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Wales Online

Lifestyle

Annie Roberts

Derry Girls series 3: When is the Channel 4 comedy returning?

Channel 4 Derry Girls Derry Erin Quinn James Maguire Michelle Mallon Clare Devlin

The hit comedy Derry Girls set in Northern Ireland is returning for a third instalment - but when can we expect the new series to drop?

Broadcaster Channel 4 has been teasing the release since December 2021, with a new clip being dropped on Christmas Eve appearing to show the group of teenagers being arrested.

The first-look teaser shows the friends surrounded by armed officers with their hands up in the air and main character Erin Quinn shouting "This is a set up!"

Since series two aired back in 2019, fans have been eager to hear when the third - and we now know final - series will air.

Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming new series of Derry Girls:

When is Derry Girls season three being released?

An official air date for the third series of Derry Girls is yet to be confirmed by Channel 4 - but we do know it will be released in 2022.

Filming for the third and final series wrapped in December, with members of the cast taking to social media to confirm they had completed their time on set.

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who plays Clare, posted on Twitter: "Goodbye Derry Girls, it’s been quite a ride" with a picture of her and co-star Louisa Harland.

Siobhán McSweeney, best known for her role as Sister Michael, also posted to mark the end of filming, with a photo of her costume on her Instagram with the caption: "Goodbye, you mad woman. You changed my life. I know you'd hate to hear this, but I love you."

So hopefully we won't have to long to wait until the series hits our screens.

Is series three of the Derry Girls going to be the last?

Unfortunately yes, season three of the Derry Girls will be the last we see of the gang.

Creator and write Lisa McGee announced in September 2021 that it was "always the plan" to end the show after the third series.

In a statement on Twitter she posted: "Derry Girls is a coming of age story following five ridiculous teenagers as they slowly... very slowly... start to become adults, while the place around them, the place they call home, starts to change too and Northern Island enters a new and more hopeful phase – which was a small, magical window of time.

"Derry Girls is a love letter to the place I come from and the people who shaped me. It has been an honour to write it and I will forever be proud of everything it’s achieved.”

Lisa added: "Who knows if Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle and James will return in some other guise someday but for now, this is it for us and we're excited to start filming this series with our incredible cast and crew to hopefully take our loyal fans on one last adventure.

How many series are there and where can I watch Derry Girls?

There have been two series of the hit Channel 4 comedy so far, with the first series airing in January 2018 and the second airing in March 2019.

From left to right: Dylan (James Maguire), Erin (Saoirse Monica-Jackson), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), Clare (Nicola Coughlan) (Channel 4/Peter Marley)

You can watch both series on All 4.

What year is Derry Girls set in?

Derry Girls is set in the early 1990s and follows a group of friends - four teenage girls and Michelle's cousin James - as they grow up in Derry, Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

Derry Girls gang (Channel 4/Peter Marley)

Who plays Erin in Derry Girls?

Erin Quinn is played by 28-year-old Saoirse-Monica Jackson, who has also been cast in the 2021 movie Finding You and is set to star in the 2022 action and adventure superhero movie The Flash.