Derry Girls

Nineties nostalgia to that Derry dialect – 9 reasons why Derry Girls is a bona fide hit

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Last year, on Thursday, January 4, Channel 4 launched what would become one of their most popular comedies to date. All anyone could talk about was Derry Girls… ‘Are you watching Derry Girls?’ ‘You must watch Derry Girls!’ ‘It’s got Tommy Tiernan as the dad! Tommy Tiernan!’

The raw, rampant gra surrounding Lisa McGee’s creation was so huge, it was enough to turn you off watching it all together — which, I’m afraid, something yours truly fell foul of. Indeed, I’d never watched Derry Girls until this commission.

Why not? Perhaps it was just a feeble rebellion, or maybe it was being saved for a mental rainy day. Or, possibly, I just didn’t want to see Tommy Tiernan shouting for half an hour…

Either way — with the transmission date for series two looming — not only am I trying to persuade you it’s worth all the Twitter hype, after finally binge watching it, I’m now convinced it’s not just The Inbetweeners set in a different town, in a different decade — but with added Tommy Tiernan, less vomiting, and only a few passing references to Clunge’s more familiar cousin, Fanny.

No longer do I wonder if the show merely had people guffawing maniacally around their couches because January 4 is generally when most people are in a post-festive doom spiral and, therefore, primed to laugh at anything. Okay so. Here are the reasons why Derry Girls is a bona fide hit.

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Louise Harland who plays Orla

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Derry Girls discuss Brexit and “The Troubles”

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Channel 4’s Derry Girls is easily one of the best sitcoms to hit British television in a long while. It mixes up an all-female spin on The Inbetweeners and some pitch perfect 90s nostalgia, with a poignant and realistic portrayal of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Derry Girls stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Erin, and actually grew up in Derry; Nicola Coughlan and Louisa Harland, who play Clare and Orla respectively and are both from south of the border; and Englishmen Dylan Llewellyn, who portrays James.

Everything you missed from the Derry Girls interview if you didn’t tune into The Late Late Show

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Talk of accents, Donald Trump, being recognised in the United States and their famous mural.

AS YOU PROBABLY know by now, last night The Late Late Show was graced with the presence of Saoirse Monica Jackson, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan and that wee English fella, Dylan Llewellyn.

If you’re not currently keeping up to date with all of the Derry Girls on social media, you’ll know that Nicola Coughlan’s Derry accent is, as she puts it, 100% fake. Last night when Jamie-Lee and Saoirse told Ryan that they were ‘Very, Very, Derry’, Nicola explained that she’ll always be a Galway girl, and Louisa admitted, “I’m a Dub.”

So naturally, Nicola and Louisa had some work to do on their accents. Nicola explained once again, that she has Nadine Coyle to thank for everything. Don’t we all? Nicola spent hours perfecting Nadine’s accent, watching the famous passport scene from Irish Popstars. She readily rattled off the impression for the audience last night too. Spot on.

Dylan revealed that he needed a lot of help from the girls when he arrived on set, because he hadn’t got a clue what they were saying. If anything, his confusion helped his role. He explained that every time he heard one the actors say “Ach” at the start of a sentence, he thought they “had a cold or something”. He also had no idea what a wean was.

Wee means small? But also can mean big, which blew my mind!

Then, Ryan turned the conversation to the fab Derry Girls mural which was painted to promote the second series of the show.

Ryan asked how it felt for the girls. Jamie-Lee replied, “Mental. I’d say it’s awful for any of my ex boyfriends at home.” What an incredibly Michelle response. Saoirse said:

It’s a brilliant thing for Derry. It’s a positive thing, the mural is positive and it definitely takes your breath away when you see it. I’ve only seen it once but my brother has to pass it by every day on the way to work, which he loves. I’m a lot cooler [to him] now.

Jamie-Lee still hasn’t been able to make the trip to Derry to see it, because she’s been acting in a play in Dublin since the mural was completed at the end of January. She has obviously seen it online, because who hasn’t? She told Ryan, “Someone said I look like Peter Andre in it, which is fantastic. I mean, I do. I think he’s a good looking man, I take it as a compliment.”

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Derry Girls Masterclass With Lisa Mcgee and Cast

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Edinburgh Television Festival

At the beginning of the year, four Derry Girls (and one wee English fella) made their riotous, blasphemous and hilarious debut on Channel 4. Set in the early 90s in a place called Derry (or Londonderry, depending on your persuasion), Lisa McGee’s relatable and nostalgic family comedy – warm and profane, daft and tender, celebratory and outrageous – quickly gathered legions of fans, widespread critical acclaim and record-breaking viewing figures. In this masterclass, which will also include a live table read by the cast, creator Lisa McGee, cast members and other key creatives from the hit comedy discuss the process of bringing the series to screen and the overwhelming responses from audiences.

Session Producer: Ryan Davies, Group Publicity Manager – Drama, Comedy & Acquisitions, Channel 4 Television