“Derry Girls” creator Lisa McGee has set her next series at Channel 4, a comedy thriller titled “How to Get to Heaven From Belfast.”
Written and created by McGee, “How to Get to Heaven From Belfast” is an eight-part series following longtime friends Saoirse, Robyn and Dara, who are now in their late 30s. According to character descriptions, Saoirse is a “successful writer with a compulsion to hit the self-destruct button,” Robyn is a “sweary, stressed out mother of three young boys” and Dara is the “full-time carer of an elderly parent, who hasn’t managed to move out of her teenage bedroom.”
The description continues, “When the women each receive an email informing them of the death of Greta, an old classmate they were once very close with, there’s clearly some unspoken, unfinished business. The friends decide to attend Greta’s wake and discover all may not be quite as it seems. They soon find themselves embroiled in a dark and twisted mystery. It’s absolutely terrifying. But it’s also… utterly thrilling.”
“How to Get to Heaven From Belfast” was commissioned by Channel 4 head of comedy Charlie Perkins, and will be a collaboration between the network’s comedy and drama departments. The series will be produced by Hat Trick Productions and executive produced by McGee’s “Derry Girls” collaborators Caroline Leddy and Liz Lewin, as well as Hat Trick’s Jimmy Mulville.
“I feel so incredibly lucky to be making another show for the phenomenal Channel 4 and to be doing it with Hat Trick Productions again and the creative team behind Derry Girls, the mighty Liz Lewin and Caroline Leddy, is just a dream,” McGee said in a statement.” I’ve wanted to make a comedy thriller set in Northern Ireland for SUCH a long time. I cannot wait to share these flawed funny women with everyone.”
Perkins added, “This is huge. We couldn’t be prouder that Channel 4 feels like this extraordinary show’s spiritual home. Getting to know the multi hyphenated talents of Lisa, Liz, Caroline and their collaborators at Hat Trick Productions has been one of the greatest pleasures in my first year as Head of Comedy. We can’t wait to bring Lisa’s next world to life for all those who already love her work and many more to come.”
