The Max factor

The parents of The A Word’s Max Vento on how their son became a star…

- Caren Clark

DRAMA

The A Word

TUESDAY / BBC1 / 9.00PM

Christopher Eccleston, Lee Ingleby and Morven Christie may be the household names heading the cast of BBC1’s The A Word, but there’s no doubt little Max Vento is the star of the show.

Max, eight, from Leeds has won widespread acclaim for his perfectly pitched performance as autistic Joe Hughes, and here his parents, construction worker Frank, 53, and Sue, 47, who works for a stairlift company, tell TV Times why they could not be prouder…

How did Max land the part of Joe?

Sue: He had no interest in acting but he always loved to perform and from an early age he’d dress up as Jessie J and sing her hits on YouTube. The production team had an open audition and Max,who was only five at the time, went along and was chatty and not overwhelmed. It impressed them.