‘Humanising trans people is so important right now – our BBC series does that’

What It Feels Like For A Girl is a groundbreaking new BBC drama exploring heartbreak and hilarity in equal measure (Picture: BBC)

‘I feel incredibly grateful to be part of a show that humanises trans people at this moment,’ says Ellis Howard, who takes the lead in a powerful new BBC drama.

Titled What It Feels Like For A Girl, the Y2K coming-of-age eight-parter serves up heartbreak and hilarity in equal measure.

It’s based on the memoir of award-winning author and trailblazing trans rights campaigner Paris Lees, released in 2021 and chronicling her tumultuous upbringing in the 2000s.

The drama is set to storm BBC Three next month, boasting a cast of fresh, vibrant talent all keen to remind viewers of one simple yet poignant message—trans people have always existed and will always exist.

Howard, known for roles such as Red Rose (2022) and Help (2021), portrays Byron, who, desperate to break free from his small, working-class town, escapes to Nottingham’s vibrant underworld on a quest of self-discovery and enlightenment.

There, he discovers his people… as well as a realm of drink, drugs, and chaos in the heart of the early noughties club scene.

Ellis Howard takes the lead as Byron (Picture: BBC/Hera/Enda Bowe) Sasha, played by Hannah Jones, is a proud ‘gobby’ trans girl (Picture: BBC/Hera/Enda Bowe)

Metro caught up with the cast ahead of the show’s premiere. They shared their personal and emotional ties to their characters while also explaining how, given the current political landscape, the series really couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

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‘I read the book, and I fell in love with it, and I couldn’t believe that they were making it into a BBC drama, warts and all,’ begins Howard. ‘I couldn’t believe it was gonna be on television, so I was desperate to be part of it in any way.’

He adds that Paris’s memoir ‘touched [him]’ at several points, allowing him to feel ‘seen,’ as if he were reading extracts from his own life.

‘When they told me I got [the part], I was the happiest boy on the planet, but then I s**t myself because I was like… How the hell am I gonna do this?’

While the pressure to deliver may have been immense, he had the ‘safety net’ of his co-stars to support him, allowing Howard to believe the extraordinary might be possible after all.

The camaraderie between the young actors is evident even off the TV screen, as Jake Dunn (playing Liam), Hannah Jones (Sasha), and Laquarn Lewis (Lady Die) giggle their way through the interview after bonding over what they were all aware was a very ‘special’ project.

What It Feels Like For A Girl was the title of Paris Lees’ 2021 memoir (Picture: Instagram)

Asked what drew her to the role, Jones says she was excited by the opportunity to portray a character whose trans identity is merely a ‘facet’ of who she is.

‘[Sasha] was just an unapologetic, gobby trans girl from the north. Fork found in kitchen,’ she jokes. ‘I had to do this for all the gobby, northern trans girls. She was great to play.

‘Being trans is just a facet of her life; it just so happens that Sasha is trans. Her storyline is not trans trauma, her storyline is not a trans journey… It’s her being horrible, being a sex worker, being a sister, being a best friend…

‘All of this humanises the trans experience, and we’ve not had that before, and I think it’s really important to do that right now for trans people who are struggling.’

Indeed, when filming began, the climate was very different, with Joe Biden President of the United States and the Supreme Court not yet having ruled that the definitions of ‘sex’ and ‘woman’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to ‘biological sex’.

‘The title of the show has a whole new meaning now,’ Jones declares. ‘What does it feel like for a girl? That’s what’s being put out into Parliament, which is why it matters for viewers to not only fall in love with our characters, but us as people.’

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Echoing her sentiments on why the ‘humanisation’ of trans folk is so key when the community is so frequently—and wrongly—demonised by bigots on and offline, Dunn argues that, while placed in 2003, What It Feels Like For A Girl is ‘more forward-thinking than what’s happening in 2025’.

Set at a time without camera phones or Facebook statuses, but where people did fall out of nightclubs and into their own vomit without the fear of it being immortalised on the internet, the series is somewhat of an escape.

‘One of the gorgeous things about the show is the specificity of seeing life through Byron’s eyes for eight hours, and with that comes really deeply rooted, authored representation of people who exist, who have existed, and who still exist… which I hope provides some solace.’

Trans people will exist beyond this political moment that we’re in right now

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Howard agrees, stating that, of course, he would much rather rights and protections for trans people weren’t under perpetual threat.

However, he’s hopeful to kickstart a movement of TV shows not only with authentic queer representation in front of and behind the camera but that explore the intersections of class, which, as he admits, can be complex and messy’.

‘It’s a wild, loud story, and because of the scripts and how unrelenting and how unashamed they are, you had no choice but to drop all of your veneers on set every day and show your trauma, and we were doing that day in, day out, so we all felt like we were doing something really special.’

The cast formed special bonds, well aware they were part of something important (Picture: BBC/Hera/Enda Bowe) The eight-parter was filmed in a very different political time (Picture: BBC/Hera/Enda Bowe)

Following production, Donald Trump reentered the White House for a second term, bringing with him a host of divisive beliefs and dangerous policies posing a risk to minorities.

‘Despite that, we do know that society can rearrange itself, which can be a beautiful thing,’ Howard reasons.

‘Trans people will exist beyond this political moment that we’re in right now. And if we can provide some relief in the meantime, then merry f***ing Christmas!’

Indeed, it’s a scary time to be trans; hence, communities and sisterhoods can and do often save lives, with Howard hoping audiences are inspired to reach out to their own ‘tribes’.

‘We live in deeply perilous times, but we have to have some sort of joy and humour; otherwise, what are we fighting for?’, Howard states.

‘The rebellion can be stylish, and it can be cool, and it can be fun, and it can be wild, and on Poppers. We have to find light and shade, and build up that queer resilience, and queer resilience is exactly what we need right now.’

What It Feels Like For A Girl lands on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on June 3.

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