Actor Friddie Highmore says that the show, The Good Doctor, reminds us that humanity is ultimately kind

• Have you received any response or support from groups representing people on the spectrum about portraying Shaun?

The most meaningful interactions that all of us have had on the show are with people who are on the spectrum themselves or who are involved in the autism community in some way. There is an appreciation and an awareness that this can only be a starting point for a conversation. It’s easy to watch the show and perhaps jump to the conclusion that everyone with autism will be like Shaun, which isn’t true at all. He isn’t there to represent everyone on the spectrum in the same way that a neurotypical character is never going to represent everyone in the world who is neurotypical.

• This might not be what you are setting out to do, but Will and Grace did encourage Americans to be more accepting of gay marriage and it is generally accepted that the series did help America to come to terms with what had previously been a prejudice. Do you get any sense that you are changing minds as well?

I would like to hope that there is a part of the show that does it and it feels like more than just a television show. But at the same time, that’s a pretty huge comparison. I wouldn’t say that we are at that stage yet.

• Season three has been commissioned...

Yes, we are back in Vancouver but they haven’t started the writer’s room yet, so anything that I say would be entirely superstitious. One of the nice things about having an early pick up is knowing that we can keep all the group together with the same crew. We start the shoot in mid June. So it’s not long.

• The ratings on the show are phenomenal. Do you have any thoughts about why?

It’s the hopefulness and the optimism. You turn on the TV and there’s so much negativity. Even that is important and it needs to be discussed,. At its core, this show does remind us that humanity is ultimately kind.

• And there is one final question that all journalists are contractually bound to ask of people who play doctors. Do you ever feel like you could step in if the call went out — is there a doctor in the house?

No. It would be so much dangerous for someone like me who has no knowledge because we have this fake assumed accumulated knowledge. If you think I did that surgery where I make a couple of cuts and it will be fine, it does not happen. In short, you don’t know what you’re doing and it will all go wrong. So I think it’s best for me to stay away from doctoring in the hiatus and only do it on screen.

(The show is on SonyLIV.)