On the surface,Patiencemay appear to be likeany other police proceduralset in Britain. A closer look reveals thatPatienceis unique in its inclusion of a neurodivergent lead character, Patience Evans. As a self-trained archivist in the records department of the City of York police, Patience Evans is played by Ella Maisy Purvis. Patience and Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser) begin working together to solve a case of mysterious suicides, with the former bringing her brilliance into the investigation somewhat unwillingly.
Patience is a person with autism and the showPatiencehas received praise for its representation of autism on television. Purvis is also a person with autism, adding a layer of realism and honesty to the show that the actress herself has spoken out about.Patienceis different and offers an important glimpse into the realities of neurodivergence.
‘Patience’ Is an Adaptation of the 2019 French Series ‘Astrid et Raphaelle’
Patiencedebuted in the United Kingdom in January 2025, nearly six years after its French counterpart,Astrid et Raphaelle.The French program was compared to American shows likeThe Good Doctorwhere Freddie Highmore played Dr. Shawn Murphy andSherlockwith Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role. During its first season, observers noted theimportance ofAstrid et Raphaellein France:
Where autism is still considered by many to be a mental illness or a disability…. The treatment of Astrid’s character never falls into the stereotype of the brilliant, all-solving hero with Asperger’s syndrome, close to superhuman.
LikeAstrid et Raphaelle,Patiencedefies traditional expectations ofa buddy-cop crime-solving television show. Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis) works as a police department archivist and notices a previously unrealized connection between crimes. Her observational skills earn the attention of Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Lea Foster), and soon they are a duo of crime solvers.
Patience exhibits characteristics common among neurodivergent individuals, including social awkwardness and the need for order. Purvis’s performance of the character was praised byThe Times, with reviewer Carol Midgleynoting:
Purvis doesn’t as the titular Patience, showing it in overt and subtle ways…. in the very overcrowded crime genre field this at least offers something different.
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Ella Maisy Purvis Brought Much of Herself to the Show and the Character
Like Patience Evans, Ella Maisy Purvis is neurodivergent. When she was cast inPatience, Purvis and writer Matt Baker began to have “conversations every day.” These conversations, as Purvis explained toThe Hollywood Reporter, resulted in what she described as,
Just little changes to the language or little extra little add-ons… there were little storylines that were added. It was really collaborative. They wanted my input on everything.
Additionally, Purvis identifies with how much Patience cares. In contrast to Patience, however, Purvis doesn’t see herself as driven as the character but identifies as “more obsessive than determined. But I certainly share that.”
Assomeone who is neurodivergent, Purvis seesPatienceas “moving in the right direction” when it comes to representing neurodivergence in the television industry. It makesPatience"more authentic," which she believes “touches more people.” Additional considerations are needed, in her opinion:
I think what a lot of people forget sometimes is that it’s not just the actors that you need but it’s also the writers, it’s the producers, the set designers, the grips. It isn’t just the skeleton of a program that you need, but also the muscles and the tendons and the bones. You can’t just have the skin. AndPatiencedoes that fantastically because there were loads of them on the team. They were everywhere. It’s certainly moving in the right direction. But I think that is something that needs to be thought about a little bit more.
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Not Everyone Thinks ‘Patience’ Is a Positive Portrayal of Autism
Robert Lloyd from theLos Angeles TimesfoundPatienceto be a bit unbalanced and imperfect at times, but found a lot about the show, the performances, and the plot that he liked.The Guardian’sLucy Mangan, on the other hand, criticizedPatiencefor “a preposterous plot and terrible dialogue.” More than that, however, Mangan describedPatienceas:
Embarrassingly clunky and ham-fisted, especially – and unexpectedly, given modern sensitivities to such portrayals – when it comes to Patience’s autism. All the boxes are ticked: she is great at pattern recognition! And puzzles! She doesn’t like to be touched and she listens to music through headphones all the time to cut out external stimuli!
As for Patience, the character, Mangan had thoughts on her, too:
Patience herself is hardly more than a cipher. She is given little to do other than fiddle with puzzles, remind people that she doesn’t like to be touched and that she likes order, and try to guard against the burnout that will apparently occur if she ever puts a toe out of the archive and engages with the messy world of crime-solving.
Mangan is clear in her opinion thatPatienceis “uninspired,” but perhaps her words are not that far afield from what Ella Maisy Purvis said about the show:
It’s common for dramas to infantilize disabled people, especially autistic women. As much as Patience gets things wrong, misses social cues and finds it a hard world to navigate, she has a lot of agency. She’s incredibly determined, and has a strong sense of justice. She’s also pretty cool, not weak in any way. She struggles, but it’s shown with great empathy and care.
That said, Purvis would like to see more comprehensiverepresentation in the television industry. With this in mind, both Manan and Purvis seem to be arguing for the same thing.
