New queer series set in early noughties Nottingham coming to BBC

An adaptation of Paris Lees’ memoir ‘What It Feels Like For A Girl’ – set in Nottingham during the early noughties – is coming to the BBC during Pride Month this year. The eight-part series is adapted for television for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three by creator, director and lead writer, Paris Lees and lead director Brian Welsh.

What It Feels Like For A Girl, BBC/Hera

Paris, a transgender writer, presenter and activist grew up in Nottingham and shared her experiences in her memoir of the same name.

She explains: “I’m so excited to adapt my story to a visual medium. It has been my passion project, and it has truly become my life. This has been my first time working in television, so it’s an honour and a privilege to explore the themes and ideas from the book in this format. It’s been an incredible experience to work on such a creative project.

“At its core, the story is inspired by my life and all my unique past experiences. Growing up, my friends and I were the only openly out young people in Nottingham. Even in the past decade, things have changed drastically. Back then, we were on the outskirts of society, and people thought we were too young to be transitioning. This is ultimately a coming-of-age story, and like many coming-of-age tales, it’s about the people we lose and gain along the way.

“The Y2K era was when I hit puberty, and it’s a time when everything felt so vivid. Life was filled with hormones and energy; I remember it all so clearly. At that point in the UK, it felt like we were making progress; we were gaining more rights, living longer, and there was more medicine. There was an undeniable energy surrounding the decade; some people have said I’ve created a unique universe, but the reality is it was just life at the time.

“I also wanted to capture that moment just before mobile phones and social media, that cusp of time before we all became a bit more self-conscious and self-aware about how we were acting and how we came across. I wanted to capture that crazy, wild energy. I feel that so many young people today are attracted to that era because it just feels so different to now.

“As a working-class trans woman, I’ve never had the opportunity to tell my story in this way before. I’ve never seen a trans character represented in this way on British television. Someone cool, edgy, and imperfect. I’m not a perfect trans woman, and I don’t want to be a role model. I’m a hot mess, and I have the right to be just as messy as anyone else. There’s a reason why the trans community hasn’t had a voice in television like this before, and I hope this series will resonate with anyone who feels marginalised or lives on the edge of society. I want this story to make people feel heard.”

All episodes of What It Feels Like For A Girl will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Tuesday 3rd June, with the series airing on BBC Three and BBC One from later that night. The series stars Ellis Howard (Byron), Laquarn Lewis (Lady Die), Hannah Jones (Sasha), Jake Dunn (Liam), Adam Ali (Dirty Damian), Alex Thomas-Smith (Sticky Nikki), Michael Socha (Steve), and Laura Haddock (Lisa).

“It's a new millennium - Madonna, Moloko and Basement Jaxx top the charts, and there's a whole world to explore. But teenager Byron is stuck in a small working-class town that hasn’t been the same since the coal mine shut in the 80s. Sick of mam, sick of dad, sick of being beaten up for "talkin' like a poof". Sick of everyone shuffling about like the living dead, going on about kitchens they're too skint to do up and marriages they're too scared to leave. Byron needs to get away, and doesn't care how.

“Life explodes in a rush when Byron escapes to Nottingham's kinetic underworld and discovers the East Midlands' premier podium-dancer-cum-hellraiser, the mesmerising Lady Die. Byron is adopted into Lady Die’s hilarious and chaotic family of trouble-makers – “The Fallen Divas”. Between them, they beg, steal and skank their way on a rollercoaster ride of hedonism at the heart of the UK’s early 2000s club scene.

“The party can't last, though, and when Byron is seduced by bad-boy Liam, a shocking encounter occurs that will change life forever.”

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