Viewers were left weeping at the end of last night’s Derry Girls, when Clare’s dad died suddenly from an aneurysm on the Channel 4 series.
Yesterday, show writer Lisa McGee revealed the heartbreaking scenes were inspired by a true story.
She explained: “My friend’s dad died when we were around that age, suddenly.
"It was a real shock, we’d grown up in this place where there was a lot of unpredictable stuff happening and we worried about the violence - and this was a thing that could have happened to anybody.
"Something shifted in my friendship group when that happened, we all grew up.”
McGee, 50, said she is still friends with the real-life pals who inspired the hit series. “They say they’re embarrassed about it but they tell everyone,” she laughed.
“And after an episode I get about 200 messages in the WhatsApp group.”
Her feature-length finale to Derry Girls airs tonight, featuring a high-profile cameo linked to an episode from a previous series.
In the plot, the five friends are voting on the Good Friday Agreement, and viewers discover that hot-head Michelle is more closely connected to the Troubles than anyone realised.
McGee, a genuine Derry girl, said her aim had always been comedy first, history lesson second. “We just wanted to make people laugh. And along the way it’s taught people a bit about where I come from.”
She said that a future spin-off or follow-up for the much-loved characters was likely. “I’d love to at some point. It’s just finding the right thing.”
It could involve Jamie Dornan, whose schedule prevented him from making a cameo this time (but check out Ardal O’Hanlon!).
Lisa says: “Jamie’s a fan of the show and a very funny guy so - next time.” Bring it on.
Derry Girls concludes Wednesday night at 9pm on Channel 4, and is available to watch on All4.
