Transgender representation on the BBC

The Trans Comedy Award-winning script, Boy Meets Girl (pictured), has now been commissioned by BBC Two. Here, J Tebble, a writer who identifies as trans and a former Project Assistant at All About Trans (a project that encourages better understanding between transgender people and the media), takes a look at the history of trans portrayal on BBC television.

This year the first UK transgender-themed comedy sitcom was commissioned by BBC Two. The series was part of two scripts developed by the partnership between the Trans Comedy Award and BBC Writersroom. The scriptwriter’s award, which began as an idea at an innovative camp organised by All About Trans, was designed to source new comedy and the best, most accurate scripts featuring trans characters.

The pilot went down brilliantly at the BBC Salford Comedy Festival and writer Elliot Kerrigan wrote: “Shows like Will and Grace and My So Called Life are incredibly important to me. They showed me, at a young age, that it was all going to be okay. And I thought that, if I were transgender, what shows would I be watching? And I couldn’t think of any.” Rebecca Root, an established trans actress, is co-starring as Judy in in the series we’re expecting to see in 2015. We’re hoping that as the tide is turning for transgender actors, we will start to see more shows with more trans characters and trans actors.

In the past we have sometimes been the subject of offensive and ill-judged jokes on prime time shows. There has been a long history of cross-dressing for comedic purposes in the UK and people don’t realise the harm the ‘man in a dress = funny’ trope can cause to not only trans women, but people of all gender identities who are perceived as men and like to dress in women’s clothes (myself included). This harm often translates into street harassment and violence.

As a comedy fan and a panel-show junkie, I can acknowledge that there’s a line to walk in order to be edgy. However, once you start noticing things over and over again, you begin to realise how many transphobic and stereotypical jokes have been used routinely without much thought.

We’ve seen that start to change recently. Paris Lees (All About Trans Ambassador, Pink List winner, and journalist) joined Question Time’s panel and frequents radio panels such as Radio 4’s Saturday Live. We often hear her comments as an activist and opinionated journalist for Vice, Attitude, The Guardian and more. And she just happens to be trans.

The line between transvestite and trans woman is often misunderstood and blurred on television, leading to a conflation between men who aren’t trans but enjoy women’s clothes, and actual, well, women. I enjoyed Sean Bean’s appearance as Tracie, a transvestite and English teacher on BBC One drama Accused. There may have been a few too many make-up and dressing scenes, but Tracie is no victim. She’s feisty and stands up to the street abuse she receives; but also, a testament to the characterisation and Sean Bean’s research, it shows that transvestites can come from a range of walks of life. What’s striking to me is the sensitivity of Bean’s approach to the role. He was enthusiastic from the get-go and inspired by documentaries (like Channel 4’s My Transsexual Summer) but, more importantly, he took the time to have a chat with people. Sean said: Everybody's got a different story…that's something I never knew before - you just categorise people."

Having first-hand experience of trans issues is often better than having a cis (someone who isn’t trans) actor portraying them. However, ITV’s Coronation St fictional character Hayley Cropper, although not played by a trans actress, was much loved and broke down barriers in a quiet and sensitive way. In Waterloo Road, they’ve featured two trans storylines in recent years, with mixed responses from viewers. Kacey Barry, played by Brogan Ellies, said about her character: "When they first told me about it, I burst into tears! I knew what “transgender” was, but I didn't feel I knew enough to play it. As soon as I got home, I was straight onto Google to do some research.” Bethany Black, a comedian and trans actress, was recently cast in Russell T. Davies’ new E4 series Banana, echoing progress and change in casting methods.

Real life documentaries have embraced trans lives. BBC Three’s Transsexual Teen, Beauty Queen, with model and Miss England contestant Jackie Green was a sensitive and moving portrayal of a young trans woman making her way in the fashion industry. BBC Three Fresh also showcased a short documentary about a 14-year-old Welsh trans boy, Tayler, and his mum. BBC Fresh Producer Sharon Hepburn, reviewed it: “The central point of the story, the heart of it, is that Tayler is an ordinary person with an amazing and inspiring life-story and he is only 14!” Trans filmmakers Fox Fisher and Lewis Hancox, of My Genderation, have recently produced Patchwork, a series of shorts about British trans people, a selection of which will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the future. On BBC Radio 4, Paris Lees has presented three critically acclaimed documentaries, covering topics such as punk music, prejudice and prisons. Working with Commissioning Editor for Radio 1, Piers Bradford, since they met at an All About Trans workshop, Paris has shared her personal experiences, challenged her own prejudices and opinions, all the while changing the public’s understanding of trans people.

Winner of the Writer’s Prize Rock me Amadeus by Simon Topping, was a Radio 4 Afternoon Drama. Commissioning Editor, Jeremy Howe said it took on “a challenging subject – gender identity – and explores it with a lightness of tone and a freshness of voice that makes it an utterly engaging read. It is a warm, playful piece of writing that doesn’t duck the serious issues.” Kate Rowland, Creative Director of New Writing, commissioned a Radio 3 drama called We Are Mermaid, directed by Jessica Dromgoole, about how the parents of 9-year-old Bethan deal with neighbour’s reactions when she goes missing. Radio 4’s Four Thought series also broadcast a thought-provoking short documentary with actress Adjoa Andoh about raising her trans son:  "In too many places today," she said, "and in too many ways, we suffocate our true potential selves at birth." Trans people are also telling their own stories at the BBC. Jennifer Kitney, a young volunteer for All About Trans and Gendered Intelligence, presented her own transition story since coming out in 2012, on Radio 1’s Access All Areas.

It’s important that trans people are given a platform to tell their personal stories, share their opinions and represent themselves, something we’re seeing more and more of in the content that’s being commissioned nowadays. Change doesn’t happen overnight but over time there has been a visible change in the BBC’s thinking and their approach to programming.  We’re here to inspire, support and contribute to that storytelling and help the tide turn in the understanding and representation of trans people.

J Tebble is a writer who identifies as trans and a former Project Assistant at All About Trans

• All About Trans is a project that encourages better understanding between transgender people and the media. Delivered by not-for-profit organisation, On Road, the project has been supported by the BBC, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Channel 4 and works to inspire accurate and sensitive representation of the trans community in the UK.
• Since 2011, All About Trans has engaged nearly 200 media professionals across print, broadcast and online platforms and one of the outcomes is the recently BBC Two-commissioned trans-themed sitcom, Boy Meets Girl.
• Read about the Trans Comedy award in our blog Trans Comedy is a serious business
• Watch My Life: I Am Leo on Monday 17 November at 6pm on CBBC