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Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dark true story behind hit drama What It Feels Like For a Girl: Transgender author Paris Lees endured horrific sexual abuse and was jailed at 16
A trans woman who was sexually assaulted as a teenager and endured a stint in prison has been praised for the 'raw' and 'totally fearless' new TV show about her life. Critics have commended the BBC 's adaptation of journalist Paris Lees' memoir, What It Feels Like for a Girl, which looks at the British writer's tumultuous history and at times dark journey with self-discovery. The presenter, now understood to be around 37, grew up in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, where she at the time identified as a gay man, and at 18 served eight months in prison for a robbery she committed two years earlier. She previously spoken openly about the shocking abuse and bullying she faced in school - including being groomed by 'grown men' who she had sex with in 'public toilets. The show explores her painful past, injected with optimism humour, and bright Y2K aesthetics, with actor Ellis Howard at the helm as protagonist Byron - initially percevied by those around them as a boy. 'Byron' is a pseudonym Paris used in her book as well - an homage to the Nottinghamshire poet. The first episode sees them introduced to 'sex work' - although they're underage and cannot truly consent - through boyfriend Max (played by Calam Lynch), before later becoming embroiled in a robbery plot with dangerous and enigmatic character Liam (Jake Dunn). In her memoir, Paris detailed an account, during this time of her life, that saw her going into a public toilet and being sexually abused on her 14th birthday. In an interview with The Guardian, she explained however that it took her years to understand the gravity of what had happened. 'Listen, I was a rent boy,' she said. 'Because it's written from my perspective at that time... And, of course, you can never completely remove your perspective of now, and what you want to say today, but I really tried to make it authentic to that time, and I didn't realise quite how bad it was. 'It's taken me many years to realise that it was abuse. I wasn't forced, but it was statutory rape. What would you call it? If somebody in their 30s or their 40s was having sex with a 14-year-old? It's abuse. And I wanted you to be horrified.' Remarking on seeing old childhood photos of herself, she added: 'But I look at this body, and this is the body of a 14- or 15-year-old, and this is the body that older men were lusting after, wanting to grab hold of, wanting to have sex with. 'And it makes me really sad. And it makes me sick, actually. It's weird thinking about myself in the third person, but I really want to go and just give that person a hug. And say, "You poor baby, please keep yourself safe. Please look after yourself."' Paris has also been open about her at times difficult relationship with her parents - but has also said their relationship has evolved a lot since her childhood. When she was 16, Paris was arrested after she and another rent boy she was 'sweet on' decided to rob a client - a plotline that is also explored in the BBC adaptation. They stole his bank cards and took out large amount of cash - but the writer has admitted jail was far from the worst time of her life. Reflecting on it on Lorraine in 2021, she explained: 'Weirdly prison for me was a real turning point. 'There are some really difficult things in there [her book] and a lot of this was abuse, and prison wasn't the worst time of my life ironically. 'I've been thinking about prison during lockdown, because I've been here before when you don't have your freedom and we really take our freedom for granted sometimes. It gave me a real space to think and think about the direction I wanted to go in, in my life. 'I look back at that screwed up kid, who is desperately unhappy and would do anything to escape, did do anything to escape, and got into a lot of trouble and look at this person on the screen and think, "This is two different people."' 'It's why it's taken me so long and it's really emotional to be here today,' she added. 'It's taken seven years to tell this story. It's not been easy story to write and it wasn't the easiest story to live to tell you the truth. 'It has been a difficult one for my family, my mum and dad don't read this with undiluted pleasure. It's dealing with some really tough issues, but I think we need to have that conversation because that was my childhood.' 'I was just a naïve teenager when they sent me away,' she said to the BBC, of her eight-month stint in jail. 'I had dropped out of college. Basically, I had gone off the rails because I was terrified of going to prison. I ended up taking lots of drugs. I had a lot of time for thinking when I was in prison.' Once she was out, Paris focused on getting her A-levels - but was still not out as trans. 'I didn't feel like I could transition at college because it was a little bit rough. I didn't think I could face it,' she explained. It was when her grandmother - who she was living with for the duration of her studies - passed away that she got a wake-up call. 