David Farnor | On 30, Apr 2022

Derry Girls will sadly draw to a close after its third and final season, which is currently airing weekly on Channel 4. But there is some sweet to go with the bitter, as the broadcaster has revealed that it will then air one final farewell special to send the show off in style.

Season 3 of Derry Girls once again follows Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) and friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s tag along English cousin, aka The Wee English Fella, James (Dylan Llewellyn). The series also stars Tommy Tiernan as Erin’s long-suffering father Gerry, Tara Lynne O’Neill as Erin’s mother Mary, Ian McElhinney as Granda Joe, Kathy Kiera Clarke as Aunt Sarah and Siobhan McSweeney as Sister Michael, the straight-talking Headmistress of Lady Immaculate College, which the group attend.

Dealing with a key moment in Northern Irish history, the Good Friday Agreement vote, the extended special episode running over 45 minutes will air the same week that the third and final season comes to a close.
 
Titled The Agreement, it will see us return to Derry one year later as the gang prepare for their final year of school. It’s the week of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement and its timing couldn’t be any worse as the highlight of the year, Erin and Orla’s joint 18th Birthday party, threatens to be overshadowed. While the family try to get their heads around the possible outcomes of the vote, the gang realise that they may not be ready for what the future holds.
 
“Like all the very best 90s bands, I couldn’t resist ending our farewell tour with an encore for our loyal fans,” said creator Lisa McGee in a statement. “I’m delighted to say we’ll be returning for one extended special – airing in the same week as our final episode. The special deals with the historic and momentous Good Friday Agreement vote, which coincides with the gang’s coming of age; they enter adulthood just as Northern Ireland embarks on a new future. I’m so proud of this show and of our incredible cast and crew and everything we’ve achieved over the past 5 years. What a journey it’s been. I’m so grateful Channel 4 gave me the space to end the stories of these characters that mean so much to me with this special. I really hope the fans love it as much as I do. Derry people aren’t great at saying Goodbye so I will instead use one of our native expressions “That’s us away now”, Love Lisa McGee, always a Derry Girl.”
 

 

 

Watch: Trailer for Derry Girls Season 3

17th March 2022

“Drum roll please, sister…” That’s the sound of Derry Girls returning for its third and final season – and a new trailer gives us a first look at the show’s funny farewell chapter.

The Channel 4 comedy, which premiered in 2018, saw McGee mine her own experiences to create a candid, family-centred comedy set against the backdrop of The Troubles. It proved an instant hit with audiences, with its opening episode becoming Channel 4’s biggest comedy series launch in almost 5 years. It was also All 4’s biggest comedy launch since 2012, in terms of views during its first six days.

The comedy follows Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) and friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s tag along English cousin, aka The Wee English Fella, James (Dylan Llewellyn). It also stars Tommy Tiernan as Erin’s long-suffering father Gerry, Tara Lynne O’Neill as Erin’s mother Mary, Ian McElhinney as Granda Joe, Kathy Kiera Clarke as Aunt Sarah and Siobhan McSweeney as Sister Michael, the straight-talking Headmistress of Lady Immaculate College, where the group attend.

Season 3 will show that while Northern Ireland is growing up this gang of “eejits” certainly aren’t anytime soon – while there’s hope in the air that The Troubles may finally be over their troubles are only just getting started as they get ever closer to adulthood. As Sister Michael puts it: “Just try to enjoy what time you have left, girls.”

Watch this space for a confirmed air date on Channel 4 – and, until then, here’s the trailer:

 

Derry Girls to end with Season 3

23rd September 2021

Derry Girls will end with Season 3, creator Lisa McGee has confirmed.

The Channel 4 comedy, which premiered in 2018, saw McGee mine her own experiences to create a candid, family-centred comedy set against the backdrop of The Troubles. It proved an instant hit with audiences, with its opening episode becoming Channel 4’s biggest comedy series launch in almost 5 years. It was also All 4’s biggest comedy launch since 2012, in terms of views during its first six days.

It follows Erin (Saoirse Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) and friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s tag along English cousin, aka The Wee English Fella, James (Dylan Llewellyn), as they navigate their teens in Derry in the early 1990s. The series also stars Tommy Tiernan as Erin’s long-suffering father, Tara Lynne O’Neill as Erin’s mother, Ian McElhinney as Granda Joe and Kathy Kiera Clarke as Aunt Sarah.

“Laugh-out-loud funny and wonderfully heartfelt, you’ll want to be friends with these Derry Girls immediately,” we wrote in our review.

