Transgender sitcom Boy Meets Girl begins filming
Boy Meets Girl, the UK's first sitcom focusing on a transgender character, is now filming.
The comedy's commissioning was announed at the 2014 Edinburgh International Television Festival, after having been discovered through the BBC's Trans Comedy Award talent search.
Created by Elliott Kerrigan, he has written the 6-part series with Simon Carlyle and Andrew Mettam.
The story focuses on Leo and Judy. Down on his luck having just been fired, Leo bumps into Judy on a night out. Finding himself deeply attracted to this surprising and beguiling older woman, they quickly bond over a few drinks and arrange to meet for a dinner date the next evening.
Tired of rejection by previous partners, Judy decides to do the 'Big Reveal' during their meal. Leo is unphased by her admission - but his mother had been unhappy simply that he was meeting an older woman.
Rebecca Root and Harry Hepple star as Judy and Leo, with Denise Welch playing Leo's mother, Pam. Root is a transgender actress and voice coach.
Other cast members include Janine Duvitski (Benidorm), Nigel Betts (You, Me & Them), Lizzie Roper (Dead Boss) and Jonny Dixon (Coronation Street).
Boy Meets Girl will be the first BBC comedy to prominently feature transgender issues, and is filming in and around Manchester, and further afield in North East England.
Kristian Smith, BBC Commissioning Editor, says: "Boy Meets Girl is a heart-warming romantic comedy that draws on the glorious differences that shape all of us. It's a brilliant thing to be able to support comedy that is not only funny, but can also promote affirming messages of humanity and acceptance."
Boy Meets Girl is also the name of an unconnected 2009 ITV comedy drama starring Rachael Stirling and Martin Freeman as a man who is struck by lightning and wakes up stuck inside a woman's body.