What It Feels Like For A Girl is a BBC Three drama series that follows trans teenager Byron on a voyage of discovery.
Set in the early 2000s and bringing to life the memoir by writer and journalist Paris Lees, it follows Byron who is stuck in a small working-class town but escapes and finds her tribe in the "Fallen Divas", a chaotic group of troublemakers enjoying the hedonism of Nottingham’s club scene. But when Byron is seduced by bad boy Liam, life changes forever.
"I'm excited, hysterical, thrown and overblown with bliss, but most of all I'm just having so much fun bringing this universe to life in a visual medium," says author Paris Lees.
“It’s a primal scream — from the depths of a council estate — against a world that would prefer people who don’t fit the norm didn’t exist. But we do and we’re not going away, we’re not apologising and we’re not shutting up. This is a deeply personal project and I’m thrilled to be working with the BBC and the team at Hera who have been so supportive of both me and my creative vision. The fact Chris Sweeney is directing, well, I feel like I’m top of the pops. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’re cooking up."
Paris Lees said: "This is a proudly working-class story, and it needed a cast who could bring it to life authentically. We've struck gold with these highly talented actors, some of whom are already familiar faces — and some who are about to be. The biggest challenge was always the lead role — we're following someone who’s going from, in the eyes of the outside world, a schoolboy, right up to a trans woman starting university, and all that's in between. The moment I saw Ellis, I recognised something in him — a cheekiness, a delicateness, a complexity — and knew he was the one. And he rose to the challenge, again and again. The chemistry between El, Hannah, Laquarn and the rest of the Fallen Divas is something you can only dream of in drama."
Here’s everything you need to know about the series What It Feels Like For A Girl…
What It Feels Like For A Girl release date
What It Feels Like For A Girl is an eight-part series that will air on BBC Three and BBCiPlayer on Tuesday 3 June 2025. When a US air date and channel is announced, we’ll update you on here.
Is there a trailer?
Yes a trailer for What It Feels Like For A Girl is now available from the BBC, so do take a look below...
What It Feels Like For A Girl plot
What It Feels Like For A Girl is set at the start of the new millennium, against a soundtrack of Missy Elliott, Moloko and Basement Jaxx.
It follows teenager Byron who is stuck in a former mining town. Sick of being beaten up and with a mum and dad who don’t understand, Byron escapes to Nottingham, embraces her true self, and gets swept up in the underground club scene.
After meeting The Fallen Divas, a group of queer people who take her under their wing, Bryon embarks on a journey of love, danger, self-discovery and self-destruction but a shocking encounter with a bad boy turns life upside down.
Everything changes when Byron embarks on a passionate relationship with Max (Calam Lynch), but when Max disappears without explanation, Byron goes searching for him on the queer club scene in Nottingham – and finds a new spiritual home instead.
After meeting charismatic podium dancer Lady Die (Laquarn Lewis), Byron is adopted into Die’s found family of misfits, the Fallen Divas, which also includes acid-tongued trans sex worker Sasha (Hannah Jones).
What It Feels Like For A Girl cast
Ellis Howard stars as teenager Byron. "We first meet Byron at 15 years of age," says Ellis. "I think they're sick of Hucknall, sick of being beaten up, sick of being in a town that doesn't understand them, but also not fully understanding themself yet because they haven't found their tribe. When they do find the Divas, they go on this odyssey which is immoral, sometimes illegal, but always fun — a journey into self-discovery."
Other key characters are Lady Die (played by Laquarn Lewis), Sticky Nikki (Alex Thomas-Smith), Dirty Damian (Adam Ali), and Sasha (Hannah Jones).
"At the start of the series, Sasha is 18 and going out clubbing," says Hannah. "She's a young sex worker and she's trans, and I think she feels so liberated through her sexuality and her sex work that she beats through any problems she does have through being a working-class trans girl. She's always just like 'I'm going to make more money, and then I'm going to do this, and that.' I think we meet her at a bit of a troubled time — I don't think she understands herself, and I think maybe seeing Byron discover themself maybe helps her, in a big sister sort of role, potentially find herself also."
"Die is in her element at the start of the series," adds Laquarn. "She's always just wanted to have fun, or chase men, or steal from a shop — she's just a reckless human being, which is why we love her. She's got her tight-knit friendship group, who she can go on adventures with, and then we meet Byron and let them in, and have a little taster of what the Divas are all about — and why we are the Fallen Divas, because we truly fall!"
The cast also includes Emma Shipp (Rivals), Sekou Diaby (Boarders), Laura Checkley (Screw), Oliver Huntingdon (Sherwood), Lorn Macdonald (Bridgerton), and Rhys Connah (Happy Valley), with guest appearances from Fay Ripley (Cold Feet) and Selina Mosinski (aka Charity Shop Sue).
Behind the scenes and more on What It Feels Like For A Girl
What It Feels Like For A Girl filming took place in 2024. The series is created and written by Paris Lees while Chris Sweeney is lead director.
Executive producers are Liza Marshall and Ron O’Berst for Hera Pictures, with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC. Paris Lees and Chris Sweeney will also serve as executive producers.
Lead director and executive producer Chris Sweeney says: "What a team to be making this with. Paris is a unique talent, Hera Pictures are an extraordinary bunch, and the team at the BBC has been so supportive of what is a truly special story. I’m very excited about this show."
Liza Marshall, executive producer for Hera Pictures says: “Paris is a truly exciting talent. She has created a daringly distinctive world, richly drawn characters that viewers will fall in love with, and a compelling story that will challenge perceptions.
"With Paris, the BBC and Chris Sweeney, we have found the dream team of creative partners and we could not be more thrilled to be working with them to bring this ground-breaking series to life in a way that is just as funny, gobby, joyful, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking as her original memoir.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: "We're delighted to join forces with Paris Lees, Chris Sweeney and all at Hera Pictures to bring Paris' fantastic debut book to BBC Three and iPlayer.
"Anyone who's read What It Feels Like For A Girl will know what a hugely distinctive, surprising and moving work it is, and its journey to the BBC - adapted by Paris herself - sees the arrival of an exciting new voice in UK television."
All about author Paris Lees
Author, journalist and campaigner Paris was the first trans columnist on Vogue and published her book What It Feels Like For A Girl in 2021. Her childhood was traumatic, she was badly bullied and ended up in prison after committing a robbery where she turned her life around. On her release, Paris transitioned, went to university and had a successful career as a journalist. She has appeared on Boy Meets Girl, Hollyoaks, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and Question Time.
