"Have… have they never seen 'Derry Girls'?"
It's time to get out our graph charts once again because something very obviously not British has been claimed by our neighbours overseas. The latest target is 'Derry Girls' and how "distinctly British" the TV series is.
While being produced by a British production company and airing on a British television channel could deem the series "British" in one sense, taking a look at the content of the series is another matter entirely. Set during The Troubles of Northern Ireland during the '90s, the series features very prominently a number of characters who voice their distaste towards the English.
According to political and cultural publication i News, the UK’s public service broadcasters will now have a legal requirement to produce "distinctively British" programmes under new plans drawn up by parliament ministers. Media minister John Whittingdale is the driving force behind the initiative, and he told a Royal Television Society conference that shows such as 'Dr Who', 'Downton Abbey', 'Derry Girls' and 'The Great British Bake Off' were deemed to be "distinctively British".
Whittingdale went out of his way to single out the Northern Irish production, which was created by Lisa McGee and stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Nicola Coughlan.
He said the Channel 4 comedy 'Derry Girls' "very clearly" passed the "distinctly British" test because it is "very clearly set in Northern Ireland at a particularly challenging time". He said "Britishness" meant "reflecting all parts of the UK".
His comments have raised a number of eyebrows on Twitter.
In other 'Derry Girls' news, creator Lisa McGee is currently busy working on season three of the sitcom. Seasons one and two are available to stream on the All4 app, and the first season is available on Netflix.
