Lisa McGee: How we kept Liam Neeson's appearance on Derry Girls a secret

The Derry Girls' creator tells Esther McCarthy about the surprise cameo in the final series, and reveals that she has two new TV shows in the pipeline

Lisa McGee in front of a Derry Girls mural in Dublin. She will be leading a workshop at Galway Film Fleadh. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

It was the surprise celebrity cameo in a final series packed with memorable and iconic moments. Now Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has told of the great lengths she went to keep Liam Neeson’s appearance on the show a secret until it was broadcast. 

Only a handful of people knew of Neeson’s appearance until days before he arrived on set. And even the people of her native city were in on the act of Derry Girls’ best-kept secret.

“We'd heard he was a fan,” says McGee. “Helen Mirren had watched the show and told him to watch because of where it was set. He watched it, and he liked it. We got a script to him. We thought ‘there's no way’ for loads of reasons but he really wanted to do it. And he really wanted to be in a scene with Kevin McAleer, his character [Uncle Colm] really tickled him. I think that's what swung it for us, the fact that he was going to have a stand-off with the most boring man in the world.” 

Liam Neeson in Derry Girls.

 Determined to keep the surprise for fans when the first episode aired, the Derry writer even gave the Oscar-winning actor an alias on set.

“We kept it a secret even from the cast,” she smiles. “Any time we were speaking about him on set, me and my director and my executive producers, we'd have called him ‘the big fella’ rather than use his name, because we didn't even want crew knowing at this point.” 

At an advance screening of the finale in Derry, McGee asked a favour of her fellow citizens. “We had a screening in Derry weeks before the first episode came out. There were 300 people at it and they didn't tell anyone. So miraculous!” As well as the opening episode, Neeson also popped up in the finale. 

 Fresh from the success of one of TV most-beloved series of recent years, McGee is already developing two more TV series. This week she will host a writing masterclass at the Galway Film Fleadh, sharing the knowledge she has gained over a lengthy career of writing for theatre and the screen.

“I'd love to offer something where the focus is on craft but gives people at different stages something to take away - that's what I look for when I listen to master classes or watch them, is something that helps me. I'm hoping I can tick a lot of boxes for different people that might be sitting in that audience.”

The cast of Derry Girls in the final series: Michelle Mallon (Jamie - Lee O'Donnell), Orla Mccool (Louisa Clare Harland), Erin Quinn (Saoirse Monica Jackson), Clare Devlin (Nicola Coughlan), James Maguire (Dylan Llewellyn).

 As an aspiring writer, the young McGee attended her fair share of masterclasses as she honed her own craft, first in theatre and then TV. It was all she ever wanted to do. “I wrote stories when I was a kid and sketches when I was a bit older, plays when I was a teenager, and then wrote plays professionally and then TV. It had been all I'd ever known really. All I ever wanted to do, and I know that's not everyone's path. It's such a gift being able to write for a living.” 

 Before Derry Girls changed her life, McGee was already an established playwright with plays like Jump and The Heights to her credit. She went on to create the series Raw for RTÉ and wrote for shows including Being Human and The White Queen for BBC.

Though excited for her work on Derry Girls, she had no sense of how big it would become until the first night it aired. “We just were hoping it would have enough of an audience and maybe become a cult show about home.

“You're just determined to make the script work and the world work, then you only start thinking about people's reactions towards the end of that process, which is probably a good thing or you'd be crippled.” Has her background as a playwright helped?

 “I think one thing it did is my voice was quite clear, I had a very distinct voice, because you have to in theatre. I feel like that made me as a young writer stand out from the crowd a wee bit. I might not have been technically brilliant and I was making loads of mistakes and all that stuff. But I definitely didn't sound like anybody else.” 

 When she’s not writing, she turns to TV for a few favourites of her own. “I love a good thriller. It was a while ago now but I loved the White Lotus and Mare of Easttown. I'm watching Only Murders in the Building at the minute which I'm really loving. I watch a lot of old shows as well. I'm a big Colombo fan, a big Murder She Wrote fan.”

 McGee is aware that eyes will be on what she does next, and as well as a desire to return to theatre, she has two TV shows in development. “You just crack on and you always try and do something that you feel passionate about. I guess the difference now is that I have bigger opportunities, because of Derry Girls, and I want to use those well. I have two shows that I'm working on that are original and they're kind of different. One's funny funny, if you know what I mean. And one's a comedy thriller. They're both female led.

“I'm just trying to get my head under those now and fall in love with those characters. I love creating new characters. It's hard in a way because you're building people and it takes a long time. But when it all clicks in it's really exciting.”

Glanmire actor Éanna Hardwicke  appears in two films at Galway Film Fleadh. 

 

Five hot tips at Galway Film Fleadh

Galway Film Fleadh continues until July 10 with dozens of Irish and international premieres set to screen. Here are some to watch out for.

 

• Tarrac: Following the success of An Cailín Ciúin amid a strong run for Irish-language cinema, director Declan Recks’ Tarrac has its world premiere at the Fleadh. It tells the story of a young woman, Aoife, who returns home following her father’s heart attack. Over the course of a life-changing summer, Aoife returns to competitive rowing in Naomhóg boats.
• The Sparrow: Shot in West Cork, The Sparrow follows the story of a teenage boy harbouring a tragic secret as he struggles to deal with the consequences of his decision. Michael Kinirons’ debut feature has a cast that includes Cork actor Éanna Hardwicke (Normal People).
• Lakelands: Éanna Hardwicke also stars in the world premiere of this drama in which he plays Cian, a Gaelic footballer who struggles to come to terms with a career-ending injury. In a community where GAA is sacred, Cian is forced to reconsider his identity and path in life.
• Nothing Compares: Director Kathryn Ferguson presents the Irish premiere of her portrait of iconic musician Sinéad O’Connor. Set during the height of her early stardom across a five-year period (1987-1992), it shows how she used her fame to express her voice.
• Hold Me Tight: Acclaimed actress Vicky Krieps will be at the Fleadh for the screening of Mathieu Amalric’s new drama. The star of The Phantom Thread plays a woman who abruptly abandons her family home.

 

 

• www.galwayfilmfleadh.com