About four years ago, a group of schoolgirls from a small town in Northern Ireland called Derry took the world by storm. Created by Lisa McGee, Derry Girls Set in the 1990s during The Troubles, also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict, a period in which the region was divided by religion (Catholicism and Protestantism) and political differences, fighting over the future of Northern Ireland.
The Northern Irish conflict spanned 30 years, from the late 1960s to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 (although the origins of The Troubles can be traced back to the 17th century, with major historical moments such as the Rising of Easter in 1916 and the Partition of Ireland in 1919). The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 3,500 people. Over the years, many films and series about this conflict have been made and have depicted the violence and pain that plagues Northern Ireland.
Lisa McGee Derry Girls Interview
However, with the Derry Girls phenomenon, Lisa McGee wanted to show another side of the conflict through the perspective of families living their lives as best they could while dealing with a sectarian conflict unfolding right outside their home. For McGee, these films and series, although generally very realistic and historically accurate, only showed the dramatic side of the story and never the daily life of families, friends, neighbors and teenagers, lives equally full of drama. love. and humor.
We had the chance to speak with creator Lisa McGee on the occasion of the international release of the third and final season of the hit comedy Derry Girls on Netflix on October 7. We talked about THAT cameo in Season 3, the storylines that haven’t been finalized, what the future holds for the girls, and more. And if you want to know more about that time Lisa McGee had to leave the set because she was laughing so much, you can listen to the full interview below:
Describing his need to show another side of The Troubles, McGee said:
“You can only stay serious and terrified for so long; you just have to get on with things.
She continued:
“Even as a child, I started thinking, “That’s funny! ‘ It was so many moments of ridiculous and hilarious stuff in these weird situations that should be pretty dark, but that’s how life is, isn’t it?
Growing up, Lisa quickly developed a writer’s mind and began noticing absurd and funny situations that often resonated on the show, even if for comedic purposes they were amplified. She remembered:
“When the British Army was outside your house, their equipment would interfere with your TV signal, and if my parents were watching something they really wanted to watch, they would have sent me when I was about 7 years, and I have to tell the soldiers to come down a bit and say, “Your gear makes our television fun.” And I thought: ‘It is not normal. This was a very surreal experience, but we had no idea how surreal it was at the time.
The third season of Derry Girls, while tackling more dramatic personal events in the lives of Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James, is as hilarious as the first two series but also full of surprises.
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