What It Feels Like for a Girl is a British coming of age television series that is adapted by Paris Lees from her memoir of the same name. The series premiered on 3 June 2025 on BBC Three.
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, 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.
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 â we're following someone whoâÂÂs 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.
Principal photography took place in Nottingham and South Wales.
The first season of the show received universal critical acclaim. The Guardian hailed it as a "memorably complex psychological portrait" and praised Howard as "charismatic and convincing" in the lead role. Financial Times also singled out Howard for praise, calling the performance "at once charismatic and vulnerable, exhilarated and fatalistic, sharp-tongued and soft-hearted". 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. 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 crisisâÂÂ.