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Duration: 1 x 2 hours Channel: ITV1 First Screening: Tuesday December 26th 2006 at 9pm |
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Executive producer: Beryl Vertue Produced by: Elaine Cameron Written by: Lindsey Hill Directed by: Simon Shore Starring: Keeley Hawes, Ben Miles, Sheila Hancock, Duncan Preston, Lorraine Pilkington |
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| After Thomas |
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Keeley Hawes (Spooks, Under The Greenwood Tree, Tipping The Velvet) and Ben Miles (Coupling, Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga) star in After Thomas, a true story of one couple's struggle to meet the challenges of their child's autism. Kyle Graham is scared. Not of monsters under the bed like any average six-year-old, but of just about everything. And he can't communicate his fears. His mother Nicola (Hawes) knows that Kyle wants to be left alone, safe and secure in his autistic world. But she also fears for his future if he continues to reject all emotional interaction. Her fierce determination to break into Kyle's world has placed an intolerable strain on her marriage, as her husband Rob (Miles), although equally devoted to his son, is frustrated by Nicola's relentless challenging of Kyle's condition. Into this maelstrom of conflict comes Thomas, a golden retriever puppy. Nothing could prepare Nicola and Rob for how Thomas unlocks the door to a personality they never knew their son had. What follows is a fascinating and moving tale of two parents who, at breaking point, find hope they never dared to dream of. Gritty and real, funny and heart-warming, After Thomas is an uplifting and moving true story. View Press Release |
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"After Thomas was sans sentimentality, soap actors or even sex and proved to be the best thing I've seen on ITV in ages. Which is remarkable actually because the story - about a severely autistic child whose mind is unlocked by his touching relationship with a golden retriever puppy - had enormous schmaltz potential. But I didn't wretch once - not even when the boy, Kyle, told his mother he loved her, something she had been warned he would never do. Keeley Hawes and Ben Miles played the parts of Kyle's parents with skilful understatedness. Andrew Byrne, 6, who played Kyle, was exceptional in his portrayal of a child grotesquely locked inside his own world. The reason that this story seemed raw and true is probably because it was... For ITV to devote two hours in peak Boxing Day to a drama about the hell that is caring for a severely autistic kid when once it would have reached for another Animals Do The Funniest Things reel was risky but commendable."
(Times)
"In advance, After Thomas seemed certain to be an exercise in pure schmaltz. After all, it was a drama - on ITV1, on Boxing Day - about a six-year-old autistic boy whose life was transformed by the love of a good puppy. The result, though, turned out to be surprisingly powerful. This was thanks partly to the strength of the acting (including an astonishingly impressive performance from Andrew Byrne as the boy) and partly by the unfailing sharpness of Lindsey Hill's script... Beautifully-made." (Daily Telegraph) "Given the usual coat of TV treacle, this could have been a sad, sweet, superficial drama but it was made with the close involvement of the real-life parents it's based on, much of the dialogue was actually spoken and authenticity shines through every frame... it's gripping viewing and a serious insight into this mysterious condition." (Sunday Express) More Press Comments |
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Useful Links
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Cast List
Crew List
Press Release: After Thomas
Press Pack: After Thomas Downloadable PDF
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© Hartswood Films Ltd 2007 |
Last Updated:
Friday, September 7, 2007
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