[2] Five-year-old Joe Hughes displays clear signs of communication problems and consistently isolates himself by listening to pop music through large blue and black headphones.

[4] Filming took place from October 2015 at locations in the Lake District, including Keswick, Broughton-in-Furness, Coniston, Thirlmere Reservoir, and at The Space Project studios in Manchester.

Returning cast members included Christopher Eccleston, Morven Christie, Lee Ingleby, Max Vento, Molly Wright, Greg McHugh, Pooky Quesnel, Matt Greenwood and Leon Harrop.

[14] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 75% "Certified Fresh" score, based on 20 critics with an average rating of 5.9/10.

The website's critics consensus reads, "The A Word overcomes an uneven start to offer a thoughtful, warm-hearted look at the engagingly messy lives of its protagonists – and a glimpse of challenges too rarely seen or discussed on television.

The website's critics consensus reads, "The A Word's second season expands its scope beyond the series' inciting diagnosis and blossoms into a thoughtful and warm view on the dynamics of family, while also candidly addressing the realities of raising a child with autism.

[citation needed] In August 2020 it was announced that a spin-off series Ralph & Katie, following the married life of the protagonists, had been commissioned by the BBC.

[19] The six-part series, which included a writing team made up predominantly of people with disabilities,[20] was broadcast in October and November 2022, with all episodes available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer.