ITV is reportedly seeking actors who identify as transgender women to portray Queen Elizabeth I in a forthcoming period drama that examines the controversial theory that the Tudor monarch was trans.
The six-part series, titled Majesty, will be set during the reign of her father, King Henry VIII, and is scheduled to begin production this summer.
First announced at the close of 2024, the programme is expected to reach screens in 2027.
The broadcaster has declined to comment on the casting approach for the role of the flame-haired royal, who ascended to the throne in 1558 and became one of England's most celebrated rulers.
Queen Elizabeth I
|GETTY
At the heart of the drama lies what writers have described as a "profound secret" – which some interpret as relating to the monarch's gender identity.
Elizabeth, who earned the title Virgin Queen after choosing never to marry or bear children, displayed characteristics often associated with male rulers during her 45-year reign.
Her most famous declaration came before the anticipated Spanish invasion in 1588, when she addressed her troops: "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too."
The show's creators have characterised Majesty as "a contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations".
ITV first greenlit the drama in 2024
|PA
Various theories have circulated about Elizabeth's true identity over the centuries.
Some speculation has centred on the possibility she had male pseudo-hermaphroditism, a condition also known as testicular feminisation, which results in a female external appearance but an absence of a uterus or ovaries.
Another persistent legend is the Bisley Boy myth, which suggests the young Princess Elizabeth died in childhood and was secretly substituted with a local red-haired boy to avoid the wrath of her father.
Historians have broadly rejected such claims, viewing them as rooted in folklore and misogynistic attitudes towards a woman who ruled successfully without a husband.
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Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558 until her death in 1603
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A television insider has cautioned that the programme is "almost guaranteed to anger many viewers, who view her as one of the greatest women in British history."
The source acknowledged to The Sun that while the theory "captures the imagination and appears to answer a lot of other questions around the unique queen," most academics dismiss such claims entirely.
After reports that the monarch could be played by a trans actor emerged, several critics took to social media to express their dismay.
"Ffs! Stop the world, I want to get off," one X user fumed, while a second similarly slammed: "Looks like ITV are going to 'trans' Queen Elizabeth the 1st. That's right, people, strong women can't possibly just be women - they have to be men-pretending-to-be-women! Who writes this s**t?"
"I really hope this is an April fools joke," a third weighed in, while a fourth pointed out: "Had Queen Elizabeth been male, she would've been the direct ascendant to the throne after her father, Henry.
"Henry really wanted a son, so it went to her younger half brother Edward. He died so her sister took the throne, Elizabeth went to prison. Mary died, then she became Queen."
"Just leave them to it….it keeps them happy that they have a narrative that suits them….meanwhile back in the real world…us normal folk know the true history," a fifth argued.
And a sixth said: "The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Anyone with only 1 brain cell would realise that King Henry VIII would have been over the moon if she had been a boy. Every church bell would have been rung and Anne Boleyn would not have died." (sic)
Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and William Harper will helm the project
|ITV
Writers William Harper, Joan Rater and Tony Phelan said at the time of the show's commission in 2024: "Majesty is an emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations.
"Majesty allows us to have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfilment of how people devoted to the public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference."
Meanwhile, ITV's Director of Drama, Polly Hill, said: "I’m delighted to be announcing Majesty and to be working with James and his team on such an intriguing and thought-provoking story.
"Majesty is a perfect illustration of the range of drama that we want to see on ITV as we continue to strive to make the best and most ambitious mainstream drama for our UK audiences."