FIRST LOOK What It Feels Like For A Girl

The new coming-of-age drama has been inspired by Paris Lees' memoir of the same name.

BBC Three has today revealed the cast of their new Y2K spin on a coming-of-age drama, What It Feels Like For A Girl, which has been inspired by Paris Lees’ acclaimed memoir of the same name, with a selection of first look images.

What It Feels Like For A Girl is described as a raw, heartbreaking and hilarious drama that explores escape, self-discovery and self-destruction. It's a new millennium and there's a whole world to explore. But teenager Byron, played by Ellis Howard, 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”. Byron finds a gang of kindred spirits in the mesmerising Lady Die, played by Laquarn Lewis, Sticky Nikki, played by Alex Thomas-Smith, Dirty Damian, played by Adam Ali, while an intense rivalry brews between Byron and the beautiful, acid-tongued Sasha, played by 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 party can't last forever though, and when Byron is seduced by bad-boy Liam, a shocking encounter occurs that will change life forever.

The eight-part drama also stars Hannah Walters, Michael Socha, Laura Haddock, Calam Lynch, Jake Dunn and Dickie Beau.

Further cast 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).

Filmed in South Wales and Nottingham, What It Feels Like For A Girl was made by Hera Pictures and has been created by lead writer, Paris Lees with Georgia Christou, Paul Williams, Sarah Simmonds and Mika Onyx Johnson also writing. Lead director is Brian Welsh, with Ng Choon Ping and Marie Kristiansen also directing and it's produced by Frances du Pille.

And it'll be executive produced by Paris Lees and Brian Welsh, Liza Marshall and Ron O’Berst for Hera Pictures and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC.

Speaking about the project, 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."

To which Liza Marshall, Hera Pictures MD and Executive Producer added "We couldn’t be prouder of the phenomenal cast leading What It Feels Like For A Girl, who join a team of brilliant creatives in bringing Paris’s daringly distinctive vision to the screen. Ellis and the rest of the ensemble - an exciting mix of new and established talent - deliver incredible performances, bringing these anarchic, sharp-witted characters to life."

And the BBC's Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt, said "We can’t wait to take viewers back to the early noughties to see our magnificent cast shine in this big-hearted and brave new series. Paris and the Hera Pictures team have created a phenomenal eight episodes of genre-defining television, packed with swagger, humour, and humanity."

What It Feels Like For A Girl will air later this year on BBC Three