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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Lauren Harte

Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell's pride at showcasing home city in new documentary

Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee once described the hit sitcom as "a love letter to the place I come from and the people who shaped me".

And that's how one of its stars, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, feels about her new documentary on the city.

The forthcoming documentary, The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, will explore her upbringing in the Catholic community and how things have changed in the city since.

Read more: Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell says playing a teenager at 30 is 'exhausting’

The 30-year-old actor is best known for starring as bold as brass Michelle Mallon in Derry Girls and also recently starred in Channel 4’s drama Screw, which has just been commissioned for a second series.

Created by McGee and based on her childhood in Derry, the show helped highlight the city and the issues of the Troubles, issues which Jamie-Lee explores in her documentary.

Jamie-Lee, who also grew up in the city, revealed it was McGee who inspired her to make the documentary.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this, a documentary about my hometown and to give people a current look at the city I’m so proud of and the people who make it," she told Belfast Live.

"It was a learning experience and to be fair with the history of Derry you could probably do a Netflix series so we just tried to get in as much as we could without overwhelming anybody.

"I just really hope people appreciate and enjoy it and understand what we were trying to do. I’m so excited for everyone to see it!"

Jamie-Lee, who describes herself as an "Irish working-class woman" and "a Derry girl born and bred", visits her old school St Cecelia's College where the students of today reflect on the city’s regeneration.

They also discuss why many young people still feel they need to leave Derry to gain new skills and experiences.

“It was really nice to be back and interesting to see how things have changed and learn about what’s on the young people’s minds at the moment in terms of their future and issues in Derry now,” Jamie-Lee said

"I was really impressed by them and thought they were really intelligent. They were lovely and a really great representation of people who have grown up in Derry."

She also tours the Museum of Free Derry and joins a rehearsal of a leading Protestant flute band.

"Something I never thought in a million years I would do, because I thought I'd just walk in and catch flames or something, I dunno," she explains as she enters the Churchill Flute Band's headquarters in the centre of Derry.

"As I walk in, their weekly practice is well underway. Even hearing this music makes me feel a bit weird."

Jamie-Lee added: "I really enjoyed exploring different parts of the city and going back to places like my old school where I haven't been for a long time. It was almost like reintroducing myself to places."

She also enjoys a night out with her Derry Girls co-star Saoirse-Monica Jackson and explores mental health issues with TikTok star Mammy Banter, otherwise known as local woman Serena Terry.

Michelle and her Derry Girls co-stars (PA Photo/Channel 4 Television/Peter Marley.)

And 50 years on from Bloody Sunday, the programme looks at what the future may bring for the city, in particular for the younger generation who still live with the impact of the Troubles.

Jamie-Lee was chosen earlier this year alongside actress Bronagh Gallagher to co-host a major Bloody Sunday 50th anniversary event in the city's Guildhall.

She recalls how her own grandfather marched on Bloody Sunday and that her family knew some of those who had been murdered.

The third series of Derry Girls, based on a group of teenagers growing up in the 1990s, ended last month with an emotional one-hour special centred around the Good Friday Agreement.

The final series also featured surprise cameo appearances by Liam Neeson, former US President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea and music stars Ryan McMullan and Foy Vance.

"The response has been really warm and overwhelmingly positive and we're really proud of it," said Jamie-Lee.

"It was also a learning experience too for people who maybe weren't really aware of the Good Friday Agreement and what it was like at that time."

Those mourning the end of Derry Girls might be in luck as McGee has hinted at the possibility of a spinoff series or follow-up movie.

When asked if she has said goodbye to her character Michelle forever or just for now, Jamie-Lee said: “Who knows to be honest, it’s hard to say. She has certainly been a big part of my life in recent years but I don’t know what Lisa has up her sleeve if anything so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The Real Derry: Jamie Lee O’Donnell airs on Thursday, 16th June at 10pm on Channel 4.

Read more: RTE presenter in hot water as he asks Derry Girls actress 'misogynistic' question

Read more: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell puts Derry designer in the spotlight with premiere outfit

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