Iz Hesketh (born 22 September 1997), formerly known as Isaac Heskethhttps://openairtheatreheritage.com/actors/isaac-hesketh/YsxVGRYAACQAWPvw, is a British transgender actress and drag performer, best known on television for portraying Kitty Draper in long-running British soap opera Hollyoaks and Zee Malone in the 2026 miniseries Tip Toe On stage she has portrayed Margot in Legally Blonde at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, originating the role of Pythio in Europe in Head Over Heels at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and performing as her drag persona Seriah Sis.
Career After graduating from Urdang Academy, Hesketh embarked on the UK/European Tour of The Book of Mormon in which she toured across five venues: Palace Theatre (Manchester), Theater 11 (Zürich), Sunderland Empire, Bristol Hippodrome, and Birmingham Hippodrome from June 2019 to March 2020 when the tour was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Hesketh participated in (as her drag persona Seriah Sis) and won an online social media drag competition titled 'Lockdown Legends' hosted by Tia Kofi (her drag mother).
In 2020, Hesketh appeared in the ensemble cast of the musical Rent at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. for the upcoming revival of Rent at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, which included Hesketh as a featured ensemble member. After opening in November 2020, the production had to close after five performances due to a newly imposed lockdown. However, online performances ran from 27 November to 20 December 2020 on the Hope Mill Theatre website. The show returned again to the Hope Mill Theatre in Summer 2021, with Hesketh also returning as a featured ensemble and alternate Angel for this iteration of the production.
In 2022, Hesketh played Margot in the revival of the musical Legally Blonde at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. This marked the first time Margot was played by a trans non-binary actor in a professional capacity. In an interview with media outlet PinkNews Hesketh said "I can't quite put into words how grateful I am to be taking this huge step in musical theatre history". The production ran from May–July 2022.
In 2023, Hesketh appeared in the jukebox musical Head Over Heels, based on the music of The Go-Go's, as the principal character Pythio, an oracle to the fictional kingdom of Arcadia. The production ran from 26 January to 4 March 2023.
Later that year, Hesketh appeared in a new Weimar#Weimar Republic-era Berlin musical Fury and Elysium at The Other Palace, playing Anita Berber. The production ran for two weeks in June 2023.
Hesketh also features on the live cast recording of Olivier-nominated autobiographical play My Son's a Queer (but What Can You Do?) and participated in the West End LIVE performance.
In January 2024, it was announced via the official Hollyoaks social media channels and Hesketh's Instagram that she would star as Kitty Draper in long-running British soap opera Hollyoaks. In March of that same year, Hesketh announced her role as Valerian in the British historical adventure television series Renegade Nell on Disney+. She was the first person to portray a non-binary character in a Disney live action series.
In mid-July 2024, Hesketh won the award for Best Newcomer at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024. When speaking to Radio Times, she revealed that winning the award felt "unreal" and went on to say receiving the accolade was "absolutely incredible, yeah I'm just buzzing".
Hesketh appears in Russell T Davies's 2026 drama series Tip Toe on Channel 4.
Acting credits Stage YearProductionRoleVenue2018–2019AladdinEnsembleNew Wimbledon Theatre2019–2020The Book of MormonElder Cross/DavisUK/European Tour2020–2021RentFeatured Ensemble/Alternate AngelHope Mill Theatre2021Cherry JezebelPearl RecklessEveryman Theatre, LiverpoolSnowflakeOllyThe Lowry2022Legally BlondeMargotRegent's Park Open Air Theatre2023Head Over HeelsPythioHope Mill TheatreFury and ElysiumAnita BerberThe Other Palace
Television YearTitleRoleBroadcasting Channel2023BufferingKaiaITV22024HollyoaksKitty DraperChannel 4/E4Renegade NellValerianDisney+ 2026 Tip ToeZee Malone Channel 4
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Role Work Result Ref.2024RadioTimes.com Soap AwardsBest Newcomer Kitty Draper Hollyoaks 2025Rainbow HonoursCelebrity LGBTQIA Champion of the Year N/A References
External links