Daddy issues

Ben Miller stars as a cancelled author discovering he has an autistic son

A bestselling children’s writer, whose career is in crisis following a social-media storm, faces further turmoil when the autistic son he never knew existed turns up out of the blue in BBC1’s heart-warming Australian comedy Austin.

Ben Miller plays Julian Hartswood, creator of the beloved Big Bear series, who, at first, is hesitant to accept the eccentric but charming 28-year-old Austin Hogan (neurodivergent actor Michael Theo) into his life. The Professor T star also co-wrote the eight-part series and told TV&Satellite Week in an exclusive interview how the show came about.

INSPIRATION

‘We saw Michael in an Australian reality show about dating called Love on the Spectrum. He was brilliant in it and that was the germ of the idea,’ says Miller, 59.

‘We got in touch and it turned out he’d always wanted to be an actor, so that’s where Austin came from.’