BBC One drama The A Word is set to begin filming in the Lake District this week after producers confirmed the show was returning for a third series.

Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh is set to join the cast of the show which follows a family hit by unexpected news when son Joe is diagnosed with autism.

The show will pick up two years on from the end of the second series, where things have significantly changed for the Hughes family. Joe is now 10 and living in two places at once, processing the major changes in his life through the filter of his autism.

Meanwhile, Alison and Paul are divorced and live 100 miles apart. It’s only Maurice who is holding things together, which isn’t a good sign for the family.

As well as Hesmondhalgh, the regular cast members will also be joined by Sarah Gordy (Call The Midwife, Holby City) and David Gyasi (Interstellar).