She cares a lot: Ralph and Katie star reflects on The A Word spin-of

Ralph & Katie: BBC's The A Word spin off teased in trailer

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For those unfamiliar with the A Word, the series centred around a young boy, Joe Hughes (played by Max Vento) and how he and his family adjust to his autism diagnosis. Also in the series was Ralph Wilson (Leon Harrop), and when viewers last saw him he had just married Katie Thorne (Sarah Gordy), who both live with Down’s Syndrome. Ralph and Katie explores how the two handle married life, with all the usual ups and downs. Speaking to Express.co.uk and other media recently, the cast reflected on their characters.

Episode one of Ralph and Katie sees the newlyweds after they have set up home in the Lakes, and life looks rosy.

But when Katie’s friend Emma (Jamie Marie Leary) gets unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, Katie does what any good friend would do and invites Emma to stay.

Katie values Emma’s friendship, but Ralph quickly tires of having a cuckoo in the nest.

He soon ropes in the couple’s support worker Danny (Dylan Brady) to drop some hints and persuade Emma to leave.

When asked about to summarise the new series, Sarah explained: “It shows their marriage and how it has been going.

“She cares a lot, Katie really cares a lot, and I care about other people as well so we are similar in that way.”

Although the couple’s wedding was perfect, Ralph is about to find out that marriage brings its own challenges and questions – about love, independence, how to deal with the in-laws and about what the future might hold.

Ralph’s first year as a husband won’t be plain sailing, but with Danny in his corner – and Marcus Rashford’s photo over the fireplace – Ralph will gradually get the measure of married life.

Director Jordan Hogg explained the inspiration for the series.

“I never wanted to do a show about disabled people,” he commented.

“This is about us as humans, how we get through life and how we all try to get through life as best we can. It’s like the UK This Is Us.”

Jordan, who lives with cerebral palsy himself, also detailed the way in which the cast and crew did everything in their power to cater for different peoples’ needs.

He stated: “People are sick of me saying it, I kept saying ‘we are going to change the world.’

“And the things we put in place behind the scenes –  we had coaches who helped us out immensely, we had interpreters, everything.

“We were pioneering, sometimes it didn’t work, sometimes it did.

“Everyone has different needs but for me every disabled kid has a dream, and we should move heaven and earth to make whatever that child’s dream is accessible.”

Other familiar faces from the original series include Ralph’s overbearing mother Louise Wilson (Pooky Quesnel).

She still has her concerns for her son and tries to get involved in his decisions, but her concern comes from a place of love.

Also returning is Matt Greenwood as Tom Clarke, who in The A Word was a friend of Joe’s sister, Rebecca Hughes (Molly Wright).

Ralph and Katie will start Wednesday, October 5 on BBC One at 9pm.

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