Sad though it is to admit, the question of disability only seems to have been dealt with at any depth in Britain's soaps.

So what we basically have is a bloke in Emmerdale and Sandy Richardson careering around the flimsy walls of the Crossroads Motel to offer up as an example.

There's always Hollywood...but movies such as Rain Man, I Am Sam and Born on the Fourth of July always smacked of celebrity star vehicle.

My Left Foot showed that difficult subjects can be treated in a sober manner and now this shows the plight of the disabled in a realistic and truthful light.

That's not to say it's without laughs - one of the chief joys is the lack of self pity and exuberance in the face of adversity that colours proceedings.

McAvoy plays Rory, a gleeful wind-up merchant who just happens to be stuck in a wheelchair with muscular dystrophy curtailing movement to just two fingers...but unlimited use of his mouth.

Cerebral palsy sufferer Michael (Robertson) has spent years in the Carrigmore Home for the Disabled ("A Special Place for Special People") but has been institutionalised into virtually a mute cabbage.

However, the arrival of the dynamic Rory fires his spirit and soon the pair of them are on the razzle in Dublin, sinking cocktails and chatting up the local lasses.

This doesn't go down to well with Brenda Fricker's matron...but Rory sees her petty rules as a straitjacket and goes about getting him and Michael a life on the outside.

Simple and just a little predictable, this still packs a punch thanks to a sterling performance from McAvoy as the obnoxious yet still likeable Rory.

He's ably supported by newcomer Robertson in the more challending role (only Rory can understand what Michael is saying).

"I used to sit next to someone in class who made you sound like Laurence Olivier," Rory says by way of introduction.

I Capture The Castle star Romola Garai also turns in an unflashy performance as the shelf-stacker who becomes their carer for a life on the outside.

East is East director Damian O'Donnell isn't afraid to look at the question of disability from awkward angles and doesn't seek easy answers.

Life affirming in its own small way.

Tim Evans