A third season was greenlit within minutes for Season 2’s finale airing on Channel 4, with the programme featuring the announcement of the IRA ceasefire – and the girls dealing with the drama and excitement of prom. McGee dedicated the episode to Nobel Peace Prize winner and Derryman John Hume, who was crucial to the peace process, taking to the stage alongside Bill Clinton, as the visiting US President delivered a speech outside the Guildhall.

Now, however, it’s been confirmed that the third run of the show will also be its last.

“It was always the plan to say goodbye after three series,” said McGee in a statement. “Derry Girls is a coming of age story; following five ridiculous teenagers as they slowly… very slowly… start to become adults, while around them the place they call home starts to change too and Northern Ireland enters a new more hopeful phase – which was a small, magical window of time.

“Derry Girls is a love letter to the place I come from and the people who shaped me. It has been an honour to write it and I will be forever proud of everything it’s achieved. I’d like to thank the people of Derry and Northern Ireland for getting behind us. Thanks also to the team behind the series, the incredible Hat Trick productions and a special thanks to Channel 4 – the channel I grew up watching; the channel that made me want to write comedy and the only channel that could have made our show.

“Who knows if Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle and James will return in some other guise someday, but for now this is it for us and we’re excited to start filming this series with our incredible cast and crew to hopefully take our loyal fans on one last adventure.”

 

Derry Girls renewed for Season 3

10th April 2019

Channel 4 has renewed Derry Girls for a third season.

The comedy, which premiered at the start of last year, is created by Lisa McGee, who mined her own experiences to create a candid, family-centred comedy set against the backdrop of The Troubles. It proved an instant hit with audiences, with its opening episode becoming Channel 4’s biggest comedy series launch in almost 5 years. It was also All 4’s biggest comedy launch since 2012, in terms of views during its first six days.

It follows Erin (Saoirse Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) and friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s tag along English cousin, aka The Wee English Fella, James (Dylan Llewellyn), as they navigate their teens in Derry in the early 1990s. The series also stars Tommy Tiernan as Erin’s long-suffering father, Tara Lynne O’Neill as Erin’s mother, Ian McElhinney as Granda Joe and Kathy Kiera Clarke as Aunt Sarah.

“With its hysterical dialogue, instantly fully formed characters and bracing ability to turn its context (The Troubles in the 1990s) into surtext with wit and heart, Derry Girls was one of the best TV shows of 2018,” we wrote in our review of Season 2. “Lisa McGee’s show remains as hilarious as ever.”

“By the time we’re at the abseiling climax, the comedy of misunderstandings, both wilful and accidental, has escalated to inspired farce. Someone commission Season 3 immediately.”

Someone heard us, because within minutes of Season 2 airing its finale, Channel 4 announced that Derry Girls would return for a third run.

The news arrives as Derry Girls continues to evolve its balance of timely political backdrop and sharp character comedy, with McGee delivering a more optimistic sophomore season that places the focus on the importance of achieving peace. The finale saw the announcement of the IRA ceasefire – and the girls dealing with the drama and excitement of prom.

McGee dedicated the episode to Nobel Peace Prize winner and Derryman John Hume, who was crucial to the peace process, taking to the stage alongside Bill Clinton, as the visiting US President delivered a speech outside the Guildhall.

“John Hume is absolutely such a pivotal figure for Derry and I wanted to – in my own tiny way – capture his spirit and pay tribute to his work,” McGee told JOE.

“It was finding a way to do it that didn’t feel heavy-handed. I suppose, the season is a sort of way of thanking him that felt subtle. I’ve always had such huge admiration for John Hume and everything he has done, but when I’m writing Derry Girls, this feeling grew even more. It’s sort of hard to even define what that feeling is – especially now with how the political situation is – and it’s really hard to even define just how great a man he is.”

Thank you John #Peace #Goodfridayagreement pic.twitter.com/h5B1Qrutsb

— Lisa McGee (@LisaMMcGee) April 2, 2019

The second season aired as the political climate continues to remain uncertain in the UK, as Brexit negotiations risks disrupting the Northern Ireland border.

“I obviously didn’t know what would be happening when this show went out. I didn’t know that when I was writing it, but I definitely felt that people in parts of Britain either aren’t aware, or they just don’t know how difficult that peace process was to achieve. Maybe they’re forgetting?” she added.

“In this season of Derry Girls, I wanted to underline the fact that we did it – we achieved peace in the ‘90s. There was a time when everything went well and we achieved this amazing thing. It was a remarkable time and I wanted to remind people and highlight the fact that this achievement was no small thing. It should never be taken for granted or ignored.”

Derry Girls Season 1 and 2 are available on All 4.

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