Filming starts this week in the Lake District and Manchester on the third series of BBC One's drama series The A Word written by the multi-award winning Peter Bowker.

Two years on and things have changed for our A Word family. Joe is 10 and living in two places at once, processing the seismic change in his life through the filter of his autism. Alison and Paul are divorced and live 100 miles apart. Nicola has moved to London. Eddie lives with his dad. Rebecca has just realised she’s pregnant. Only Maurice is holding it together. And if Maurice is the one holding it together, you know you are in trouble. A family is always a puzzle and this one needs piecing back together, albeit in a different shape.

In this third series Max Vento (Joe), Morven Christie (Alison), Lee Ingleby (Paul), Greg McHugh (Eddie), Molly Wright (Rebecca), Pooky Quesnel (Louise), Leon Harrop (Ralph) and Christopher Eccleston (Maurice) reprise their roles and will be joined by some new faces including Julie Hesmondhalgh (Broadchurch, Coronation Street) Sarah Gordy (Call The Midwife, Holby City) and David Gyasi (Troy: Fall Of A City, Man In An Orange Shirt).

Peter Bowker says: “It is a joy to be revisiting the world of the A Word, to move the story of the Hughes family on, and to have the opportunity to expand our celebration and examination of diversity and humanity in all its myriad forms. The BBC has been incredibly supportive of this show and deserve our thanks and support at a time when it continues to be attacked on behalf of the ignorant by those who should know better."

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: "The A Word has become a firm favourite with the BBC One audience telling a unique and poignant story in an original and entertaining way. We are excited filming has now begun on a third series and look forward to picking up with Joe and the family two years on and seeing what challenges and adventures lay ahead for them.”

Executive Producers are Lucy Richer for BBC, Patrick Spence, Peter Bowker and Marcus Wilson for Fifty Fathoms Productions and Howard Burch, Avi Nir and Keren Margalit for Keshet International. Clare Shepherd is producing and Fergus O'Brien is the lead Director.

The A Word is a Fifty Fathoms Productions and Keshet Productions UK production for BBC One. Licensed from Keshet International, the series is based on Yellow Peppers, an Israeli drama written and created by Keren Margalit and produced by July August Productions for Keshet Broadcasting. Keshet International will distribute The A Word internationally.