This is the comedian’s first acting gig in 19 years.
The trailer for Tommy Tiernan‘s first major acting role since one of the great Father Ted episodes has landed, and it looks funnier than we ever could have expected.
Derry Girls is the blackest of black comedies that follows 16-year-old Erin Quinn (played by Saoirse Monica Jackson) as she comes of age during the later years of the Troubles.
Set in the early ’90s, her life as a secondary school student is a complete pain, what with her uncompromisingly tough mam (Tara Lynne O’Neill), her long-suffering father (Tiernan), all of the armed police roaming the streets and British Army checkpoints on every road.
Still, it all seems to be fine, as her class is reassured by one kind nun, “don’t worry yerselves too much about the whole sectarian conflict carry on. There’s really only one thing you need to know… we’re the goodies.”
Clip via Channel 4
Written by Lisa McGee (Indian Summers, London Irish), and based on her own experiences growing up in Derry, Derry Girls plays off the Inbetweeners feel of frustrated and misbehaving teens, but adds a strong dose of Catholic humour and the paranoia of terrorism.
Basically, it’s the role Tommy Tiernan was born to play.
The Navan comic hasn’t acted since he made a brief appearance in one episode of Father Ted back in 1998, but Derry Girls won’t be his last either. He is also set to star alongside Game of Thrones and Love/Hate actor Aidan Gillen in an upcoming biopic on the controversial late-comedian, Dave Allen.
Derry Girls will premiere on Channel 4 on Thursday, 4 January 2018
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