Never would have guessed it.
There are so many things about Derry Girls that made it an instant hit with the public.
For example, it has wonderful direction from Michael Lennox. Aside from this, the show is a timely reminder of the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and the need to maintain peace in Northern Ireland, especially in the climate of Brexit.
Great performances from the cast and an appetite to see young Irish women on the screen have also helped.
However, as is the case with any film and TV show, it all starts on the page and Lisa McGee just has that knack for capturing dialogue that’s hilarious, honest, and true.
There’s nothing fake about Derry Girls because as fans of the show will know, the gang are all lovable losers and the characters are so well drawn that you can genuinely say ‘Yeah, I know someone like that’.
Whether it’s capturing the neurosis of Ma Mary, Sister Michael’s incredible putdowns, Clare’s skittish ways, Michelle’s ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude, or Orla’s wonderful ability to be constantly away with the birds, there isn’t a single thing about the characters that’s unlikeable.
Every character in the wonderful ensemble is so well written and you could make a very strong case that two characters that aren’t even in the gang, Aunt Sarah and Sister Michael, are the two best characters in the show.
However, during a recent interview with JOE, Lisa McGee revealed her favourite character to write for.
“I obviously love them all and some of them are easier to write than others. Like, Michelle is so easy to write for because she always has a very definite opinion about something. Erin’s very close to how I was growing up, so she I really like that about her,” said McGee.
“Weirdly, my favourite to write for is Jenny Joyce. She’s an absolute joy to write because she’s just so different. She has such a different energy and when she comes into a scene, she’s just so outside the rest of them. I love thinking of lines for her. She’s great fun to write. It’s a weird one to say because she’s not one of the gang,” said McGee.
Well, after Sister Michael urged Jenny to “learn to push back” it’s fair to say that she’ll be getting plenty of screentime in Season 3. We’re confident that ‘Jenny and the Jitterbugs’ will be getting a few more tunes also.
To quote Sister Michael, “Christ!”
You can listen to the whole interview here.
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