The A Word star Christopher Eccleston reveals Maurice’s grief as his children ‘fall apart’ in series 3
CHRISTOPHER Eccleston has admitted no show he’s previously worked on has had as big an audience reaction as The A Word.
The BBC’s poignant drama, which follows the family of a boy called Joe after he is diagnosed with autism and sees the Emmy Award-winning actor play granddad Maurice Scott, returns tonight for series three.
As well as having played the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the mid-2000s, Eccleston has starred in a host of big TV dramas and movies including Clocking off and 28 Days Later.
But ahead of the third series of The A Word, the 56-year-old insisted the previous two had “touched” viewers like nothing else he’d ever done.
And the dad-of-two said he was intrigued what the reaction to season 3 would be as everyone watching will be cooped up with their families – much like in the show – during the COVID-19 enforced lockdown.
Eccleston told : “This programme has connected me with the public like no other, because everybody seems to be touched in some way, by autism or Down’s syndrome.
“People are going to be watching it in lockdown, and it’s about families being on top of each other and involved in each other’s lives – it will be quite an interesting reaction.”
Eccleston also teased Maurice – who is dating Louise Wilson (Pooky Quesnel) – will this series be left “bewildered” as his children “fall apart”.
The Salford-born actor went on: “At the grand old age of 56, Maurice is involved in a settled relationship again, and his children are all falling apart. He’s quite bewildered by that.
“And then he sees it happening to Louise – the empty nest syndrome. And, of course, he tries to fix it, which is always a bad idea on Maurice’s part.”
Eccleston points out that The A Word is the longest job he’s ever done – and he finds it a little odd.
He said: “We’ve made 18 hours of telly, playing these characters.
“A lot has happened to me in the last five years, between 52 and 57, and similarly with Maurice.
“At the beginning, he was grieving his wife, he’d lost any sense of anchor and then we see him meet Louise.
“Loads has happened. It’s odd playing a character for this long.”
Eccleston had a breakdown in early 2016 and spent his 52nd birthday in a psychiatric hospital.
He hinted about how supportive The A Word team – and Quesnel in particular – had been regarding his mental health issues.
Eccleston said: “I got poorly towards the end of the first series, and then I think the second series was only the second job since I came out of hospital.”
The A Word returns to BBC One tonight.