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24th Apr 2022

Derry Girls creator admits she was nervous about some jokes in the new season

Ellen Fitzpatrick

It definitely worked.

Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has defended a joke in the new season of the show that she admitted some of the cast were initially wary about.

Making a joke in the first episode of the third season about the lack of Catholic representation in the RUC, Lisa admitted that she was “nervous” about adding the joke in as it references The Troubles.

Seeing the funnier side to things and hoping the audience would to, she kept it in but noted that some of the cast were also nervous about including it.

The joke is said when the girls are arrested on suspicion of the theft of computer equipment from their school and are taken to the local RUC station by armed officers only to be questioned by an inspector played by Liam Neeson.

Erin asked Liam’s character how many Catholics are in the force to which he replies there are three if you include “the Jew”.

Erin then accuses the officers of trying to “stitch us up” as they’re “Fenian”, she asks: “Are you denying your organisation is prejudiced?”

Lisa revealed to the BBC: ”

[The girls] would be extremely nervous. It’s also a way of commenting on something that wasn’t very fair.

“In a funny way that allows people then to discuss things.

“It just feels less scary when you put it through a funny lens. Because we’re still sort of wrangling with our past. So it opens things out a wee bit.

“That’s a joke I was nervous about. There’s some jokes where I’m like ‘Oh, here we go’.

“My priority with Derry Girls has been bringing people joy, making people laugh, bringing some lightness. So I never want to offend. And luckily we’ve kind of always got away with it.”