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''The A Word'' is a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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television drama series, based on the Israeli series ''

Yellow Peppers ''Yellow Peppers'' (Hebrew: פלפלים צהובים; Pilpelim Tzehubim) is an Israeli drama television program about a family that raises an autistic child in a rural village lacking any therapeutic resources. The programme was well received by ...

''. The series follows a young boy and how his family cope with the revelation that he has

autism spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. 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 Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

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

Production

Bowker drew on his own experiences and observations as a teacher and with his family to write ''The A Word''. Filming took place from October 2015 at locations in the Lake District, including Keswick,

Broughton-in-Furness Broughton in Furness is a market town in the civil parish of Broughton West in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It had a population of 529 at the 2011 Census. It is located on the south western boundary of England's Lake District ...

, Coniston, Thirlmere Reservoir, and at The Space Project

studios A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery ( ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

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 Morven Christie (born 1 September 1981) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama ''The A Word,'' Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama ''Grantchester'', and DS Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series '' The ...

Lee Ingleby Lee David Ingleby (born 28 January 1976) is an English film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant/Detective Inspector John Bacchus in the BBC drama '' Inspector George Gently'', as Stan Shunpike in ...

, Max Vento, Molly Wright,

Greg McHugh Greg McHugh (born 5 January 1980) is a Scottish actor. He is the creator, writer and star of the BBC1 comedy series '' Gary: Tank Commander''. He also played Howard in the Channel 4 comedy '' Fresh Meat''. Early life and education Greg McHugh ...

Pooky Quesnel Joanna Gabrielle "Pooky" Quesnel (born 30 April 1966) is an English actress, screenwriter and singer. Early life Quesnel was born and raised in Eccles, Lancashire, along with her five siblings. Her father was born in Trinidad. She read English ...

Matt Greenwood Matt Greenwood (born 27 February 1995) is an English actor best known for portraying Tom Clarke in the BBC drama series ''The A Word'' and Martin Dunbar in '' Waterloo Road''. He has also appeared in '' Casualty'', ''Bohemian Rhapsody'', and '' ...

and Leon Harrop. Joining the cast as newcomers were Julie Hesmondhalgh,

Sarah Gordy Sarah Gordy, MBE (born September 1976) is a British actress who has Down's Syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in ''The A Word'', Orlando Quine in '' Strike: The Silkworm'', Lady Pamela Holland in the BBC TV series of ' ...

and

David Gyasi David Kwaku Asamoah Gyasi (; born 2 January 1980) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Cloud Atlas'' (2012) and '' Interstellar'' (2014), as well as the lead role of Lex Carnahan in The CW miniseries ''Containment''. Early l ...

Episodes

Series overview

Series 1 (2016)

Series 2 (2017)

Series 3 (2020)

Broadcast and reception

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

began airing the first six-part series in a Tuesday 9pm slot, replacing '' Happy Valley'', on 22 March 2016.

SundanceTV Sundance TV (formerly known as Sundance Channel) is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and, w ...

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 BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ou ...

airs the series in Australia.

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

picked up the programme for all three series across all of Europe, except the UK. Overnight figures revealed the first episode was watched by 4.7 million viewers and had a 23% share of the audience.

BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * 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.

Home media

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

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

in some regions.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:A Word, The 2016 British television series debuts 2020 British television series endings 2010s British drama television series 2020s British drama television series Autism in television Autism in the United Kingdom BBC high definition shows BBC television dramas British television series based on non-British television series English-language television shows International television series based on Israeli television series Television series about dysfunctional families Television shows set in the Lake District