The cast and creator of hit Northern Irish comedy Derry Girls knew they’d made it when their show was referenced in The Simpsons.
The naming of an ice-cream parlour as Dairy Girls in a recent episode of the animated classic led Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee to take to Twitter and exclaim: “I. Am. Dead.”
Nicola Coughlan and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, two of the stars of the Channel 4 comedy which follows a group of schoolgirls in the ’90s during The Troubles, couldn’t quite believe it either. Coughlan had at first questioned if the show would find an audience beyond Ireland but now describes its popularity in America as “super crazy” after it was picked up by Netflix.
“When Tarantino was in The Simpsons, he said he knew he’d really made it. So we’re up there now – I’m practically Tarantino in my mind,” laughed O’Donnell, who plays outspoken Michelle. Yet, despite the show’s massive popularity, the third series, which begins this week, will be the final episodes.
“We always knew it was going to end at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, that’s something Lisa’s talked about quite a lot,” said Coughlan, who plays Clare.
Recounting how she received the final scripts for Derry Girls midway through shooting Bridgerton’s series two finale, the actress says she was “really stressed” at the thought of potential filming clashes. “I was like, ‘I can’t even look at these because my head’s going to explode!” she exclaimed.
“I was so worried I wasn’t going to be able to film Derry Girls and everyone would hate me. We did a night shoot on the Thursday for Bridgerton, which wrapped at 5am on Friday morning. I went home, packed, flew on the Saturday, on the Sunday I had a costume and wig fitting, and then was filming Derry Girls on Monday.”
The actors admit they will miss their alter egos.
“It’s a weird thing, saying goodbye to a character,” reflected 35-year-old Coughlan. “It’s very hard to explain to people. I mean, Clare Devlin is a mess, but I love her and I will miss her very much.”
O’Donnell said: “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully say goodbye in my head.”
O’Donnell, who most recently starred in prison drama Screw, which was filmed in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall, said the beauty of McGee’s writing lies in its “warmth”.
“The thought of people watching Michelle when she’s not, quote unquote, on form, makes me feel a wee bit protective over her. It made me want to cry a wee bit,” she added.
Derry Girls, Channel 4, tonight, 9.15pm. Also available on All 4
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