Derry Girls
Teenage chaos in 1990s Derry
Derry Girls is a Channel 4 sitcom created by Lisa McGee, set in her home city of Derry, Northern Ireland, during the mid-1990s in the final years of the Troubles. It follows Erin Quinn and her friends: cousin Orla, anxious Clare, wild Michelle, and Michelle’s English cousin James, all pupils at the fictional Catholic girls’ school Our Lady Immaculate College, run by the magnificently deadpan Sister Michael. The teenagers navigate ordinary adolescent chaos against a backdrop of checkpoints, bomb scares and sectarian tension, where the political rarely intrudes on the personal. Warm, sharp and specific, it ran for three series from 2018 to 2022.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 4 January 2018
- Last aired
- 18 May 2022
- Created by
- Lisa McGee
- Channel
- Channel 4
- Series
- 3
- Episodes
- 19
- Set in
- Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990s
- Quizzes
- 3
Derry Girls quizzes
Catch yourself on and test your knowledge of Erin, the gang and Our Lady Immaculate College.
The gang, the family and Sister Michael. How well do you really know the Derry Girls?
From the weeping statue to the Fatboy Slim finale, test your knowledge of the gang's adventures.
Derry Girls cast and characters
Erin Quinn
Played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson
Sixteen when the series begins, Erin is passionate and ambitious with dreams of being a writer. She can also be vain, self-centred and overly concerned with what others think of her.
Orla McCool
Played by Louisa Harland
Erin's eccentric cousin, who takes things literally, misses social cues and lives happily in a world of her own. She is devoted to sweets and step aerobics.
Clare Devlin
Played by Nicola Coughlan
The group's anxious, studious voice of reason, easily terrified by authority. She comes out as gay at the end of the first series.
Michelle Mallon
Played by Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
The wild one of the group, whose enthusiasm for boys, drink and anything forbidden regularly lands her friends in trouble.
James Maguire
Played by Dylan Llewellyn
Michelle's English cousin, whose mother goes back to London without him. He becomes the only boy at Our Lady Immaculate College, and the girls tease him relentlessly before accepting him as a Derry Girl.
Sister Michael
Played by Siobhán McSweeney
Sister George Michael, the deadpan, acid-tongued headmistress of Our Lady Immaculate College. She regards being a nun as a job rather than a calling.
Mary Quinn
Played by Tara Lynne O'Neill
Erin's mother and the formidable head of the Quinn household, who shares a home with her husband Gerry, her father Joe and her daughters.
Gerry Quinn
Played by Tommy Tiernan
Erin's patient father, who tries to be the voice of reason while enduring constant mockery, above all from his father-in-law, Joe.
Joe McCool
Played by Ian McElhinney
Erin and Orla's grandfather, who lives with the Quinns. He dotes on his daughters and granddaughters and never misses a chance to belittle Gerry.
Derry Girls facts and FAQs
- When did Derry Girls first air?
- Derry Girls first aired on Channel 4 on 4 January 2018. It ran for three series, ending with an extended final episode, 'The Agreement', on 18 May 2022.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Derry Girls are there?
- There are three series (seasons) of Derry Girls and 19 episodes: six in each of the first two series and seven in the third. That total includes the extended finale, 'The Agreement', which aired as the last episode of series 3.
- Who created Derry Girls?
- Derry Girls was created and written by Lisa McGee, who based it on her own teenage years in Derry in the 1990s. Every episode was directed by Michael Lennox.
- What is Derry Girls about?
- Derry Girls is a teen sitcom following Erin Quinn, her cousin Orla, their friends Clare and Michelle, and Michelle's English cousin James through school, family rows and teenage embarrassment during the final years of the Troubles. Everyday chaos plays out against real events such as the 1994 IRA ceasefire and Bill Clinton's 1995 visit.
- Where is Derry Girls set?
- Derry Girls is set in Derry, Northern Ireland, between 1994 and 1998. The girls attend Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional Catholic girls' school based on McGee's own school, Thornhill College.
- Where was Derry Girls filmed?
- Derry Girls was filmed in Northern Ireland, on location in Derry and Belfast. The school scenes were shot mainly at Hunterhouse College in Belfast, while Derry locations include Limewood Street and Guildhall Square, and a mural of the cast now stands on Orchard Street in the city.
- Is Derry Girls based on a true story?
- Derry Girls is not a true story, but it is inspired by Lisa McGee's own experiences growing up in a Catholic family in 1990s Derry. The plots are fictional, though some moments come from her life, such as writing a letter to Chelsea Clinton, and real events like the 1998 Good Friday Agreement referendum feature.
- Will there be a Derry Girls series 4?
- No, Derry Girls ended with its third series by design. Lisa McGee said in 2021 that 'it was always the plan to say goodbye after three series'.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy (2023)
BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme for Siobhán McSweeney (2023)
International Emmy for Best Comedy Series (2023)
IFTA for Best Comedy (2018)