Millions loved them in The A Word, and now Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy are breaking new ground with their own comedy drama series.
Both have Down's Syndrome and new show Ralph & Katie tells the story of a couple navigating life as newlyweds.
They are the first actors with learning disabilities to land lead roles in a major UK show – which was written by scriptwriters who all have a disability.
But Leon, 30, says it is proof that hard work – and, talent, though he is too modest to admit it – can take you an awful long way.
He says: “Being born with a disability is not the end of the world. We can still have amazing lives too.
“I’ve got special needs, but I never, ever give up on what I want to do.
“I don’t care if people say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t act’. I’m a normal human being with a disability and I can do stuff myself. I’m really pleased that two people with Down’s Syndrome are the main characters in this drama. It was always my dream to have a lead role.
“I feel so proud and my family are proud too. I hope it inspires other young people with special needs. I’d say to them – come and join us, don’t hold back and don’t be scared.
“I struggle with long words in the scripts, but we go through it before filming, so I can get it in my head. You can do anything with the right support.”
Fans of The A Word – about the family of a boy with autism – saw brewery assistant Ralph and Katie come together in the last series. The spin-off is a delightful tale which follows their new life in the Lake District.
Sarah, 44, says: “It’s important to see the person behind it, not the disability. I never think about the fact that I have Down’s Syndrome, I’m a human being.
“I love Ralph & Katie because it’s about two people with Down’s Syndrome having an independent life.
“It’s very important to show them in bed together, falling in love, drinking alcohol, making friends, going to work and all the things that everyone else does. Sometimes people think that disabled people don’t do those things, but if they watch Ralph & Katie, they will change their minds.
“Hopefully they will see what we can do. Difference is important. It would be boring if we just had normal people on television.”
Viewers will recognise both stars from a string of roles.
Leon, who lives with his parents Dave and Tania in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, made his TV debut when he was 17, after a casting agency approached his school looking for students to appear in BBC drama The Street.
He has been in several shows, including Brassic, Casualty and the Manchester bomb drama From There to Here, alongside Philip Glenister.
Sarah, who always wanted to be an actress, made her TV debut at 23 in ITV ’s Peak Practice. She played Lady Pamela Holland in Upstairs Downstairs from 2010-12 and has appeared in Call the Midwife, The Long Call and Doctors.
The A Word shot both stars to even greater fame and they regularly get recognised in the street.
Sarah says: “I get asked for autographs sometimes, which makes me feel happy.”
Leon adds: “I went to the supermarket recently with my mum and dad and a bloke said, ‘That’s Ralph’!”
The new show is the first UK series with an all-disabled writing team, while 20% of the crew were disabled or neurodivergent, which can lead to conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyspraxia.
To accommodate the special needs of Leon and Sarah, the production made several adjustments.
Leon was accompanied on set by his dad, while Sarah had two personal assistants. Rehearsals were extended and a creative coach helped the pair with anything they didn’t understand.
Director Jordan Hogg, who has cerebral palsy, explains: “She was essentially an interpreter for Leon and Sarah. She helped them to find the emotions they needed.
“We had one technique called mirroring, where she did a performance and Leon and Sarah gave the performance back to the camera. We also had an easy read call sheet. We all wore name badges, saying who we were and what our jobs were. These things cost nothing, but it made the set accessible to everybody and made a happy environment for everybody.”
The show’s creator, Peter Bowker, says: “Ralph & Katie is a natural step forward from the ambition of The A Word to increase representation and diversity both on and off screen.
“This world is diverse and that’s great and to be celebrated. The show challenges stereotypes at every turn.
“Leon’s comedy timing, for example, is incredible and not something a lot of people would expect.
“Obviously some things are more challenging than others. But in terms of delivering a performance, there was no difference.”
Writer Lizzie Watson, 27, who has autism, says: “People ask me how Ralph & Katie approaches the topic of disability, but it’s not approaching the topic. The characters’ disabilities are not the whole point of the series, it’s just a part of their story.”
Fellow writer Annalisa Dinnella, who is visually impaired, adds: “I think it was crucial the writing team was entirely made up of disabled writers.
“I’ve been in situations where I’ve been the only disabled writer in the room and when you’re the only one you not only have to do your job, you’re also educating everyone around you and weirdly having to represent the entire disabled community.”
And co-writer Tom Wentworth, who has cerebral palsy, adds: “When I grew up, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me on TV. If you can’t see it, you think you can’t be it.”
The A Word star Pooky Quesnel, who also plays Ralph’s mum Louise in the spin-off, says working with Leon only required very small adjustments.
She says: “Leon’s vocabulary isn’t as complex as someone else of his age, so every now and again I’d use a word and then realise that I needed to use a simpler version.
“But as soon as I met him, we immediately clicked. He’s a fantastic actor and an incredibly warm and emotionally sensitive person.
“Working with Leon was just like going to work with another fabulous actor, who happens to have Down’s Syndrome.”
The new series, which also features Royle Family star Craig Cash, is another milestone for Sarah. In 2018 she received the MBE from Prince William for services to the arts and people with disabilities. Sarah says the honour – and a doctorate of law from the University of Nottingham – “are the most incredible things that have happened to me”.
But both actors have more dreams to fulfil.
Leon says: “I’d like to be in a film with Dwayne Johnson!” And Sarah says: “I’d love to be Doctor Who’s sidekick!”
Ralph & Katie: An ITVS Production for BBC1 and BBC iPlayer, starts Wednesday at 9pm
