What It Feels Like for a Girl (TV series)
| What It Feels Like for a Girl | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Paris Lees |
| Based on | What It Feels Like for a Girl by Paris Lees |
| Directed by |
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| Composer | James Jacob |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer |
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| Production location | United Kingdom |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Three |
| Release | 3 June 2025 |
What It Feels Like for a Girl is a British television series based on Paris Lees' coming-of-age memoir of the same title, adapted by Lees herself for BBC Three. The series premiered on 3 June 2025.
Cast and characters
- Ellis Howard as Byron
- Laura Haddock as Lisa
- Hannah Walters as Mommar Joe
- Michael Socha as Steve
- Laquarn Lewis as Lady Die
- Hannah Jones as Sasha
- Adam Ali as Dirty Damian
- Alex Thomas-Smith as Sticky Nikki
- Calam Lynch as Max
- Jake Dunn as Liam
- Dickie Beau as Peter
- Emma Shipp as Smanfa
- Sekou Diaby as Rinze
- Laura Checkley as Bev
- Oliver Huntingdon as Bradley
- Lorn Macdonald as Tony
- Rhys Connah as Carl
Guest
- Fay Ripley as Tessa
- Selina Mosinski as Mikey
- Juliet Cowan as Alison
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Brian Welsh | Paris Lees | June 3, 2025 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Brian Welsh | Paris Lees & Georgia Christou | June 3, 2025 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Brian Welsh | Paul Williams | June 3, 2025 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Ng Choon Ping | Paris Lees & Sarah Simmonds | June 3, 2025 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Brian Welsh | Paul Williams | June 3, 2025 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Ng Choon Ping | Georgia Christou | June 3, 2025 |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Marie Kristiansen | Mika Onyx Johnson | June 3, 2025 |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Marie Kristiansen | Sarah Simmonds | June 3, 2025 |
Production
In June 2023, it was announced BBC Three had commissioned an 8-episode adaptation of Paris Lees' coming-of-age memoir What It Feels Like for a Girl, produced by Hera Pictures and penned by Lees herself. Chris Sweeney was originally attached as lead director,[1] but the position later went to Brian Welsh. Lees was joined in the writing room by Georgia Christou, Paul Williams, Sarah Simmonds and Mika Onyx Johnson, while Ng Choon Ping and Marie Kristiansen supported Welsh as directors.[2]
The cast was revealed in March 2025, with Ellis Howard set to lead the series. Lees said "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". Also announced were Laura Haddock, Hannah Walters and Michael Socha as well as Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Adam Ali, Alex Thomas-Smith, Calam Lynch, Jake Dunn and Dickie Beau. Further cast members included Emma Shipp, Sekou Diaby, Laura Checkley, Oliver Huntingdon, Lorn Macdonald and Rhys Connah. Fay Ripley and Selina Mosinski would make guest appearances.[2]
Principal photography took place in Nottingham and South Wales.[2]
Reception
The first season of the show received universal critical acclaim.[3] The Guardian hailed it as a "memorably complex psychological portrait" and praised Howard as "charismatic and convincing" in the lead role.[4] Financial Times also singed out Howard for praise, calling the performance "at once charismatic and vulnerable, exhilarated and fatalistic, sharp-tongued and soft-hearted".[5] The Telegraph hailed Howard as "magnetic", uplifting the story from being a generic entry in the "misunderstood child coming of age in a small town" genre.[6] Digital Spy said, "It's no exaggeration to suggest that What It Feels Like for a Girl could do for trans representation what It's a Sin did a few years back for gay storytelling and awareness around the AIDS crisis.[7]
References
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (20 June 2023). "'What It Feels Like For A Girl': BBC Orders "Anarchic Y2K" Drama Based On Paris Lees Memoir". Deadline. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "BBC announces cast for What It Feels Like For A Girl". BBC Press Centre. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "What It Feels Like for a Girl: Season 1 - TV Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ Aroesti, Rachel (3 June 2025). "What It Feels Like for a Girl review – deeply disturbing and totally fearless TV". The Guardian.
- ^ Einav, Dan (10 June 2025). "What It Feels Like for a Girl TV review — a gritty, bold coming-of-age tale". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025.
- ^ Power, Ed (5 June 2025). "What it Feels Like for a Girl, review: an addictive and shocking adaptation of Paris Lees's memoir". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Why What It Feels Like for a Girl is the most important British show since It's a Sin". Digital Spy. 5 June 2025.