BBC2 commissions Britain’s first transgender sitcom Boy Meets Girl

(Source: The Independent by Adam Sherwin)

BBC2 has commissioned Britain’s first transgender sitcom after picking up a script which was discovered through a nationwide talent search.

Boy Meets Girl is a romantic comedy which follows the developing relationship between Leo, a 26 year-old man and Judy, a 40 year-old woman.

However Judy is transgender and is played by Rebecca Root, a transgender actor, in the pilot episode.

Created by Elliott Kerrigan, the script was discovered through the Trans Comedy Award – a 2013 BBC talent search which offered comedy writers up to £5,000 for the best script that promoted a positive portrayal of transgender characters.

Described as “funny, sensitive and progressive,” the BBC hopes that Boy Meets Girl will become a mainstream comedy success in the style of Gavin & Stacey.

Casting has still to be confirmed for the full series but the BBC confirmed that a trans actor will play the role. The series will be shot and set around Manchester.

Root transitioned from a male role in 2003 and had gender reassignment surgery two years later. She works as a specialist voice coach to help transsexual and transgendered people to find a voice that fits their gender, alongside performing as a stand-up comic and actress.

Root told The Independent in May: “Trans people are a minority. But for every person like me who’s made a conscious step to do something about the feeling we’ve had all our lives, there are plenty who’ve gone part-way or not at all yet.

“The BBC should reflect the lives of the rainbow gendered because that’s what we pay it to do. If it’s picked up, and they cast another trans actor who’s better than me, it would still be a fabulous piece to be seen on British TV. The public are ready for it.”

This post was originally featured on the The Independent.