!

-And you, too.

I came here with stuff that was just a hobby for me,

respite from my tics,

and to find out that there's a possibility of being able to

earn a living, provide for my family, I think it's fantastic.

I really appreciate meeting you. Thanks for taking the time out.

And he kissed me tenderly! Ooh!

-See you later, kids, ha!

-HE WHISTLES

-Sorry!

It's made me feel optimistic about the future, that there IS a future.

So it's beyond my expectations, really, and I'm proper made up. Ha!

Little tic dance there for you!

Three pints of Coke and a bag of penis. Oof!

Right. Hey, hey!

Get it pointed at my house! Signing off.

It's the last day of Brett's work trial.

Due to his autism,

he hasn't been able to communicate his thoughts to his colleagues.

Before he leaves,

he wants them to hear what the experience has meant to him.

-INTERVIEWER:

-How important is it that you impress your bosses here?

Um... It's... really important. Um...

I'm not going to get another chance like this.

But for Brett, speaking to one person is hard enough,

let alone a whole group.

So his mum has come along for moral support.

Brett is really nervous and I'm nervous too, for him.

He'll probably be shaking inside.

Right, um...

Um...

I have autism.

There isn't anything different about me, I just think differently.

Somehow, the unwritten rules of social communication have eluded me.

While I've been made to feel very welcome here,

this is really the only time that I have actually spoken.

It's impossible for me not to feel some of the anxieties

I've faced all my life.

What has helped me enormously is the respect

and kindness that I have been shown by everyone.

One word amongst a thousand comes to mind - accepted.

If I try to persist and write any more,

I fear that I wouldn't be able to read it.

I really want to work and to be part of a team

and for the first time, I felt that I have been.

I have big dreams and little qualifications and things that

I have learned here will genuinely last me a lifetime, thank you.

I had no idea what to expect when you pitched up.

HE STIFLES A SOB

A remarkable transformation in a few days.

And THAT was incredible.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE

We didn't know that was in there.

We see the outside.

(Well done!)

But what's running on the inside is a considered, delicate...

..bucketful of intelligence.

Well done. That was a beautiful speech.

Brett might have impressed his colleagues...

Right, Brett, you've been with us for a couple of weeks...

..but has he done enough to secure an actual job?

How long have you been out of work?

-Um, nearly eight years now.

-Wow, OK.

OK.

Do you think you'd fit in here?

Um,

-I think I would, yes.

-Yep?

Well, there's a little bit of good news.

Um...

We'd like to offer you a job.

-Um, sorry.

-It's OK.

How does that sound?

I'd like it!

Thank you!

No need to thank me, Brett - this is about you.

That's everything I want. Thank you.

Our pleasure.

I'm really happy. Shocked.

-What difference does this make to your future?

-Everything, really.

Um...

Cos I know that I need to try and get some independence and stuff.

I think I'll be able to build confidence here.

Oh, well done, yeah! Great news.

To have somebody that has been out of work for eight years,

that's got so much talent and skill, and to find a slot

for somebody to come in and do a useful job of work...

I think he'll find it rewarding and I know that WE will.

-See you later, Brett.

-Thank you.

-Thanks!

-OK, see you soon.

-Take care, now. Safe journey.

-Yep.

Well chuffed!

In five years' time, I see myself hopefully being in the same company

and being able to say honestly that I like my job.

Work is everything.