The A Word

The A Word
File:The A Word.jpg
Genre	Drama
Based on	Yellow Peppers by Keren Margalit
Developed by	Peter Bowker
Written by	Peter Bowker
Directed by	Peter Cattaneo (Series 1) Dominic Leclerc (Series 1) Susan Tully (Series 1–2) Luke Snellin (Series 2) Fergus O’Brien (director) John Hardwick (Series 3) Sasha Ransome (Series 3)
Starring	Max Vento Lee Ingleby Morven Christie Molly Wright Greg McHugh Vinette Robinson Christopher Eccleston Pooky Quesnel David Gyasi Julie Hesmondhalgh
Composer	Rob Lane
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	18 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Lucy Ritcher (BBC) Patrick Spence (Fifty Fathoms) Peter Bowker (Fifty Fathoms) Marcus Wilson (Fifty Fathoms) Howard Burch (Keshett) Avi Nir (Keshet) Keren Margalit (Keshet) Sara Johnson (Keshet)
Producers	Marcus Wilson (Series 1) Jenny Frayn (Series 2) Clare Shepherd (Series 3)
Production locations	Lake District Keswick, Cumbria Thirlmere Manchester Space Studios Manchester
Editor	Jamie Pearson
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Keshet UK Fifty Fathoms Productions
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	22 March 2016 (2016-03-22) – 9 June 2020 (2020-06-09)
Related
Yellow Peppers Ralph & Katie

The A Word is a British television drama series, based on the Israeli series Yellow Peppers. The series follows a young boy and how his family cope with the revelation that he has autism spectrum disorder. Following filming in the Lake District from October 2015, a six-part series began airing on 22 March 2016. On 26 May 2016, the BBC announced that a second series of The A Word had been commissioned. It premiered in the UK on 7 November 2017. The third series began airing on 5 May 2020.

Synopsis

Five-year-old Joe Hughes displays clear signs of communication problems and consistently isolates himself by listening to pop music through large blue and black headphones. He has encyclopaedic knowledge of the songs he listens to and accurately sings along with the lyrics. His parents, Alison and Paul, seem oblivious to the disorder and wonder why Joe is ostracised by other children of the same age. However, it is later discovered by Joe's grandfather, Maurice, that Alison and Paul have been taking him to hospital for his communication problems. Other family members know there is a problem, however, their attempts to intervene are met with obstruction from Joe's parents. After originally believing Joe had hearing problems, their Ear, Nose and Throat consultant refers Joe to a specialist who diagnoses him as autistic.

The story then follows how the dysfunctional family, including Rebecca (who feels invisible), Eddie and Nicola (who are coping with their own relationship problems) and tactless grandad Maurice cope with Joe's situation and their own apparent social disorders.

Cast

Actor	Character	Role	Episode
Max Vento	Joe Hughes	a child on the autism spectrum	1–current
Lee Ingleby	Paul Hughes	Joe's father	1–current
Morven Christie	Alison Hughes	Joe's mother	1–current
Molly Wright	Rebecca Hughes	Joe's half-sister	1–current
Greg McHugh	Eddie Scott	Alison's brother	1–current
Vinette Robinson	Nicola Daniels	Eddie's wife	1–12
Christopher Eccleston	Maurice Scott	Joe's grandfather, Alison's and Eddie's father	1–current
Pooky Quesnel	Louise Wilson	Maurice's music teacher and lover	1–current
Leon Harrop	Ralph Wilson	Louise's son	1–current
Matt Greenwood	Tom Clarke	Rebecca's best friend	2–current
Thomas Gregory	Luke Taylor	Rebecca's boyfriend	2–6
Daniel Cerqueira	Dr Graves	Family doctor	1–current
George Bukhari	Terry Norris	Worker at Paul and Alison's cafe	1–current
Adam Wittek	David Nowak	Worker at the Scott's brewery	1–current
Tommie Grabiec	Pavel Kaminski	Worker at the Scott's brewery	1–current
Abby Ford	Sally	Worker at the Scott's brewery	4
Julia Krynke	Maya Petrenko	Joe's babysitter	2–5
Lisa Millett	Maggie White	Joe's speech therapist	3
Ralf Little	Stuart	Rebecca's biological father	5–6, 11, 14
Jude Akuwudike	Vincent Daniels	Nicola's father	7–current
Clare Holman	Grace Daniels	Nicola's mother	7–current
Aaron Pierre	James Thorne	Rebecca's boyfriend	7–8
Julie Hesmondhalgh	Heather	Joe's teacher	13–current
Krissi Bohn	Jean	Ralfs Social Worker	13, 16
Lucy Gaskell	Sophie Berwick	Worker at Paul's Gastropub	7–11
Travis Smith	Mark Berwick	Sophie's autistic teenage son	7–current
Sarah Gordy	Katie Thorne	Ralph's wife	13–current
Nigel Betts	Steve Thorne	Katie's father	13–current
Sherry Baines	Clare Thorne	Katie's mother	13–current
Austin Haynes	Olly Chapman	Joe's friend	7, 12

Production

Bowker drew on his own experiences and observations as a teacher and with his family to write The A Word. Autism advocate Deborah Brownson served as an advisor on the production.

Filming took place from October 2015 at locations in the Lake District, including Keswick, Broughton-in-Furness, Coniston, Thirlmere Reservoir, and at The Space Project studios in Manchester.

On 24 May 2019, it was announced by the BBC, and then subsequently via press and social media publications, that a third series was in production. Returning cast members included Christopher Eccleston, Morven Christie, Lee Ingleby, Max Vento, Molly Wright, Greg McHugh, Pooky Quesnel, Matt Greenwood and Leon Harrop. Joining the cast as newcomers were Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sarah Gordy and David Gyasi.

Episodes

Release

BBC One began airing the first six-part series in a Tuesday 9pm slot, replacing Happy Valley, on 22 March 2016. SundanceTV acquired rights for broadcasting the show in America, and it premiered there on 13 July 2016. A second series began in the UK on 7 November 2017 remaining in its Tuesday 9pm slot. A third series was filmed in May 2019 and the entire series was released on BBC iPlayer on 5 May 2020. On the same day it also began broadcasting in its usual weekly slot on BBC One. BBC First airs the series in Australia. Disney+ picked up the programme for all three series across all of Europe, except the UK.

Reception

Audience viewership

Overnight figures revealed the first episode was watched by 4.7 million viewers and had a 23% share of the audience. BARB later reported a consolidated figure of 5.91 million. Reaction to the first episode was mostly positive among viewers. Many people have praised the show on social media, partly for the quality of the acting but also for the way it dealt with the subject of autism.

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 75% "Certified Fresh" score, based on 20 critics with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The A Word overcomes an uneven start to offer a thoughtful, warm-hearted look at the engagingly messy lives of its protagonists -- and a glimpse of challenges too rarely seen or discussed on television." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the first season holds a score of 76/100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The second season holds a 93% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 critics with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The A Word's second season expands its scope beyond the series' inciting diagnosis and blossoms into a thoughtful and warm view on the dynamics of family, while also candidly addressing the realities of raising a child with autism."

For the third season, 100% of nine critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.2/10.

Home media

Series 1 was released on DVD in September 2016, and series 2 in December 2017. The third series was released on DVD in July 2020.

Spin-off series

In August 2020 it was announced that a spin-off series Ralph & Katie, following the married life of the protagonists, had been commissioned by the BBC. The six-part series, which included a writing team made up predominantly of people with disabilities, was broadcast in October and November 2022, with all episodes available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer. The series will also be available on Disney+ in some regions.

External links

• at IMDb
• The A Word at epguides.com