Series synopsis
The A Word is a British drama television series that premiered on BBC One on March 22, 2016. It ended on June 9, 2020. It was created by Keren Margalit. It stars Max Vento, Molly Wright, Matt Greenwood and Thomas Gregory.
The various generations of the Hughes family, who all love, work and fight like any other clan, find they must learn to communicate all over again when the youngest member is diagnosed with autism.
Premise
The various generations of the Hughes family, who all love, work and fight like any other clan, find they must learn to communicate all over again when the youngest member is diagnosed with autism.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Max Vento as Joe Hughes
- Molly Wright as Rebecca Hughes
- Matt Greenwood as Tom Clarke
- Thomas Gregory as Luke Taylor
- George Bukhari as Terry
- Adam Wittek as David Nowak
- Julia Krynke as Maya Petrenko
- Vinette Robinson as Nicola Daniels
Supporting cast
- Tommie Grabiec as Pavel Kaminski
- Ralf Little as Stuart
- Daniel Cerqueira as Dr Graves
- Morven Christie as Alison Hughes
- Pooky Quesnel as Louise Wilson
- Lisa Millett as Maggie White
- Greg McHugh as Eddie Scott
- Lee Ingleby as Paul Hughes
- Christopher Eccleston as Maurice Scott
- David Gyasi as Ben Chambers
Guest cast
- Mina Anwar
- Rhashan Stone
- Gemma Paige North as Sally Hibbs
- Sarah Gordy as Katie
- Siri Ellis as Dr. Eshell
- Aaron Pierre as James Thorne
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 18 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 6 | March 22, 2016 | April 26, 2016 |
| Season 2 | 6 | November 7, 2017 | December 12, 2017 |
| Season 3 | 6 | May 5, 2020 | June 9, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Diagnosis At Joe's birthday party, tensions rise when it's suggested he has communication problems. |
March 22, 2016 |
| 2 |
Home School Following Joe’s diagnosis, Alison wants to protect her son and takes him out of school without telling Paul. He and Rebecca believe that Joe shouldn’t have to change to fit into the world. |
March 29, 2016 |
| 3 |
Therapy Alison has to deal with a blast from her past after Maggie, a speech and language therapist, shows up to assess Joe. |
April 5, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Naming Day When Joe says the A word for the first time, Paul and Alison know they must talk to him about his autism. Maurice is catapulted back into the life of Louise, and Eddie and Nicola have a secret to keep. |
November 7, 2017 |
| 2 |
Get Away Life for the Hughes family turns upside down as Joe starts at a specialist school in Manchester. Rebecca halts her plans with James, and Louise confides in a stunned Maurice. |
November 14, 2017 |
| 3 |
Are We Still Here? Maurice and Louise clash. Paul makes an unexpected connection with Sophie. Eddie gears up for date night with his Manchester girlfriend, Holly. |
November 21, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Unsettled by a change in his life, Joe rejects his headphones. Maurice tries to solve all his family’s problems, Alison clashes with a stranger, and Rebecca has some big news. |
May 5, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Joe causes concern at school as he becomes fixated on his teacher, Heather. Paul helps Mark in his bid to join the army, and Rebecca sets the family straight about her pregnancy. |
May 12, 2020 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Maurice and Eddie lock horns on a kids camping trip. Paul tries to forge a connection with Joe. Rebecca interrupts Alison’s date with Ben to confront her about motherhood. |
May 19, 2020 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 22, 2016 |
| Last aired | June 9, 2020 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 21:00:00 |