Edinburgh TV Festival have announced that ‘Derry Girls’ creator Lisa McGee, leading cast members, and other key creatives from the hit Channel 4 show will attend the festival in August this year for an exclusive masterclass.
The hit sitcom had took Ireland & the UK by storm when it launched earlier this year. McGee’s nostalgic tale of four schoolgirls, and one bemused English boy, living in nineties Northern Ireland averaged a viewership of 519k and held a 64.2% share of the audience making it the most popular show in Northern Irelands history.
Across the UK, consolidated viewing figures reveal that the first series of Derry Girls was watched by an average of 2.5 million viewers, making it Channel 4’s biggest comedy launch since 2004. As well as this massive feat, ‘Derry Girls’ is also the most successful comedy series ever launched on All 4, beating majorly successful comedies such as ‘The Inbetweeners’.
Delegates will be treated to a live table read, as well hearing about the unique experiences of writing, producing and performing in the show.
The session will also look at the show's timely arrival in terms of the cultural/post-Brexit climate; the overwhelming social media reaction, as well as plans for the eagerly-awaited series two.
Speaking about the announcement, Phil Edgar-Jones, Advisory Chair, and Director of Sky Arts & Head of Entertainment said:
“The Festival's creative approach to sessions means the panel will be both informative and entertaining. This masterclass is what the TV Festival is all about – celebrating talent both on and off screen and really getting an understanding for what’s behind our hit television series.”
For more information about the festival line-up & tickets