'She died and I just thought, "do you know what, life is too short. I can't do this, I need to express myself and who I am",' Paris said. 'In the space of six weeks I went from living in Nottingham as a boy with my grandma still alive, to living in Brighton as a girl.' It wasn't always easy, and 'blending in' was tough. Paris admitted she was not only discriminated against for her identity, but struggled to get work because of her criminal record as well. Eventually, a doctor referred her to Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic - later founding META, a magazine for the trans community. Over the years, she began writing as a freelancer for national titles before getting some impressive accolades in the industry; Paris was Vogue's first trans columnist, as well as being the first trans woman to present shows on BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4. In 2021, she released her lauded memoir - now revered in its BBC adaptation. Describing it as both 'deeply disturbing and totally fearless', The Guardian 's Rachel Aroesti praised the optimism and joy inherent in the series despite the at times difficult subject matter. 'Despite... the fact they are repeatedly groomed and exploited by older men – Byron never comes across as a victim,' she penned. 'We are not invited to pick holes in the fearlessness they display when propositioning a police officer while sporting a wig and mini dress. Once Byron starts regularly dressing in women's clothes, sex takes on a new meaning. 'Risky, borderline violent encounters aren't self-destructive – they're self-affirmative, an opportunity to achieve something crucial.' 'This series is very bingeable,' Carol Midgley of The Times also said. '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. No one was more surprised than me that I quickly watched all eight episodes. 'Lees became the first trans woman to present shows on BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4 and also became a Vogue columnist. There is much humanity and sadness in the writing, but there is a great deal of humour too.' Elsewhere, The i 's Emily Baker praised the series as an 'absolute riot'. 'In having such a strongly realised, fully formed character in Byron, What It Feels Like a Girl can push the envelope into territory often seen as far too ghastly for television, particularly on the BBC,' she penned. 'By the end of tonight's two opening episodes, Byron finds his tribe in the "Fallen Divas" – a gang of trans girls and gay men who show him a different side to his hometown and the possibilities within it. 'It is joyful and funny, but that dark streak returns when Byron falls in with another pimp, Liam, who involves him in a crime that will turn his life upside down.' And writing for The Independent, Nick Hilton felt the 'messy coming-of-age tale is both universal and also rooted in the transgender experience'. The series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
What It Feels Like for a Girl review – deeply disturbing and totally fearless TV
The title suggests a generic experience of nascent womanhood, but What It Feels Like for a Girl is miles from your typical female bildungsroman. This adaptation of journalist Paris Lees' excellent memoir about growing up in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire (or 'Ucknall, as the book, with its mesmeric phonetic dialect, has it) chronicles the coming-of-age of Byron, who is seen by others as a boy. Initially, our protagonist doesn't really push back on that; despite some early gender dysphoria – angrily dismissed by their macho father – the prospect of one day openly living as a woman is completely outside their frame of reference. On a visit to a nightclub, Byron (Ellis Howard) encounters future friend Lady Die, who makes a joke about someone being a transexual. 'What's a transexual?' asks Byron – smiling, mystified. This is the early 00s, you see: pre Nadia's Big Brother win, although a couple of years post Hayley Cropper's Corrie debut. Still, in terms of the general public's comprehension of trans issues, it is the dark ages. (Thanks to the current Y2K fashion renaissance, however, the aesthetics are positively aspirational: dumbphones, chokers, FCUK slogan tees, Kappa tracksuits.) Yet Byron's eventual gender transition isn't what makes this an extraordinary and at times deeply disturbing account of a partly misspent youth. The reason 15-year-old Byron is at the aforementioned club in the first place is because they are searching for their erstwhile boyfriend Max (Sweetpea's Calam Lynch). But Max isn't just Byron's first love – he's also their pimp. A chance encounter in a public toilet introduced Byron to cottaging; they then begin performing sex acts on strangers for money. Byron's success in the field – and enthusiasm for the job – means they are soon headhunted by Max to meet the demands of wealthier clients. Yet when Max is warned off by the underage Byron's usually disinterested mother, our hero finds solace in a raucous bunch of like-minded trans and queer pals, who call themselves the Fallen Divas. They live in a nocturnal Nottingham underworld of copious drugs and endless trysts; Byron has a voracious appetite for both. One love interest, the intimidating