Derry Girls: quick facts
- Created and written by: Lisa McGee, who grew up in Derry.
- Aired: Channel 4, 2018 to 2022, three series.
- Set in: Derry in the 1990s, in the final years of the Troubles.
- The gang: Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James, “the wee English fella”.
- Records and awards: the most-watched TV series in Northern Ireland since records began, a BAFTA for best scripted comedy and an International Emmy.
A sitcom about five teenagers at a Catholic girls’ school in Derry, set against the backdrop of the Troubles, doesn’t sound like an obvious global hit. But Derry Girls became one of the most loved comedies of the last decade, watched by millions around the world, and it gave the rest of the world a crash course in Northern Irish slang.
Here are some of its best scenes, from Channel 4.
What is Derry Girls about?
Derry Girls follows Erin Quinn and her friends through their teenage years in Derry in the 1990s: her anxious cousin Orla, nervous Clare, outrageous Michelle, and Michelle’s English cousin James, the only boy at Our Lady Immaculate College. Around them are Erin’s chaotic family, Ma Mary, Da Gerry and Granda Joe, and the unforgettable Sister Michael, the most deadpan headteacher in television history.
The Troubles are always in the background: army checkpoints, bomb scares, news reports on the TV. But the show is really about growing up, family, friendship and the ridiculous things teenagers get up to. It manages to be laugh-out-loud funny and, when it needs to be, deeply moving.
Why it became so popular
- It’s incredibly funny. The jokes come fast, and nearly every character gets their moment.
- It’s honest about a hard time. It shows ordinary life during the Troubles with warmth and humour, without pretending it was all fun.
- The language. Viewers around the world picked up phrases like “catch yourself on”, “wee” and “dose”.
- The 90s soundtrack. The Cranberries, Spice Girls and every school disco hit you remember.
In Northern Ireland it became the most-watched TV series since modern records began, and it found huge audiences in Ireland, the UK and, on Netflix, across the world.
The ending
The final episode takes place around the 1998 referendum on the Good Friday Agreement, as the characters grow up and the region steps towards peace. It’s one of the most emotional endings of any modern sitcom, and it gave the show a fitting place in Irish history.
Visit the Derry Girls mural
Derry Girls fans now travel to Derry to see the city the show made famous. A mural of the five friends was painted in the city centre, and it has become one of the most photographed spots in town. While you’re there, walk the city’s 17th-century walls, among the best-preserved in Europe.
Derry Girls FAQ
Who created Derry Girls?
Lisa McGee, who based the show on her own teenage years in Derry.
How many series of Derry Girls are there?
Three, which aired on Channel 4 from 2018 to 2022.
Where can I watch Derry Girls?
On Channel 4 in the UK and Ireland, and on Netflix in many other countries.
Is Derry Girls based on a true story?
It’s fiction, but Lisa McGee drew on her own childhood in Derry in the 1990s.
More Irish comedy
Featured photo: The Peace Bridge, Derry, by Acediscovery, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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