Derry Girls Trivia | 40 facts about the famous series

«Derry Girls» is a British teen sitcom created and written by Lisa McGee that premiered on Channel 4. It is also available on Netflix.

Let’s find out more about the series!

1. Derry Girls is a British teen sitcom.
2. It was created and written by Lisa McGee and premiered on 4 January 2018 on Channel 4.
3. The channel’s most successful comedy since Father Ted, the series was inspired by McGee’s own experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland, during the final years of the Troubles.
4. It stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn as five teenagers living in mid-1990s Derry while attending Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional girls’ Catholic secondary school based on the real-life Thornhill College, where McGee herself studied.
5. Produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions, Derry Girls is filmed in Northern Ireland, with most scenes shot on location in Derry and some in Belfast.
6. Although the plot lines of Derry Girls are fictional, the series frequently references actual events of the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process, including the 1994 IRA ceasefire announcement and the 1995 visit to Northern Ireland of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
7. Archival footage relating to key political figures such as Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams, and John Hume is shown via TV and radio broadcasts in family homes.
8. The soundtrack features popular music of the era, by acts including Ace of Base, Blur, Cypress Hill, Salt-N-Pepa, the Corrs, and the Cranberries.
9. The first series, broadcast on Channel 4 in January and February 2018, became the most-watched series in Northern Ireland since modern records began in 2002.
10. The series was renewed shortly after the pilot episode aired, and the second series was broadcast in March and April 2019.
11. A third and final series set in 1996 was commissioned for 2020, although filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
12. The third series finished filming on 21 December 2021.
13. It premiered on 12 April 2022.
14. Derry Girls has inspired a mural of its main characters painted on the side of Badgers Bar and Restaurant at 18 Orchard Street, Derry, which has become a popular tourist attraction.
15. A Derry Girls book, titled Erin’s Diary: An Official Derry Girls Book, was released on 12 November 2020 by Trapeze Books.
16. In April 2022, a relaunch of the now-defunct British magazine Smash Hits, which ceased publication in 2006, issued a special, one-off edition, featuring Derry Girls, in promotion for its third series.
17. The first series premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on Thursday nights at 10:00 pm, while the second series was moved to Tuesday nights at 9:15 pm, with the exception of the sixth episode which was aired at 9:00 pm. The entire series is available to stream in the UK on All 4.
18. The series was picked up by Netflix internationally, with series 1 being released on 21 December 2018.
19. Series 2 was released on 2 August 2019.
20. The international version of the first series is now available to stream on Netflix in the UK and Ireland. The second series was added on 9 July 2020 but was temporarily removed from the service as it was mistakenly released a year early
21. A Derry Girls book, titled Erin’s Diary: An Official Derry Girls Book, was released on 12 November 2020 by Trapeze Books.
22. In April 2022, a relaunch of the now-defunct British magazine Smash Hits, which ceased publication in 2006, issued a special, one-off edition, featuring Derry Girls, in promotion for its third series
23. Although the main characters are at least 15 years of age, most of the actors were actually in the middle of their twenties at the time of filming. Additionally, Nicola Coughlan, who appears to be the youngest of the group, was already 30 when production began.
24. The orange parade scene (Unionist/Protestant event) was filmed in West Belfast (the mainly Nationalist/Catholic area). Although it was clear to see a tv production was being filmed some local people were angry and even threw objects during filming. This controversial scene was even mentioned in the local press at the time of filming.
25. On 23 January 2019, it was announced that this show will be honored with a large public mural, with all five main characters painted on the gable end of a bar in Derry. In Northern Ireland, it has become a tradition to paint murals on the outside of buildings, with the purpose to depict the region’s cultural and political history.
26. Derry Girls has become Channel 4’s most successful comedy since «Father Dad».
27. Since its Netflix debut in December 2018, this show has developed a global cult following, which came unexpected for the cast and crew. For instance, while visiting the US, Nicola Coughlan, and Dylan Llewellyn were surprised to be recognized by people, with many calling Llewellyn the “wee English fella”.
28. On Tuesday, 9th April 2019, Channel 4 announced that it had commissioned a third season, which was expected to be broadcast in 2020. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was postponed at least twice in 2020.
29. In February 2021, it was confirmed that filming of the third season will begin later that year. The first episode of the season wouldn’t premiere on Channel 4 until mid-April 2022.
30. Nicola Coughlan based her Derry accent on Nadine Coyle, while Louisa Harland based hers on her co-star Saoirse-Monica Jackson, who is a Derry native.
31. Six more episodes were commissioned by Channel 4 on the same day series 1 episode 2 was aired
32. Spotify has personalized playlist of songs listed under the Derry Girls’ title characters (Erin, Clare, Michelle, and Orla). The songs are featured as tastes of their characters and featured in the show
33. After their first read-through together, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and Siobhán McSweeney were believing that they did a terrible job and would be fired soon.
34. In season 2, the story Michelle tries to tell Erin about one of the latter’s celebrity crushes – “the Englishman” – getting caught with a hooker in the back of his car is the scandal of Hugh Grant. Grant was dating Elizabeth Hurley at the time he was caught cheating on the supermodel with a hooker in the back of his car; Hurley is also briefly referenced as the “massive ride of a girlfriend”.
35. The school that the girls (and James) in the series attend is based on Thornhill College, where the show’s writer Lisa McGee went
36. In the show, Louisa Harland (Orla) is speaking with a high-pitched voice. In reality, her natural voice is considerably deeper
37. Throughout the show, Orla shows signs of mild autism. In fact, she has typical traits that are usually connected with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). For example, she takes several things literally, misses social cues, and behaves oddly in certain situations. On the other hand, she has rather high intelligence and a deep understanding of things that interest her the most.
38. The school used for filming is Hunterhouse College, an all-girls grammar school in Belfast.
39. Lisa McGee’s previous project, London Irish (2013) cast members Peter Campion, Ardal O’Hanlon, Tracey Lynch, Paul Mallon, and Siobhan McSweeney appear in various roles in Derry Girls.
40. Prior to Derry Girls, actors Ian McElhinney and Brenock O’Connor also appeared in Game of Thrones as Ser Barristan Selmy and Olly respectively.