Liam, is also secretly a sex worker and has a brilliant idea: why don't the pair rob a particularly pervy patron at gunpoint? Unfortunately for them both, it's not the perfect crime Liam thinks it is. What passes as fun for Byron – servicing grotty men in grotty bogs, and risking life and limb in the process – will probably look like a living nightmare to others. But we must consider the context: beforehand, Byron's life involved being constantly attacked for being a 'bender', both by local meatheads and their seething father (Michael Socha), who seems to view Byron's effeminate ways as a threat to his own masculinity. Byron's mum (Laura Haddock) might not be so aggressively disapproving, but she is selfish and neglectful. Until Byron meets the Fallen Divas, their beloved grandmother – or 'Mommar' – is their only safe space. Despite this – and the fact they are repeatedly groomed and exploited by older men – Byron never comes across as a victim. We are not invited to pick holes in the fearlessness they display when propositioning a police officer while sporting a wig and mini dress. Once Byron starts regularly dressing in women's clothes, sex takes on a new meaning. Risky, borderline violent encounters aren't self-destructive – they're self-affirmative, an opportunity to achieve something crucial: 'pride that he actually thinks I'm a girl,' as Lady Die puts it. Byron's personality also repels any underdog narrative: clever, arrogant and almost absurdly vicious, they are a natural when it comes to drag queen-esque bravado and acerbic wit. But they are also often just plain horrible – delighting in highlighting trans pal Sasha's 'big fucking hands' – and soon friends old and new begin to sever ties. This feels like a satisfying comeuppance. It is tricky to sympathise with a protagonist so bolshie, self-obsessed and eager to bring others down. Yet Byron is easy to admire, and – via a screen, at least – good company; Howard is charismatic and convincing in the role. The series concludes on a relatively conventional note: a redemptive spell inside, a devastating death and a fresh start. It feels like a spoonful of sugar after a resolutely unsentimental tale of a chaotic, morally ambiguous period of transition. 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. What It Feels Like for a Girl is on BBC iPlayer now
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
South Africa among 17 countries to screen Simply Red concert in cinemas
Selected Ster-Kinekor cinemas will screen the concert doccie for two days only, on 18 and 18 May. Not everyone can afford to see their favourite music artist live in concert. 'Being a cinema release, it's just a wonderful feeling to get to so many people,' said Simply Red lead singer Mick Hucknall, speaking about a concert film of the band's 40 years being released in cinemas. 'Also synchronised in the cinema watching the show, pretty much as if they were there,' shared Hucknall in a recent post on Instagram. Holding Back The Years: 40 Years of Simply Red – Live from Santiago captures the band's performance at the Movistar Arena in Chile, where they played five consecutive sold-out shows to rapturous audiences as part of their Latin American tour leg, which saw them perform to over 140,000 fans. Selected Ster-Kinekor outlets will host screenings of the doccie concert for only two days, on May 15 and 18. South Africa is the only African country among the first 17 countries announced to screen the concert. ALSO READ: Whitney Houston's 1994 performance in South Africa to hit the big screen [VIDEO] Simply Red on tour Simply Red is currently on a world tour, during which they'll perform in almost 50 arenas, including two nights at London's O2 Arena and one night at Wembley Arena in October. The screening of their performances offers an opportunity to celebrate the band's 40-year journey. Their hit song Holding Back the Years was part of their debut album, Picture Book, which was released in 1985. Hucknall remains the only original member of the band following their breakup in 2009. 'After 25 years, I don't have any more ideas in my head for the group,' Hucknall told Reuters while on tour to promote his solo album in 2008. 'The radio … expects a certain type of sound (from Simply Red). For me, it's a prison; in my head, I am a different artist,' Hucknall said, speaking in Italian. Now reflecting on the collective's 40-year celebration, the lead singer excitedly spoke about their anniversary. 'The intention of this show is to take you on a journey of Simply Red's career from 1985 to the present day,' shared Hucknall. 'I love performing. What I really enjoyed over the last few years is how the audience is so mixed,' said Hucknall. 'I look out sometimes and see young people, people older than me, because it's the music that does all the work and brings them together, and they start singing choruses.' Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg; Brooklyn in Tshwane; Watercrest in Hillcrest KZN; Garden Route in George; and at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town are the Ster-Kinekor outlets that will screen the concert. NOW READ: Could these risky celebs be behind Cannes Film Festival's decision to clamp down on nudity?
