The A Word

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 otolaryngologist 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.

Bowker drew on his own experiences and observations as a teacher and with his family to write The A Word.[3]

Filming took place from October 2015 at locations in the Lake District, including Keswick, Broughton-in-Furness, Coniston, Thirlmere Reservoir, and Birkrigg Cottage in the Newlands Valley, and at The Space Project studios in Manchester.[4][5][6][7]

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.[8]

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.[11] 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. [12][13] BBC First airs the series in Australia.

Overnight figures revealed the first episode was watched by 4.7 million viewers and had a 23% share of the audience.[14] BARB later reported a consolidated figure of 5.91 million.[15] 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.[16]

Series 1 was released on DVD, across two discs, on 19 September 2016, with a short behind-the-scenes documentary as an extra.[17]

Series 2 was released on DVD on 18 December 2017, again featuring all episodes, uncut, across two discs with a few short clips as extras.[18]

On August 24, 2020, it was announced that a spin-off series, following the married life of Ralph and Katie, had been commissioned. The series will be written, alongside creator Bowker, by disabled writers.[19]

• The A Word at BBC Programmes
• The A Word at IMDb
• The A Word at TV.com
• The A Word at epguides.com