The BBC has released the first trailer for its noughties-set coming-of-age drama What It Feels Like For A Girl, inspired by the memoir of trans journalist and writer Paris Lees.
Plugged as a “raw, heartbreaking and hilarious drama that explores escape, self-discovery and self-destruction” series will follow Byron (Ellis Howard) growing up in Nottingham in the noughties.
“It’s a new millennium and there’s a whole world to explore,” the synopsis for the show reads. “But teenager Byron is stuck in a small working-class town that hasn’t been the same since the coal mine shut down in the 80s. Byron needs to get away and doesn’t care how.
“Life explodes in a rush when Byron escapes to Nottingham’s vibrant underworld, discovering a realm of drink, drugs, and a chaotic family of troublemakers – ‘The Fallen Divas’.”
The “gang of kindred spirits” Byron finds includes the “mesmerising” Lady Die (Laquarn Lewis), Sticky Nikki (Alex Thomas-Smith), Dirty Damian (Adam Ali). An intense rivalry also brews between Byron and the “beautiful, acid-tongued” Sasha (Hannah Jones).
“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 show’s description continues.
“The party can’t last forever though, and when Byron is seduced by bad-boy Liam, a shocking encounter occurs that will change life forever.”
Lees’ memoir What It Feels Like For a Girl was met with rave reviews when published in 2021 and, like the television series it inspired, also follows a fictional character named Byron, who is inspired by Lees and her life growing up as a teenager in the East Midlands.
The 28-second trailer opens with a voiceover from Howard, as Byron, who says “welcome to the year 2000” and laments that “everyone is having fun, except me” as their Nokia mobile phone shows they has zero text messages.
A supercut of various scenes show Byron being told not to “stop walking like a fairy” – a cruel insult often aimed at gay men – before attending a club night, meeting The Fallen Divas and going on a hedonist sesh that includes partying, kissing bad boy Liam and carrying out what looks like shoplifting.
Previously, Lees has said that the series is a “proudly working-class story” and was full of praise for the cast, saying the production team “struck gold with these highly talented actors”.
“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,” Lees said.
Alongside the main actors, the cast also includes Hannah Walters, Michael Socha, Calam Lynch, Laura Haddock, Laquarn Lewis and Jake Dunn.
What It Feels Like For A Girl will air on BBC Three and the iPlayer on 3 June.
The post BBC queer drama What It Feels Like For A Girl gets first trailer and release date appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.