It's the end of an era.

Derry Girls has proved to be a huge global hit since its debut at the beginning of 2018 but, sadly, all good things must come to an end. And so it is that series three of Derry Girls, which is set to start production imminently, will be the final one as cast and crew get set to bow out and move on to new projects. Show creator Lisa McGee confirmed the news on Twitter on Thursday morning (23 September), noting that it was "always the plan" to call it a day after three seasons. "Derry Girls is a coming of age story," McGee began. "Following five ridiculous teenagers as they slowly... very slowly... start to become adults, while around them the place they call home starts to change, too, and Northern Ireland enters a more hopeful phase – which was a small, magic window of time. "Derry Girls is a love letter to the place I come from and the people who shaped me," McGee continued. "It has been an honour to write it and I will be forever proud of everything it's achieved. I'd like to thank the people of Derry and Northern Ireland for getting behind us." McGee went on to thank everyone who worked on and produced the show, including Channel 4. As for the future, McGee has somewhat left the ajar, though likely without her involvement. "Who knows if Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle and James will return in some other guise someday, but for now this is it for us and we're excited to start filming this series with our incredible cast and crew to hopefully take our loyal fans on one last adventure." https://twitter.com/LisaMMcGee/status/1440985114016628739?s=20 The popular show made further headlines recently when UK Minister of State for Media and Data John Whittingdale cited Derry Girls as a "distinctively British" programme that showcased strong British values. Sure enough, Whittingdale's comments raised eyebrows, including from those directly involved with Derry Girls. Siobhan McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael, made the valid point that "Derry Girls is made by a British company and aired by a British channel but it's not a 'distinctively British' programme. But what would I know?"