Credit: BBC
Credit: BBC

As the United Kingdom's first transgender sitcom (can you believe it's really taken this long?), Boy Meets Girl has a lot of pressure to be one of the best series the BBC has released in recent memory. Created and written by Elliott Kerrigan and Simon Carlyle this Manchester-based comedy features a roster of familiar faces such as Denise Welch, Janine Duvitski, Nigel Betts, Lizzie Roper and Jonny Dixon, but also brings Harry Hepple and trans actress Rebecca Root front and centre - two names you may not be all that familiar with.

"A few years ago I turned on my laptop and wrote the word 'LOVE'. That was the original title," says creator Kerrigan.

"I've felt a lot of love from a lot of people on this project. If a fraction of that love reaches the audience I'll feel like it was all worth while."

Kerrigan should then, when Boy Meets Girl broadcasts, feel one of the biggest senses of satisfaction imaginable, for the first episode and those that follow are jam-packed full of feel-good moments.

Though this is a first-of-its-kind transgender sitcom, that isn't an element of the show that's constantly put on blast. Whilst it's a topic dealt with immediately and as the episodes go on, the series does well in ensuring that their main plot point is simply that of a love story between two consenting adults.

Credit: BBC
Credit: BBC

To see Leo (Hepple) react so blasé when he hears the news his date was born male is one of the most refreshing moments I've seen on-screen for some time. And then there's the comedy. Relatability is key in a sitcom of this kind, and you'd be lying if you said you cannot compare at least one of the members of the MacDonald family to your own, or somebody you know.

Welch steps into the role of hands-on mother Pam, who's beside herself to see one of her sons going for a relationship with a woman 14 years his senior (she notes it's been a funny role to play, as she is her husband Lincoln Townley's senior by 14 years), and she plays the part effortlessly. Perhaps it's being a mother of two boys herself that sees her work her magic, but it's Pam role as matriarch of the MacDonald family that will really encourage viewers to settle in.

Then there's Duvitski whose role in Benidorm has had the country in stitches for years now, and this one should be no different. She's Judy's (Root) mother and has some brilliant moments where she reiterates exactly what her daughter just said to her as if it were her own idea. Very Timon and Pumba, if you're a fan of The Lion King.

Credit: BBC
Credit: BBC

And of course Hepple and Root as Leo and Judy respectively are undeniably the perfect choices for their two roles. Their chemistry on-screen is beyond brilliant, and Hepple's comedy timing is incredible. Root will go on to become one of the best British advocates the LGBT community could have and hopefully the role will shoot her on to similar big projects.

If you want some major feel-good television that has big highs and moments that leave a lump in your throat, this is a series you'll want to watch. Faultless in its delivery, it's an outstanding piece that should become a timeless classic.

Boy Meets Girl starts tonight (September 3) at 9.30pm on BBC Two.

The series is released on DVD on October 12.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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