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Nottinghamshire Hospice boss says funding will not help staff costs
As end-of-life care services across the country receive a share of £25m in government funding, one hospice boss says it will not help with what they need it for most. The Department for Health and Social Care released the first tranche of a £100m capital fund for hospices on Wednesday - which can be used on things such as building, maintenance and IT. But Rachel Hucknall, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Hospice - where jobs have been cut as a result of staffing costs - said while she was grateful for any contribution to the charity, the cash boost did not assist with 86% of its spending.A spokesperson for the DHSC said: "The funding will reduce immediate pressures on hospices which will allow them to focus wider resources on providing the best care to patients." Nottinghamshire Hospice - which will get £72,123 from this round of funding - will soon lose six members of staff after it announced the "difficult decision" to put 17 people at risk of redundancy in January. The remaining staff will see their hours cut and job descriptions altered, Ms Hucknall said. While the charity had tried to protect key services, Ms Hucknall said there was "unease" in patients reaching the last year of their lives."There is some nervousness, I think, amongst people who do have a terminal illness about what end-of-life services are going to look like when their time comes," she said. In January, patients told the BBC about the "invaluable" service the hospice provided and said they were devastated by the proposed cuts. Hospices across the country began receiving a share of the fund on Wednesday, after the £100m boost was announced last year. The remaining £75m is set to follow from April, in what the DHSC called the "biggest investment into hospices in a generation". But what they "really need", according to Ms Hucknall, is money to spend on salaries. 'Too much to bear' She said: "I always think it's a strange society that we're in because, if maternity care was funded by cake sales and sky dives there would be uproar, but for some reason end-of-life care funding seems to rely heavily on charitable donations."Obviously we're grateful for any contribution to hospice care but the fact is this is for capital only, so we can only spend it on things like beds and cars and IT."She added: "If I had a magic wand I would want the money that the government have given us to be able to be used on salaries and not just on capital expenditure because 86% of our costs is on our staff."Being charities meant hospices had the "freedom to be responsive to people's needs", Ms Hucknall said, but cost pressures were becoming "too much to bear".Like most charities, hospices rely heavily on the goodwill of its communities. But Ms Hucknall said that too, was becoming more difficult due to the impact of the cost of living. She said increases in National Insurance the National Minimum Wage left the hospice with a £200,000 "added cost pressure". An expected deficit of £800,000 for the 2025-26 financial year had dropped to £500,000 since the job cuts, Ms Hucknall added. The government said the release of hospice capital funding supported its 10 Year Health Plan ambitions to shift healthcare into the community. It previously said the palliative and end of life care sector, including hospices, would "have a big role to play in that shift".But Ms Hucknall said she did not know what that shift would look like [funding-wise] and whether it would be fast enough for services like Nottinghamshire Hospice without services being impacted. In a statement released on Wednesday, Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock said: "This is the largest investment in a generation to help transform hospice facilities across England."From upgrading patient rooms to improving gardens and outdoor spaces, this funding will make a real difference to people at the end of their lives."Hospices provide invaluable care and support when people need it most and this funding boost will ensure they are able to continue delivering exceptional care in better, modernised facilities."A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: "This week's £25 million boost for hospices will be followed by an extra £75 million from April. "This is the biggest investment in hospices in a generation and will help upgrade facilities and services for patients."The funding will reduce immediate pressures on hospices which will allow them to focus wider resources on providing the best care to patients."
