US TV show Billions made TV history in its new season premiere by introducing TV's first gender non-binary character.

Asia Kate Dillon plays Taylor, an ambitious new intern at a hedge fund company, who does not identify with either the masculine or the feminine gender.

In the show, now on its second season, the character introduces themselves to boss Axe - played by Britain's Damian Lewis - as neither a he nor a she, but a they.

"Hello, I'm Taylor. My pronouns are 'they', 'theirs' and 'them'," they say.

According to recent statistics, around 0.4% of the population (one in every 250 people in the UK) identify themselves as gender non-binary.


Image: Taylor is an ambitious new intern working for Axe

"We were looking for a character that Axe could see himself in - someone as smart as Axe is and someone who Axe could potentially groom," creator Brian Koppelman told Entertainment Weekly.

"And as you pointed out, to have this male-dominated world of hedge funds and then introduce a gender non-binary character who was brilliant and ambitious but also someone who could take their own moral inventory was really interesting to us," he added.

"And of course, we noticed the way gender has become something that we're all discussing and learning knowing more about and grappling with. So it seemed really worth doing."

Image: Damian Lewis plays hedge fund manager Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod

Although born a woman, actor Asia Kate Dillon is also a gender non-binary star.

"I feel very proud to represent something on television that hasn't been represented before. I know it would have meant a lot to me, as a younger person, especially," they said.

My sex is Female. My gender identity is Non-binary. Sex is between legs. Identity is between ears. Visibility matters. We out here, fam! ✌❤✊ — Asia Kate Dillon (@AsiaKateDillon) February 10, 2017

"Visibility and education are so important - particularly now in the face of the current administration."

On their Twitter feed, Dillon clarifies the issue of sex and gender.

Image: Paul Giamatti plays US attorney Chuck Rhoades

"My sex is Female," they wrote.

"My gender identity is Non-binary. Sex is between legs. Identity is between ears. Visibility matters."

The show focuses on the bitter feud between hedge fund manager Axe Axelrod and US attorney Chuck Rhoades (played by Paul Giamatti), a man determined to topple Axe and bring him to justice.

Billions season 2 premieres on Sky Atlantic on Tuesday 21 February.