Christopher Eccleston gushes over The A Word’s Down’s Syndrome wedding scenes as ‘radical and a TV first’

CHRISTOPHER Eccleston beamed with pride as he opened up on being part of the "radical" A Word plotline which saw two characters diagnosed with Down's Syndrome get hitched.

The actor, 56, plays grumpy Maurice Scott, whose grandson Joe, now aged 10, suffers from autism.

Yet rather than his relative getting married it is one of Joe's friends, Ralph, who proposed to his girlfriend Katie before deciding to  move out of his mum's home in series three.

The former Doctor Who star has previously spoken about the public reaction to what the cast of the BBC drama strive to be an accurate portrayal of autism and its challenges.

He has now hailed the latest romantic plotline as a "benchmark" for other shows to follow.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Christopher said off the sweet I Do moment between the characters: "I think it’s possibly a first.

"I can’t think of many episodes of television drama which have been centred around the wedding and celebration of independence of two people with Down’s Syndrome. I can’t.

"So I think in a very quiet and modest way, The A Word is a benchmark, really.

"And I think in 10, 15 years it’ll be looked back on as something that changed what we do on television, because we’re not on BBC Two, we’re not on Channel 4, we’re on BBC One, primetime, and our series is carried by a character who lives with autism, and a number of characters who live with Down’s Syndrome.

"I think it’s a quietly radical vision that Pete’s put forward.

"I’m very proud to be part of it."

He additionally told how he felt he was "struggling" playing Maurice, and how he personally found some of the character's actions "difficult."

Christopher also quipped how he was a "dinosaur" in the telly world.

So far, BBC bosses are yet to confirm if The A Word will return for a fourth series, yet the coronavirus pandemic is sure to have put delays to any impending film schedule.