Eccleston began appearing in 2016 as Maurice Scott in the BBC drama "The A Word". Maurice is the eccentric but lovable dad to his daughter who, with her husband, has an autistic son. The second series began airing in November 2017 both in the UK and the US, where "The A Word" airs on SundanceTV. A third series was confirmed during his chat with the audience following a showing of "Shallow Grave" at the Norwich Film Festival. Cast member Lee Ingleby was quoted as saying, "We’ve always planned on doing it every two years." Series 3 of "The A Word" is set to air in the spring of 2020.