The finale of Keshet International's hit series The A Word , co-produced by Fifty Fathoms and Keshet UK, aired on BBC One on Tuesday night at 9pm. It attracted an audience of 4.4 million viewers and a  consolidated audience of 5.5 million, taking 22% audience share and  stealing audience share from the Champion’s League semi-final . 

The six-part series attracted a consolidated audience of 5.5 million and 22% market share

The series, which launched on Tuesday 22nd March to an average of 4.7 million viewers and increasing to 5.9 million viewers,  achieved consistent success in its primetime slot,  topping the BBC One slot average for the past 12 months.

The A Word also gained significant engagement on the BBC’s dedicated VOD service iPlayer. Since the launch it remained in the top ten most viewed progammes.

From the outset, The A Word has ignited a dialogue amongst viewers and critics who have been captivated by the plot, soundtrack, characters and heart-warming familiarity with the family’s story. Press have praised the series as “a rare gem” and viewers have taken to social media to share their personal and emotional responses each week. During the series premiere #theaword became the no.2 trending term on Twitter in the UK over the course of the hour. The finale was also one of  the Top 10 most talked about shows on the Twitter TV Leaderboard, coming in at No. 4. 

The A Word is written by the multiple BAFTA winner and Golden Globe nominee Peter Bowker (Marvellous, Blackpool) and directed by Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, Rev).  The series is based on the original Israeli drama Yellow Peppers by Keren Margalit, who also executively produced on the UK series. 

Sundance TV, the US partner which came on board during the show’s production will air the series this summer.