TUESDAY

THE A WORD BBC1, 9pm

Never work with children and animals. That’s how the old showbiz adage goes, right? Well, thank goodness the makers of The A Word didn’t take any notice of it, because if they had, we wouldn’t now be enjoying this extraordinary drama.

The first series aired two years ago and introduced viewers to Joe, a then five-year-old lad with a fondness for listening to music on his oversized headphones.

His family is ordinary – they love, fight and argue like any other – but they struggle to deal with the notion that Joe is on the autistic spectrum. The resulting story dealt with not only their efforts to communicate with each other better and help Joe, but also his understanding of the world around him.

“We have the opportunity here to make something funny, tough, realistic and inventive about contemporary family life and autism,” said Peter Bowker, The A Word’s Bafta-winning screenwriter whose previous work includes Marvellous, Occupation and Blackpool.

“In a society where imperfection increasingly comes with blame attached, it seems timely to look at how autism is regarded both within a family and the wider community – and to give some insight into how that experience might be for the child on the autism spectrum.”

The resulting series was warmly received by critics and audiences alike, so it was a surprise that it took so long for a second run to materialise – but then again, getting such a stellar adult cast together again won’t have been easy because they’re all in such demand.

But now that Inspector George Gently has solved his last case, Lee Ingleby is at a loose end, while Grantchester’s future is uncertain, leaving the way clear for Morven Christie to rejoin him. Christopher Eccleston also returns to the fold.

For the uninitiated, Ingleby and Christie play young Joe’s parents, Paul and Alison, while Eccleston portrays Alison’s father Maurice. However, the real star of the show is Max Vento, pictured above, the young man tasked with the role of Joe – he is a superstar in the making.

This week, as Paul and Alison live increasingly separate lives between their Lake District home and Joe’s new school in Manchester, Paul makes an unexpected connection with Mark’s mum.