Freeman to star in gender swap dramedy

Love Actually star Martin Freeman is to play a scruffy DIY store worker trapped in the body of a glamorous female fashion journalist in a new comedy drama for ITV1.

In Boy Meets Girl, Freeman plays Danny Reed, a scruffy DIY worker who wakes up after being struck by lightning to find himself in the body of Veronica Burton, played by Tipping The Velvet's Rachael Stirling. Beyond his initial struggles with lingerie and the advances of Veronica's boyfriend Jay, Danny is eventually faced with the choice of going back to his old life or finding his feet in the fashion world.

"Boy Meets Girl is a ripping gender swap comedy wrapped up in a tangled love story and has a fantastic cast," said Kieran Roberts, the show's executive producer and controller of drama at ITV Productions' Manchester base.