The creator of Derry Girls has confirmed the details of her new upcoming series.
Writer Lisa McGee, 43, from Londonderry, has started production on her new show How to Get to Heaven From Belfast.
The comedy-thriller will star Roísín Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne as three childhood friends who are brought together over the death of a friend, Variety reports.
The eight-episode series will follow the friends on a ‘dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey’ around Ireland.
Lisa told the publication: ‘I’ve loved writing Saoirse, Robyn and Dara — three flawed, funny women who are about to embark on the most thrilling and terrifying adventure of their lives.
Pictured: Dylan Llewellyn, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland and Nicola Coughlan in Derry Girls
‘A mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and make you laugh out loud.’
One fan gushed on X: ‘Very excited for a new show from Lisa McGee, as DERRY GIRLS remains one of three best and most honest comedies about being a teenager ever made and EXTRA excited the three leads coincidentally have THE MOST Irish names you could imagine.’
While others dubbed it a ‘grown up Derry Girls’, another added: ‘Can’t wait. I love Derry Girls!’
‘I’ll watch anything Lisa creates,’ a third wrote.
A fourth replied: ‘With cast like this! It’s going to be epic! All three of you are brilliant!’
Roísín Gallagher, 37, is best known for her role as Janet in the Sky series The Lovers, which aired last year and also starred Johnny Flynn.
Meanwhile, Sinéad Keenan, 46, has starred opposite Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar in the crime drama Unforgotten since 2015.
What’s more, Caoilfhionn Dunne, 39, appeared in Love/Hate – which also starred Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan – from 2010-2014.
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee – who has just announced the details of her new show – pictured at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2023
Roísín Gallagher (pictured), 37, is best known for her role as Janet in the Sky series The Lovers, which aired last year and also starred Johnny Flynn
After contributing to the BBC’s The White Queen, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, Lisa’s achieved worldwide fame with her series Derry Girls, which was based on her own experience growing up in Derry.
The show – which ran for three series – began airing on Channel 4 in January 2018 and won six BAFTA awards during its run. It was also Northern Ireland’s most-watched TV show in 2022.
Derry Girls also launched the career of Nicola Coughlan, who is now starring as Penelope Featherington in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
In an interview with Channel 4, Lisa said she couldn’t have predicted how successful the show would be.
Sinéad Keenan (pictured), 46, has starred opposite Sanjeev Bhaskar in the crime drama Unforgotten since 2015
Caoilfhionn Dunne (pictured), 39, appeared in Love/Hate – which also starred Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan – from 2010-2014
She explained: ‘After the first episode went out and everyone responded so brilliantly to it, I was still convinced that people would stop watching it next week. So, I didn’t fully believe it was a hit until it was over.
‘But it’s crazy, a year later people are still taking about it. It took me a long time to breathe out, and go “Oh, people like this, thank God.” I’d had other stuff that I thought had more of a chance, and this never happened.
‘I thought this was so specific. I thought it might get a little cult audience, but it really surprised me that everyone got it.’
Speaking to The Guardian, Saoirse-Monica Jackson – who played Erin in the show – recalled how her life became a ‘whirlwind’ after it began airing.
The actress explained: ‘I don’t think anything will ever compare to that experience.
Writer Lisa McGee in front of a Derry Girls mural in Londonderry, ahead of the premiere for the third series of Channel 4’s Derry Girls
‘There will be other jobs where you move to a different country or they financially make you feel more secure or they will probably stretch me more emotionally as an actor. But the sentiment of Derry Girls and the fundamental change it’s made…
‘Well, what can ever be as big as that personally for me? There will never be anything like that.’
According to the BBC, the third and final season of Derry Girls attracted an average of three million viewers.
Ahead of the final episode, Lisa worked with the Tower Museum to create a Derry Girls exhibition – which included artefacts like Erin’s diary and Aunt Sarah’s pyjamas.