Golden Globe nominated actress Anna Friel stars in a brand new ITV drama Butterfly about a transgender child.
Produced by RED Production Company, Butterfly follows the story of an 11-year-old boy, Max, who makes the huge decision that he wants to live life as a girl. He has always dressed as one at home, but now he doesn’t want to hide who he is.
ITV describe the mini-series as “a powerful family drama” and asks: “how do you decide what is best for your child as you try to support and protect him? ”
Butterfly airs at 9PM on Sunday nights on ITV.
Butterfly cast
His mum, Vicky, played by Anna Friel (Broken, Marcella, American Odyssey, The Girlfriend Experience) and father, Stephen, no longer live together, which puts additional pressure on Max who yearns for an idyllic home life.
In casting announced, Anna is joined by Emmett J. Scanlan (The Fall, Girlfriends), Alison Steadman (Orphan Black, Gavin and Stacey), Sean McGinley (Paula, On a Clear Day) and child actor Callum Booth-Ford.
Other actors starring in the mini series include; Millie Gibson (Love Lies and Records), Amy Huberman (Striking Out), Lorraine Burroughs (Hard Sun) and Felicity Montagu (I’m Alan Partridge).
In episode 2 tonight, Vicky and Stephen do everything they can to support Max’s transition to becoming Maxine. But it’s clear that Stephen is unhappy things are moving so fast. With the couple divided, Vicky takes matters into her own hands, and makes a reckless decision.
ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill commented: “Butterfly is a beautiful story about a young boy on the cusp of puberty who doesn’t feel comfortable in his own body. It’s a heartwarming and emotional script from Tony Marchant that focuses upon gender identity and one boy’s search to be recognised for who he really is.
“We’re looking forward to working with Nicola Shindler and her team at RED Production Company.”
The series comes from acclaimed screenwriter Tony Marchant, well known for creating and writing many popular and award-winning TV dramas throughout his career including The Secret Agent, Leaving, Public Enemies, Garrow’s Law, Great Expectations and the BAFTA award winning Mark of Cain.
Nicola Shindler at RED Production Company said: “It is great to work with Tony again on such a moving and warm drama that will touch the hearts of viewers with the universal themes of acceptance, inclusivity and unconditional love.
“Tony’s got a great knack of creating real and relatable characters whose stories strike a chord but also have such drama, making his work so compelling. ITV audiences will be in for a real treat!”
