The A Word
BBC1, Tuesdays, 9pm
The first series of The A Word elicited a lot of articles in which people who had first-hand experience of autism pondered how accurate the drama’s depiction of an autistic child and his family really was. Which was only to be expected. And yet, of course, one of the recurring themes of the show is that every person with autism is different, in the same way that every human being is different. I had the honour of chairing the launch screening of this second series recently, and among the audience were a number of people who deal with autism in their daily lives, and they all seemed to agree that, while no scripted drama can ever capture the exact reality of their situation, The A Word has, at the very least, succeeded in reminding us that autism exists, and how it can affect a child and their family, friends and local community. What it also succeeds in doing is entertaining us brilliantly, because it’s one of the wittiest, most thoroughly believable and well-acted depictions of families and relationships on TV. There’s a superbly accurate British sarcasm running through the whole thing, that seems to stem from Christopher Eccleston’s grandad character Maurice, whose every line is a sardonic belter. The scenes in the opener between young Joe, played by seven-year-old Max Vento, and his parents, Morven Christie and Lee Ingleby, are so carefully drawn and naturalistic, it’s like watching a documentary. And, while it’s heartbreaking to watch Joe realise he’s being treated differently because of the “A Word” label, the whole series is a powerfully funny and optimistic celebration of humanity in its many and varied forms.