EastEnders icon Kellie Bright confirmed for special documentary on Autism, schools and the impact on families of SEND pupils
The documentary airs next week.
The BBC has confirmed a Panorama special with EastEnders actress Kellie Bright.
The one-off episode – Autism, School and Families on the Edge – features Bright, who meets parents who say they're exhausted by the fight to get the right education for their autistic children.
The episode will air on Monday 6th October at 8pm on BBC One, but will be available to watch on iPlayer from 6am.
In the Panorama, Bright follows three families who are applying to their councils for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), a crucial document which says where a child goes to school and what extra support they should get.
The synopsis continues: "Kellie learns that a crisis in funding for children with special educational needs and disabilities is contributing to financial trouble for many local authorities and that the government is promising reform."
The Panorama episode was filmed over six months, and in it Bright draws on her own experience as a mother to an autistic son. She helps the children explain in their own words why they find school so hard and finds out what they and their parents think would help them to cope better and thrive.
Kellie Bright is still a member of the cast of EastEnders, but her character Linda Carter is currently on a break from the soap, on a world cruise with her two youngest children.
The father of her youngest daughter, Max Branning, is due back in Walford full-time later this year, and no doubt the truth will come out that he has a child he never knew about…
Panorama: Kellie Bright – Autism, School and Families on the Edge will air on Monday 6th October at 8pm on BBC One.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
