Filming has wrapped on the final season of ‘Derry Girls’

Filming has concluded on the third and final season of ‘Derry Girls’, according to the cast of the Channel 4 show.

The hit comedy, following a group of Catholic girls in the Irish city they come of age against the backdrop of the Troubles, became the most-watched television show in Northern Ireland since record began when its first season aired in 2018. A second batch of six episodes followed in 2019, as did a wave of critical acclaim.

Twitter posts from actor Nicola Coughlan, who plays Clare Devlin, and the show’s creator, Lisa McGee, suggest that shooting on season three wrapped on Tuesday (December 21). Coughlan shared a polaroid photo of herself and co-star Louisa Harland (Orla McCool), captioning it: “Goodbye Derry Girls, it’s been quite a ride”. McGee’s selfie saw her standing in front of the crest of the show’s fictional Our Lady Immaculate College, with the caption: “Last day of school”.

The final episodes of ‘Derry Girls’ were due to air last year, but production was heavily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph back in January, Coughlan explained: “We’re still waiting, because it’s integral to the show that we film in Derry, and we can’t do anything involving a crowd right now, so logistically, it’s really tough.”

She went on to discuss having talked through season three’s storylines with McGee, saying: “They’re so brilliant, which doesn’t surprise me. [McGee’s] just incredible – but it made me want to do it right now. But we also want to do the best version of the show we can.” 

McGee has hinted at the possibility of a spin-off film to follow the final season; speaking on The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 in July 2020, she said: “For a while I didn’t know if it would work but now an idea is starting to vaguely form in my head. So after series three I’ll think about that a bit more. I’d like to do it and I think the cast would too, so that would be the long-term plan.”