Derry Girls

Derry Girls
Genre
Created byLisa McGee
Written byLisa McGee
Directed byMichael Lennox
Starring
Theme music composer
Ending theme"Dreams" by the Cranberries
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes19
Production
ProducerBrian J. Falconer
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time22–45 minutes
Production companyHat Trick Productions
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release4 January 2018 (2018-01-04) –
18 May 2022 (2022-05-18)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Derry Girls is a British period teen sitcom set in Northern Ireland, created and written by Lisa McGee, that premiered on 4 January 2018 on Channel 4[4] and ran for three series. The channel's most successful comedy since Father Ted, the series was inspired by McGee's own experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990s, during the final years of the Troubles.[5] It stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn as five teenagers living in mid-1990s Derry while attending Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional girls' Catholic secondary school based on the real-life Thornhill College, where McGee herself studied.[6][7] Produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions, Derry Girls was filmed in Northern Ireland, with most scenes shot on location in Derry and some in Belfast.

Although the plot lines of Derry Girls are fictional, the series frequently references actual events of the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process, including the 1994 IRA ceasefire announcement, the 1995 visit to Northern Ireland of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton, and the Good Friday referendum of 1998. Archival footage relating to key political figures such as Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, John Hume and Mo Mowlam is shown via TV and radio broadcasts in family homes. The soundtrack features popular music of the era, by acts including Ace of Base, Blur, Cypress Hill, Salt-N-Pepa, Enya, the Corrs, Boyzone, Scarlet, Fatboy Slim, PJ & Duncan, and the Cranberries.[8]

The first series, broadcast on Channel 4 in January and February 2018,[9] became the most-watched series in Northern Ireland since modern records began in 2002. The series was renewed shortly after the pilot episode aired, and the second series was broadcast in March and April 2019. A third and final series set in 1996[10] and 1997[11] was commissioned for 2020, although filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact on television production,[12][13] and premiered in April 2022.[14][15] A final special extended 45-minute episode titled "The Agreement", set in 1998 during the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, aired on 18 May 2022.[11]

Derry Girls has inspired a mural of its main characters painted on the side of Badgers Bar and Restaurant at 18 Orchard Street, Derry, which has become a popular tourist attraction.[16]

  1. ^ Power, Ed (4 January 2018). "Derry Girls, episode 1 review: as much a black comedy about the Troubles as a teenage nostalgia fest". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  2. ^ Lanigan, Michael (4 January 2018). "Tommy Tiernan's new Channel 4 comedy is a must-watch for anyone staying in tonight". Joe. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  3. ^ Bain, Jennifer (2 July 2019). "From the Troubles to teen angst: Derry Girls helps Northern Ireland city tell a new story". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. ^ Faruqi, Osman (17 May 2020). "Derry Girls: criminally underrated Irish sitcom fuses hilarity with political heft". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Derry Girls: Father Ted meets The Inbetweeners". The Irish World. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018.
  7. ^ McClements, Freya (3 February 2018). "Real-life Derry Girls: 'The nuns are gone but the pupils are the same'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  8. ^ Lauren Larking (17 March 2024). "Why "Derry Girls" has the best T.V. soundtrack of all time". Wecb.
  9. ^ Little, Ivan (20 December 2017). "Derry Girls could become TV hit – if viewers can understand them". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  10. ^ Thompson, Rachel (13 April 2022). "'Derry Girls' Season 3 review: A joyful trip down '90s memory lane". Mashable. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Derry Girls announce extended special finale". British Comedy Guide. 29 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  12. ^ Moore, Paul (10 April 2019). "Official: Season 3 of Derry Girls is happening". Joe. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  13. ^ Harding, Laura (21 February 2021). "Nicola Coughlan gives update on Derry Girls season 3". Sunday World. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  14. ^ "WATCH: Derry Girls wraps filming on final season, drops teaser trailer". IrishCentral. 25 December 2021. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. ^ Fear, Helen (28 March 2022). "Derry Girls season 3 start date – when does Channel 4 comedy return?". Entertainment Daily. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  16. ^ O'Connor, Rachael (24 April 2020). "Iconic Derry Girls mural gets a social distancing-friendly makeover". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.