GIRL POWER

Retro 90s comedy celebrates its (nearly) all-female cast

something writer Lisa is happy to have achieved.

She said: “I think that’s why people enjoy these kids so much, because they’re not aware of themselves. Young girls now all look amazing, they’re all on these Youtube tutorials, but back then there wasn’t that self-awareness, where everything’s documented and posed.

“For me and my friends and for these girls, they’re just running about mad and I think there’s something appealing about that, about that time before.”

And while the 90s might not feel all that retro for many of the viewers, for the actors it’s an era they’re not that familiar with.

Saoirse-monica said: “The dance we did last year, Saturday Night, well I never actually realised that was a thing. I didn’t realise it was a craze that people were actually doing in clubs. My aunties were telling me and I just thought, ‘You were weirdos. Losers’.”

“The clothes are cool though,” said Louisa. “The 90s at the moment is very in and very cool, the music and the fashion. It’s good to dress up.”

HIGHLIGHT

And dressing up in school uniforms is a highlight for the five main stars of the show too.

Apart from 32-year-old Galway actress Nicola Coughlan, who plays goody-two-shoes Clare Devlin, they’re all in their 20s.

She said: “When we’re in the uniforms something happens to our brains. There are certain things I put on and I just feel like a teenager, like ‘I’m Clare now’.”

And like Dubliner Louisa, conquering the distinctive Derry accent was a challenge for Nicola.

“I was very intimidated,” she said. “We auditioned for about six months and I’d never done a Northern accent.

“It’s really tricky and it sits in a different place in your mouth so I started listening to videos of Nadine Coyle back in her Popstars days.”

Louisa’s accent tuition before her final audition turned out to be a little closer to home.

“My mum had researched to find random actresses from Derry who I could watch,” she said. “She found Saoirse, so I was learning my accent from her before I met her.”

So what can fans expect when the show returns next Tuesday?

“This time the kids are still getting into pickles,” said Lisa. “They’re 16 now and they’re trying – without much success – to grow up.” The cast are tight-lipped about what happens next but big hitters from the first series – Granda Ian Mcelhinney, Da Tommy Tiernan and Siobhan Mcsweeney’s Sister Michael – will be back and audiences will see star turns from Father Ted’s Ardal O’hanlon and The Fall’s Bronagh Waugh.

And after a tear-jerking finale for series one which finally saw the impact of the Northern Irish conflict make its way into the youngsters’ lives, Lisa revealed the backdrop is more optimistic this time round.

She said: “It’s basically set during the lead-up to the ceasefire and the Clinton visit, so the political background is a bit more hopeful.

“But the teenagers are as they were, life’s still unfair, they’re still getting into trouble and their antics are bigger and crazier than they were before.”

Derry Girls series two starts on Channel 4 next Tuesday at 9.15pm.