This 'Thrilling' New BBC Drama Is Your Next Binge-Watch
Based on the memoir of the same name by journalist, presenter and transgender activist Paris Lees, the coming-of-age comedy-drama centres around teenage Byron as they navigate the many highs and lows of growing up queer in the East Midlands in the 2000s, and how their life changes as they find their own tribe.
Over the course of it eight episodes, What It Feels Like For A Girl tackles heavy subjects like gender identity, sex, class and the importance of community and chosen family for queer people, and is already being hailed as 'totally fearless', 'raw' and 'essential viewing'.
Here's a selection of why the BBC series is being called a must-watch …
The Guardian (4/5)
'It's certainly a wild ride – I'll struggle to look at a toilet brush the same way ever again – but if you stay on board until the end, a memorably complex psychological portrait will be your reward.'
The Independent (4/5)
'At a time when the trans community are being forced to suffer almost daily indignities at the hands of Britain's political and media establishment, the presence of What It Feels Like for a Girl feels urgent [...] in a world where it is easy to feel pessimistic about the course of progress, What It Feels Like for a Girl presents an engaging – and rational – case for optimism.'
The Standard (4/5)
'For A Girl doesn't gloss over the messy bits. There's a lot of sex, drugs, and 2000s dance music. Scenes with predatory older men, from dirty doggers to corrupt coppers, are harrowing for the most part. But it also thrills with its portrayal of teenage transgression.'
'Make no mistake, What It Feels Like for a Girl is raw and frequently uncomfortable viewing [...] Yet the unease is what makes What It Feels Like for a Girl such a visceral, essential watch. We need more TV like it.'
The Times (4/5)
'This series is very bingeable. It is funny, heartbreaking, occasionally disturbing, sharply written and well acted, most notably by Ellis Howard, who plays Byron with wit and, at times, devastating poignancy [...] Thisis a raw drama that could easily have been depressing (and at times it is), but ends up ultimately being a buoyant story of resilience.'
'While the drama doesn't fall into the trap of educating or being overtly political, it's an overdue examination of how being lower class intersects with sexuality and gender identity… while also being an utter riot.'
Digital Spy
'We need more shows like this, singular outlooks that give a voice and artistic vision to communities long underserved on screen. That's especially true at a time when trans rights are being threatened even more than they were 25 years ago, in the time this show is set.
'To see not just trans pain, but trans joy, trans love and, most crucially, trans acceptance on a platform as widely viewed as the BBC will be nothing short of life-saving right now. This is 2025′s answer to It's a Sin, yet it's even more vital than that show in many ways. Another queer masterpiece that holds the potential for real-world change.'
'[ What It Feels Like For A Girl ] pulls no punches […] the series is a raw, hedonistic, brutal – but often hilarious – tale of Byron, a 15-year-old boy who is trying to find his identity and is desperate to escape the small-mindedness of his home town.'
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