Give My Head Peace will make a welcome return to our TV screens this festive season with four brand new episodes of the hit BBC sitcom.
It's hard to believe the satirical show has been a TV presence in Northern Ireland for almost 30 years. Ever since then, the Hole in the Wall gang have been taking the mick out of politicians, current events and the general public.
Da (Tim McGarry), Cal, Ma (Olivia Nash), Uncle Andy (Martin Reid), Billy (Michael McDowell) and Dympna will be up to their usual comedy antics this Christmas and New Year alongside Pastor Begbie (Paddy Jenkins) and some special guests and new characters.
Read more: BBC Radio Ulster unwraps jam packed Christmas schedule of fun-filled programmes
In the Christmas special, 'Murder Most Foul', it’s going to be a bleak one when the cost of living crisis comes to Divis. Da and Ma have a choice. They can “heat or eat” or maybe there is a better way to get some easy cash? One of them could bump the other off!
Damon Quinn who plays Cal is also one of the Hole in the Wall Gang writing team and produces the series.
He told Belfast Live: "We're trying to reflect what's going on in society as we're all living with the cost of living crisis. It comes to Divis too so Ma and Da face the same dilemma as everyone else around whether you heat or eat?
"But Cal discovers an old joint life insurance policy that Da and Ma took out years ago - if one of them dies the other gets £250,000. And after witnessing Da and Ma make several botched murder attempts on each other, Cal has had enough.
"He has a better idea and suggests why doesn’t Da just fake his own death? So it very quickly switches from the cost of living crisis to a murder plot!" Damon laughs.
All Da has to do is take his pedalo out sailing on Belfast Lough and go “missing.” When the empty boat is found, Da will be presumed dead.
He can hide out until the Insurance money is paid. Then they can all escape abroad with the loot. He thinks it’s a brilliant plan. What could possibly go wrong?
Elsewhere Uncle Andy’s worst nightmare comes true. No, it’s not a united Ireland, it’s worse than that. His dole is stopped and he is forced to take a job as a security guard at Larne Harbour.
Ulster’s biggest Brexit supporter now has to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol. He only ever went to Larne to protest. How can he picket himself?
Andy tries to drown his sorrows in the Loyalist Kneebreakers Club only to discover they have run out of drink. The Protocol has stopped deliveries of cheap alcohol coming from England.
Fortunately, Pastor Begbie has a plan. Andy’s new job as a security guard at Larne can help with their drink supply problem. He can help smuggle a secret drink shipment from England through customs.
No need for all that complicated Protocol paperwork to be filled in. With Andy at the security gate all he has to do is wave the right van through. What could possibly go wrong?
Meanwhile Alexandra (Ali) Ford, who plays Dympna, says while her character may not be as busy as normal in her role as a Sinn Féin MLA, now she has motherhood on her mind.
"Dympna's not spending much time up at Stormont these days and now she's facing a pay cut so she'll be up in arms," said Ali.
"That means she's keeping her husband Billy hard at work but she's decided now that she needs to fill her time so she's thinking about giving motherhood a whirl.
"She fancies having a baby and this has come as a directive from her party leader Mary-Lou (McDonald) with the forthcoming referendum they need to get their numbers up now. So it's up to all the female MLAs to do their duty for God and Ireland."
Ali added: "Much to my surprise, she actually seems quite excited about the idea of motherhood but of course not everything goes to plan. There's a little bit of a twist in the tale so she has to resort to a few wily tactics to get her way.
"Billy is also getting it tight as he has something of a murky past which comes to light and Pastor Begbie is on his tails so Dympna's a bit worried about her wee husband."
The Give My Head Peace Christmas Special - Murder Most Foul airs on Monday 26 December on BBC One NI and BBC iPlayer at 10.50pm.
The series is a Hole in the Wall Gang Production for BBC Northern Ireland. The remaining three episodes from the new series will be available on BBC iPlayer directly after the broadcast of the Christmas special.
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