Leila Navabi: Funny, Gay and Welsh

PRODUCER DIRECTOR

1x 30' for BBC
​​Streaming now on BBC iPlayer

23-year-old queer comedian Leila Navabi is writing her first hour-long comedy show. To do it, she wants to confront her coming out story, and the complicated reasons she left Wales as a teenager.

At an age when many people are just starting out on their careers, Leila - the star and co-writer of BBC Three's Vandullz and co-presenter of CBBC’s Don’t Blame Me, Blame My Brain - has already covered a phenomenal amount of ground. And, in her own words, it’s because she had to.

In this film, Leila unpacks the story of why she decided to leave her home in Cardiff and move to London as a teenager,  after a coming-out journey that didn't go smoothly. Growing up in a city which was then devoid of organisations to help her navigate this process made it the most difficult time of her life.

Now, seven years on, she’s decided to give living in Wales another shot, and is back living at home with her parents. But she’s not yet convinced that Cardiff can become her ‘forever’ home. This film follows Leila as she attempts to reconnect with her city - writing a brand new comedy show as she goes -, asking: is it any easier to grow up gay in Wales than it used to be?

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Production Company: Tuesday's Child