Ralph and Katie: 'People will now want to work on an inclusive set'

What is Ralph and Katie about?

BBC One drama Ralph & Katie breaks boundaries in terms of inclusivity and representation. Originally broadcast in late 2022, the series is a spin-off of TV drama series The A Word, which ran for three series and featured the popular wedding of characters Ralph and Katie towards the end.

The six-part comedy drama follows Ralph and Katie as they navigate married life, and is the first British show to have two actors with Down’s syndrome as its lead characters. The production also featured predominantly-disabled writers and a disabled director, Jordan Hogg, which led to a new way of working both on and off set.

What's a creative coach?

The series producer engaged with the role of a ‘creative coach’ in a unique way, to help the two main actors navigate things like scripts and the order of filming (which isn’t chronological when filming for TV). Jess Mabel Jones, whose background is in theatre, took on the role of creative coach and believes it made a huge difference not only to the lead actors, Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy, but to everyone working on the production: “We were creating a different environment on set, a cohesive one where everyone felt empowered. We also did a lot of dancing – it’s a great leveller and a way of relieving tension!”

What is Down’s syndrome?

Down’s syndrome is when you’re born with an extra chromosome. People who have it have some level of learning disability. Like everyone, they also have their own likes, dislikes and unique personality that makes them who they are. The ability of people who have Down's syndrome to hold and process verbal information is generally not as good as their ability to hold and process visual information, which can make it more difficult to learn new words and sentences. It can also make it more difficult to process spoken language, which is why things like pictures, signs and easy-read printed language can help.

Down's Syndrome Association

How was the production made more accessible?

Working with Access All Areas, an inclusive theatre company which works with learning disabled and autistic performers, the production team created simple innovations. Things like easy-read call sheets containing a simple list of the most important information, like what time they’re starting filming, where, what time lunch is and when they’ll finish. They also gave everyone name tags, so no one was worrying about remembering people’s name; and access passports, which meant anyone could divulge information and ask for any adjustment they needed. Jess says: “They were sent out to everyone, not just people we thought might ask. So, some people who’d never asked before, or who didn’t identify as disabled, also asked for things. They were all able to do their jobs to the best of their ability.”

I was there to make sure they could do the best job they could, and in an informed way.

Jess – who is neurodivergent herself – started working with Leon and Sarah five weeks before the shoot. She worked with them as an acting coach and director on set: "People with learning disabilities might have difficulty processing written information, understanding instructions or remembering to take breaks. However, the coaching I gave was bespoke to each actor. It’s important to remember that every learning disability is different and no two people with the same condition will require the same adjustments. That’s why rehearsing with the actors before beginning shooting was imperative – we needed time to work together to get to know each other and discover how best to collaborate." She would translate the director’s notes into an easy-read or spoken direction for them and she would feed back to the script supervisor and editor on small adjustments that might help when they were filming. She would also suggest when they needed to take a break, or she would also push for more time on a scene if it needed one more take: “I knew what Sarah and Leon could achieve. I was there to make sure they could do the best job they could, and in an informed way.”

Jess says: “There’s always a lot of apprehension around working with disabled people – people panic about saying or doing the wrong thing, so it was about alleviating any fear and empowering everyone on set to be and work cohesively. That definitely was achieved. It was really joyful and no one was nervous by the end. People will now actively want to work on an inclusive set.

“I think it reminded us that making TV can be irreverent and fun, and nobody needs to be a tyrant. I think TV has a reputation of being a bit cruel, of schedules being extremely long and hard, and in order to do a job work has to be hard. But I always say ‘good work, not hard work’. You don’t need to be having a horrible time in order to do your job well. You can have a wonderful time and still get the job done.”

The show is also inclusive on our screens as well as behind-the-scenes. There are captions and audio description, and there’s a ‘visual story’ for each episode: an easy-read guide which introduces the characters and explains the synopsis. Each main character has an audio description of themselves which you can also access separately. Jess says: “It’s so important for our show to be accessible to the very people we’re representing on screen. And it’s relatively easy! I really hope that Ralph & Katie and all of the surrounding material is going to be a bit of a provocation to the rest of the industry: we did it, we finished on time, under-budget. What are you going to do?”

She adds: “We need some fresh minds, we need some fresh perspectives. I come from theatre and I think TV kind of needed me because we do things a little differently in theatre. The [TV] industry needs a bit of a shake-up, so get on board young folks. We need ya!”