NEW DRAMA
The A Word
Tuesday, BBC1 HD, 9pm
The A Word has won huge acclaim for shining a welcome spotlight on the challenges and joys of raising a child with autism. But as the Lake Districtset series returns for a third run, the Hughes family face fresh hurdles as they battle to do their best for son Joe (Max Vento) amid changing circumstances.
Set two years on, the series sees a now 10-year-old Joe trying to cope with the separation of parents Paul (Lee Ingleby) and Alison (Morven Christie). While Paul remains in the Lakes, Alison is in Manchester, where Joe attends a specialist school.
‘There are challenges and upheaval,’ says Ingleby, 44. ‘Joe’s two years older. Peter Bowker, the writer, wanted a gap, so there’s a change in Joe and we see how the things he relies on shift. Joe ’s having to cope with life in two places, plus his sister Rebecca [Molly Wright] is pregnant and he’s dealing with what that means, too.’
Alison tries to build a new life for Joe during the week and Paul attempts to provide normality for him at weekends – although Paul and Joe are living with Alison’s acerbic dad Maurice (Christopher Eccleston) while Paul renovates a new house.
‘Paul’s trying to keep up the pretence of everything being hunky-dory, but it’s not,’ says Ingleby. ‘He wants Joe to feel settled but he’s still trying to get the measure of how to be a good dad and he feels guilty.’
This story is from the May 02, 2020 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
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This story is from the May 02, 2020 edition of TV & Satellite Week.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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