Derry Girls, featuring Tommy Tiernan, is a brand new comedy from acclaimed writer Lisa McGee who has mined her own experiences to create a candid, one-of-a-kind, family-centred comedy set against the spectre of The Troubles.
It’s the early 90s, and Erin and her friends are used to seeing their country on the nightly news and speaking in acronyms (The IRA, The UDA, The RUC). It’s a time of armed police in armoured Land Rovers and British Army check points. But it’s also the time of Murder She Wrote, The Cranberries, MJ and Lisa Marie, Doc Martens, bomber jackets, The X Files, Nirvana and Wayne’s World. And while The Troubles may hang over her home town, Erin has troubles of her own.
Warm, funny and honest, Derry Girls takes a look at the everyday lives of ordinary people living in extraordinary times….Thursdays, 10pm, C4, from January 4.
Read an interview with Tommy Tiernan here.
Episode synopsis for first three episodes of the six-part series of Derry Girls:
EPISODE 1
It’s the first day of a new term and a terrible start for Erin (Saoirse Monica Jackson) as she wakes up to find her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) reading her diary. Not so great for everyone else either as Granda Joe (Ian McElhinney) announces there’s a bomb on the bridge. The Quinn family are distraught, it’s a huge inconvenience, Aunt Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke) may not even be able to get to her sun bed session. Erin and Orla head to school picking up their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan) who’s doing a sponsored fast for Ethiopia and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), who has her cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) in tow. James is over from England and will be joining them at Our Lady Immaculate Girls School amid concerns he’d get beaten up at the boys’ school “because of the English thing…”
EPISODE 2
Everyone’s really excited when Sister Michael announces the school trip this year is to Paris. Erin’s keen to cultivate her writing (and a friendship with Charlene Kavanagh, the most popular girl in school), Clare and James want to improve their French, Orla thinks she’s going to meet Nicole and Papa from the Renault Clio adverts and Michelle wants to ride a French fella. But they don’t bank on the fact that the trip costs £375, each! Back at the Quinn house Uncle Colm (Kevin MacAleer), Granda Joe’s extremely boring brother, is visiting and the whole family are losing the will to live.
EPISODE 3
The girls have been up all night cramming for a big exam. Some (Michelle and Erin) haven't studied for it enough whilst Clare’s over-studied, leaving herself completely sleep deprived and slightly manic. Everyone is convinced they’re going to fail. So when a distinctly dubious opportunity presents itself to get out of the exam they jump at the chance. Especially as it involves them spending time with the very beautiful Father Peter (Peter Campion).
