CUMBRIA is set to star on screen once more, with hit drama The A-Word set to be recommissioned.

BAFTA-winning Peter Bowker's popular series aired earlier this year, and was set in the spectacular surroundings of the Lakes. The heartfelt family drama has Joe, a boy with autism, at its heart.

Bowker says: "I am delighted that the show has resonated with a wide audience and am thrilled to have the opportunity to take the family and Joe further along their journey. Also delighted to be rifling through my musical history and calling it work.

"If the first series was about diagnosis and denial then the second series is about the journey that is undertaken when you ‘go public’ about the fact that your child is different. This series is both about being the family with a child that is different in a small community, as well as being a part of the wider ‘autism community’ and all that this entails.”

The A Word is a Fifty Fathoms and Keshet UK co-production for BBC One, and the second series has been given the green light by Lucy Richer, acting controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, and Charlotte Moore, acting director of television.

Moore says: “Following BBC Drama's tremendous start to the year, it is clear audiences are looking for even greater ambition and high quality. So I want to continue to expand our range even further and reaffirm my commitment to commission the very best drama in the UK.

"Family drama The A-Word will return, challenging perceptions of living with autism."