‘What It Feels Like for a Girl’ Makes Surprise Pride Month Debut
Prime Video quietly drops the acclaimed eight-episode series ‘What It Feels Like For a Girl’ based on Paris Lees’ memoir.
Of all the shows to debut on the BBC in 2025, the one I truly never believed we’d see over here was the queer coming-of-age story What It Feels Like for a Girl. Based on Paris Lees’ 2022 memoir of the same name, the series was originally announced for BBC Three in mid-2023, which typically meant it would debut on Hulu in the States.
But no co-production announcement was forthcoming from Disney, and then... well, the 2024 election happened. Doctor Who was dropped, The War Between the Land & the Sea disappeared, and it seemed like, despite the success of queer shows like Heated Rivalry, this one was just a bridge too far for American streaming services in our current era.
I am very glad to have been wrong, but the rollout for What It Feels Like for a Girl’s arrival on Amazon’s flagship streaming service is still pretty telling. There was no major announcement, no Prime Video-branded trailer, and no marketing for the critically acclaimed series. Instead, all eight episodes just showed up out of the blue on June 1 “to celebrate the start of Pride Month.” Let’s hope, like other queer coming-of-age shows before it, What It Feels Like for a Girl can be loud enough without it.
Here’s the series synopsis:
What It Feels Like For A Girl is a raw, heartbreaking, and hilarious drama that explores escape, self-discovery, and self-destruction. It’s a new millennium, and there’s a whole world to explore. But teenager Byron is stuck in a small working-class town that hasn’t been the same since the coal mine shut down in the 80s. Byron needs to get away and doesn’t care how.
Life explodes in a rush when Byron escapes to Nottingham’s vibrant underworld, discovering a realm of drink, drugs, and a chaotic family of troublemakers, “The Fallen Divas,” in whom Byron finds a gang of kindred spirits. Between them, they beg, steal, and skank their way on a rollercoaster ride of hedonism at the heart of the UK’s early 2000s club scene. The party can’t last forever, though, and when Byron is seduced by bad-boy Liam, a shocking encounter occurs that will change life forever.
Ellis Howard, Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Adam Ali, Alex Thomas-Smith, Michael Socha, Hannah Walters, Jake Dunn, Laura Haddock in 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' (Hera Pictures/BBC/Enda Bowe)
The series stars Ellis Howard (Catherine the Great) as Byron, Michael Socha (Showtrial) as Steve, Laura Haddock (The Capture) as Lisa, Calam Lynch (Miss Austen) as Max, and Hannah Walters (A Thousand Blows) as Mommar Joe. Also joining the cast are Emma Shipp (Rivals), Alex Thomas-Smith (Too Much), Jake Dunn (Renegade Nell), Dickie Beau (The Gold), Adam Ali (Ludwig), Laquarn Lewis (Jamie Johnson), and small-screen newcomer Hannah Jones.
Laura Haddock, Ellis Howard, Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Alex Thomas Smith, and Calam Lynch in 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' (Hera Pictures/BBC/Enda Bowe)
Paris Lees adapted their own memoir as lead writer on What It Feels Like For A Girl, joined by writers Georgia Christou, Paul Williams, Sarah Simmonds, and Mika Onyx Johnson. Brian Welsh (Black Mirror) is lead director, splitting helming duties with Ng Choon Ping (Femme) and Marie Kristiansen (Delete Me), Frances du Pille producing. Lees and Welsh executive produce, alongside Liza Marshall and Ron O’Berst for Hera Pictures, and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC.
All episodes of What It Feels Like for a Girl are streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video from Monday, June 1, 2026.
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