The A Word was back on BBC One tonight (May 5) after a three-year absence from our screens and quite a lot had changed for the Hughes / Scott family, with more surprises to come.
Now divorced, Paul (Lee Ingleby) and Alison Hughes (Morven Christie) were living in different houses but with Paul's new home having been damaged by a fire, their autistic young son Joe (Max Vento) was struggling to handle the changes, which resulted in him throwing his beloved headphones into a lake.
Things went from bad to worse when Alison was fired from her job and she admitted to her dad Maurice Scott (Christopher Eccleston) that she constantly felt like a failure.
Related: Ex-Doctor Who boss recreates infamous BBC fail during fan rewatch of 'Rose'
Maurice had a lot on his plate himself what with working as a volunteer firefighter, trying to help his family through their dramas and being enlisted by his girlfriend Louise Wilson (Pooky Quesnel) into investigating what secret her son Ralph (Leon Harrop) was hiding β it turned out to be that he was planning on moving into his own place with girlfriend Katie (Sarah Gordy).
Things got even more dramatic when Joe's older half-sister Rebecca (Molly Wright) confessed to Maurice that she was unexpectedly pregnant, plus we were introduced to a potential new love interest for Alison in the form of gardener Ben Chambers (even if he did rub her up the wrong way at first).
What to Read Next
After such a long wait since the second series, there were a lot of fans who were very excited to see the drama back on our screens:
And there was a great deal of praise for the young actor playing Joe:
The show's exploration of autism was also a talking point, with lots of viewers applauding the drama's sensitive portrayal:
The A Word continues next Tuesday (May 12) at 9pm on BBC One.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter β sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now.
Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. Sheβs been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
