The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes Series in the Works

Synchronicity Films has partnered with Brazen Productions to develop and produce a miniseries based on the upcoming book The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes: The Transgender Trial that Threatened to Upend the British Establishment.

The series will explore the real-life story of Aberdonian doctor, farmer and baronet Ewan Forbes-Sempill, who in 1952 corrected the sex on his birth certificate in order to marry the love of his life, Isabella “Patty” Mitchell. BAFTA-winning trans writer Sukey Fisher is on board the project to adapt the book, which was written by Zoë Playdon, emeritus professor of medical humanities at the University of London.

Synchronicity Films’ Claire Mundell said: “Based on extensive research by Zoë Playdon in her incredible book of the same name, The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes will shine a light on this little-known love story, which has remarkable resonance in 2021. Ewan’s life and marriage provide a lens through which we can explore contemporary themes of gender identity and the freedom to live and love authentically—and we are thrilled to have such a thoughtful writer in Sukey to bring this story to mainstream audiences globally.”

Jules Hussey of Brazen Productions added: “Zoë’s archeological uncovering of Ewan’s life, love and fight reveals not just the lengths he would go to in order to protect his marriage but also how far human rights for trans people have regressed from 50 years ago. I am so pleased that Synchronicity embraced this project and I am honored to be part of bringing this story to the screen with such passionate co-creators and allies.”

Fisher said: “Ewan’s is one of the boldest lives I know, forced through unthinkable trials by authority figures and biased experts, emerging triumphant but at an appalling cost. He’s an ordinary but splendid man. His ordeal more than 50 years ago belongs as much to the present as the past. The idea that trans lives belong not to the person living them but to anyone else who cares to express an opinion is no less true today, and our civil rights are more fragile in 2021 than they’ve been for a generation.”

Playdon added: “Most people are unaware that until the 1960s, trans people self-identified, received affirmative medical treatment, corrected their birth certificates and lived in complete equality with everyone else. Ewan was the reason that changed. But hopefully, the historical realities so ably dramatized by Sukey, Synchronicity and Brazen Productions, will help everyone to realize that restoring trans equality is an urgent issue of social justice.”