BBC2 has commissioned Britain’s first transgender sitcom after picking up a script which was discovered through a nationwide talent search.

Boy Meets Girl is a romantic comedy which follows the developing relationship between Leo, a 26 year-old man and Judy, a 40 year-old woman.

However Judy is transgender and is played by Rebecca Root, a transgender actor, in the pilot episode.

Created by Elliott Kerrigan, the script was discovered through the Trans Comedy Award - a 2013 BBC talent search which offered comedy writers up to £5,000 for the best script that promoted a positive portrayal of transgender characters.

Described as “funny, sensitive and progressive,” the BBC hopes that Boy Meets Girl will become a mainstream comedy success in the style of Gavin & Stacey.

Casting has still to be confirmed for the full series but the BBC confirmed that a trans actor will play the role. The series will be shot and set around Manchester.

Root transitioned from a male role in 2003 and had gender reassignment surgery two years later. She works as a specialist voice coach to help transsexual and transgendered people to find a voice that fits their gender, alongside performing as a stand-up comic and actress.

Root told The Independent in May: “Trans people are a minority. But for every person like me who’s made a conscious step to do something about the feeling we’ve had all our lives, there are plenty who’ve gone part-way or not at all yet.