Derry Girls fans are finally being treated to the third series of the Northern Irish sitcom this week. The pandemic caused the third instalment of the beloved Channel 4 show to be postponed by two years, but the wait will end tomorrow.
As much as viewers are excited to see the first episode of the third series, it will certainly be a bittersweet moment, as this is the final series of Lisa McGee's 90s schoolgirl comedy. Siobhán McSweeney, who has played the role of Sister Michael for five years, has said that hanging her habit up 'broke her heart', reports Metro.co.uk.
McSweeney, who is from the Irish city of Cork, will appear on our screens as the reliably sassy and cynical Sister Michael for the last time this week. Although she says that the end of the show is devastating, she believes it is well-timed - some series are dragged out and end without their dignity.
The 42-year-old actress, who also presents The Great Pottery Throw Down, has said it was hard to say goodbye. She told Metro.co.uk: "It broke my heart to hang up the habit.
"When I heard it was the last [series], yeah it was very disappointing but it also slightly made sense to me. There’s a logical limit to how long these things can go, and there’s great dignity in bowing out before it gets s***, frankly!"
It may have broken her heart to hang up her habit, but McSweeney has revealed the struggles of donning the nun attire during filming. She refused to take it home as a keepsake, stating, "I hated that thing!"
She added: "I couldn't get it on my head. I don't know how those women do it.
"There were staple guns, pritt stick, the whole f***ing shebang; I don't know how it stays on their head. For continuity, I would need a little bit of hair sticking out and there was a big huge conversation as to whether the ears should be sticking out or not and I’m like “Oh this is a disaster.”
"Because everything else about her was so easy. So I was happy to see the back of that."
But despite the hassle her habit has given her over the last few years, McSweeney has said that it will be hard to say goodbye to Sister Michael. She admitted: "I do think people will cry at the end – I think I’ll be one of them."
Rather than taking her most-hated habit home, McSweeney has revealed that she did take home, and wants to take home other keepsakes. She said: "I also have Sister Michael’s Aran geansaí, and with Cathy Prior, our costume designer’s permission, I want her smoking jacket because I just think it’s f***ing class."
Each episode of the upcoming series of Derry Girls is said to take inspiration from a film. Tuesday's episode will see the girls preparing to receive their GCSE results in a Goodfellas-esque instalment, according to the show's creator, Lisa McGee.
Derry Girls first aired back in 2018, and has become one of the most popular Channel 4 shows of all time since its launch. Last year, McGee revealed on Twitter that it was 'always the plan' to wrap the show up after the third series.
The first episode of the third series of Derry Girls will air on Tuesday, April 12 at 9.15pm on Channel 4. Let us know if you will be watching by logging in and leaving a comment down below.
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