Derry Girls bosses admitted they were “mindblown” directing guest star Liam Neeson – especially after learning Helen Mirren introduced him to the show.
Fans were left shocked when the Taken star, who hails from Co Antrim, made a dramatic debut on the show tonight, as a cop interrogating the teens in the season three opener.
But viewers weren’t the only ones taken aback by the star’s cameo role, with writer Lisa McGee and director Michael Lennox admitting they were crippled with nerves working on set with the home grown Hollywood star.
Read More: Derry Girls star admits knowing nothing about the Troubles before joining show
Lennox, who is also from Antrim, said: “It was pretty nerve racking. We had a phone call with him the night before, and just that voice.”
Creator McGee added “yeah it was really, really scary” and joked that she even tried to hide during his day on set.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to hide out here’ and then he called for me and I said, ‘Oh Jesus’.
“I can’t even remember how [he came on board]. I know he is a fan of the show and it just lined up well for us.
But recalling the story of how Neeson even came to know of the Northern Ireland-based show, Lennox quipped: “It was Helen Mirren who introduced him to the show, he said Helen Mirren said to ‘watch this show, you’ll love it’, which is pretty mind blowing.”
Neeson, 69, and actress Mirren dated in the 1980s, having met while working on the 1981 film Excalibur.
It has been five years since Erin, Clare, Michelle, Orla and “the wee English fella” James exploded onto our screens, tormenting their principal Sister Michael, played by Siobhan McSweeney.
Speaking in a Q&A at the season three premiere, in the city that inspired the sitcom, Derry-born show boss McGee discussed her decision to call it a day after this season.
“I always kind of felt that it was a three series show, a lot of my favourite sitcoms were three series shows, like Father Ted, one of my all time favourites.
“And I knew with teenagers that’s quite a brief period of your life, almost goes like a flash, so I wanted it to feel like that. And I just felt the way we ended the show was right when I wrote it, it feels quite final.
She added: “We are really proud of it. And the final episode is my favourite thing we have ever done in my whole career so I really hope people like it as much as I do when it comes out.
“I think it is exactly where I wanted it to go.”
Derry Girls airs Tuesdays on Channel 4 at 9.15pm
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