Meet the cast of The A Word series 2
Christopher Eccleston, Morven Christie and Greg McHugh star in this BBC drama
Greg McHugh plays Maurice's son Eddie Scott
Who is Eddie in The A Word? Eddie is Maurice's son and Alison's brother. He and wife Nicola moved to be near the family after Nicola had an affair with a co-worker and hoped for a fresh start – but it didn't quite work out that way. Eddie has an antagonistic relationship with his father and, as we return for series two, has separated from his wife and is living in Manchester.
Where have you seen him before? Greg McHugh played Howard in Fresh Meat and Gary McLintoch in Gary Tank Commander.
Vinette Robinson plays Eddie's wife Nicola Daniels
Who is Nicola in The A Word? Nicola uprooted her life to move with Eddie back to his hometown. Her affair with coworker Michael poisoned their marriage and they were hoping for a fresh start. Now they have a daughter but are living apart and, while Nicola might seem to be coping, underneath it all she is struggling.
Where have you seen her before? Vinette Robinson played Sgt Sally Donovan in Sherlock. She has also been Rita in Close to the Enemy, Zoe Nash in Black Work and Helen Hopewell in Waterloo Road. Recently she played Rosa in Delicious.
Molly Wright plays Joe's older sister Rebecca Hughes
Who is Rebecca in The A Word? Rebecca is Joe's older sister. She loves him deeply and is tuned in to his needs. In this series she's just come back from travelling abroad with a new boyfriend in tow.
Where have I seen her before? Molly Wright has also played Lulu Lane in Our Girl.
Aaron Pierre plays Molly's boyfriend James
Who is James in The A Word? James is the boyfriend Rebecca brings home from travelling. He finds it hard to understand Joe and makes a limited effort to impress her parents, but he seems to love Rebecca a great deal.
Where have I seen him before? Aaron Pierre played Terrence O'Duncie in Prime Suspect 1973 and Antonius in Britannia.
Pooky Quesnal plays Maurice's love interest Louise
Who is Louise in The A Word? In series one, singing teacher Louise approached her pupil Maurice with a proposition: sex, no strings attached. But after things became complicated – and with her son Ralph to think of – Louise broke things off. Still, that's not the last of it.
Where have I seen her before? You may recognise Pooky Quesnal as Fiona Craig from W1A. She's also been Dorothea Ames in Doctor Who spin-off Class and Rachel Branning in EastEnders.
Leon Harrop plays Louise's son Ralph
Who is Ralph in The A Word? Ralph is Louise's only son. He's a good-natured man and, in series two, he's after a job at Maurice's brewery.
Where have I seen him before? Leon Harrop has also appeared in Moving On, From There to Here and The Street.
Lucy Gaskell plays Mark's mum Sophie Berwick
Who is Sophie in The A Word? Alison meets single mum Sophie through an autism family support group and immediately offers her a job as a waitress in Paul's restaurant – whether he likes it or not. Initially there is some friction but Paul and Sophie soon bond after chaperoning Mark and his mates to a gig.
Where have I seen her before? Lucy played Kirsty Clements in Casualty, and has also starred as Lola in Misfits, Sam in Being Human, and Ruby Ferris in Cutting It.
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Travis Smith plays Sophie's autistic son Mark Berwick
Who is Mark in The A Word? Mark is Sophie's son. He can get very angry and doesn't speak much, but he really loves live music.
Where have I seen him before? Mark is played by Travis Smith, who is himself autistic. This is his TV debut.
The A Word series two airs on BBC1 from Tuesday 7th November at 9pm