“I’m not being an individual on me own!” moans Clare Devlin (Nicola Coughlan) in the first episode of Derry Girls, which debuted on Channel 4 at the start of 2018. After making grand plans to ditch their Catholic girls’ school’s strict dress code and swap their blazers for denim jackets, the height of Nineties cool, her friends - Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Orla (Louisa Harland) - have all reneged on their promise after intervention from their mammies, leaving her as the lone, denim-clad figure of rebellion.
It’s a typically witty line from creator Lisa McGee, in a scene that quickly sets up the show’s premise. These girls may be living through a time of historic conflict, growing up against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but they are still subject to the usual teenage foibles and contradictions (in this case, a misguided desire for individuality battling with the constant need for approval).
