Derry Girls creator talks new Netflix show How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: “You can’t separate us from what’s happened here”

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If you notice a dark-haired Irish woman observing a disagreement you’re having, be careful – it could be Lisa McGee, and she might use you as inspiration for her next comedy show.

Lisa McGee’s popular show, Derry Girls, which is set during a difficult time in Northern Ireland and follows a group of teenage friends, resonated with audiences because of its realistic and funny portrayal of everyday conversations between family and friends. McGee says she drew heavily from her own life experiences when writing her new series, also about a close-knit group who playfully argue with each other.

She admits she enjoys watching disagreements unfold. When she’s with her close friends from school – especially on trips – she often just sits back and listens. She finds their arguments hilariously funny.

McGee often adapts and expands on true stories she’s told, and she generally asks for permission first. However, she once made a mistake and used a friend’s story about a family disagreement without asking, which caused a problem.

Honestly, my friend was totally shocked by something I did, and she just exclaimed, ‘Lisa, what are you doing?!’ But I simply told her she shouldn’t have shared the information with me in the first place. It’s just understood that everything is fair game, especially with my mum. I can practically see the realization hit her when she’s telling a story, and she’ll warn me, ‘Don’t you even think about it!’ But with my mum, a warning just makes me even more determined to use whatever she’s revealed. It’s just how things are with us!

According to Lisa McGee, her new show, ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,’ shares a similar spirit to ‘Derry Girls’ but with a darker, more intense tone. Unlike ‘Derry Girls,’ which aired on Channel 4 as a six-episode comedy, this new series is an eight-part thriller debuting on Netflix, allowing for a larger production budget.

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The story follows Saoirse, Dara, and Robyn, three friends in their thirties, as they learn about the unexpected death of their fourth friend, Greta. Having lost touch with Greta since school, they attend her wake and begin to suspect her death wasn’t as straightforward as it appears. They start to investigate the truth, which forces them to confront secrets and unresolved issues from their past.

McGee, now 45, got the inspiration for her project when she revisited her former school in Derry. The building had been abandoned for two decades and was popular with paranormal investigators. She described the experience as unsettling, noting things like old school uniforms still hanging and writing left on the blackboards. While walking through the grounds, she had a strange feeling of encountering her younger self, which led her to wonder what her teenage self would think of the life she’d lived and the decisions she’d made. That feeling sparked the initial idea.

I believe that as we age, we rediscover who we truly are. I was a young girl who simply loved to write, and I feel I’m increasingly reconnecting with that part of myself—she had a clear sense of purpose. The loss of their friend deeply affects these women, reminding them of their teenage years and a part of themselves they thought they’d forgotten. Ultimately, this story is about the power of friendship and finding yourself.

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She chuckled, exclaiming, “I love you!” The show drew heavily from Scooby-Doo, which some people thought was a crazy idea. Director Michael Lennox and I kept pushing to make it even more like Scooby-Doo – aiming for 30 percent more! We created a list of really wild influences. And, yes, Rebecca is a book I adore. We also pulled inspiration from shows like The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote, and Father Ted. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to create two such unique shows without anyone stopping me.

This new series is more ambitious and has a larger budget. Given the huge success of ‘Derry Girls,’ which won both BAFTA and Emmy awards, Lisa McGee likely felt some expectation to create another popular show. However, she actually felt less pressure making this one than she did during the final season of ‘Derry Girls,’ especially since that season included a particularly emotional episode focused on the Good Friday Agreement.

She explains that working on ‘Derry Girls’ began to feel like a responsibility rather than a creative outlet. She felt pressure to meet expectations because the show had become so beloved by viewers. Now, with her new work, she’s focused simply on telling a great story, without the weight of representing history, her hometown, or a specific group of people.

I’d be upset if people didn’t like it, but it won’t be under the same intense pressure as ‘Derry Girls’ was. That’s been really liberating. I had to let go of trying to recreate the success of ‘Derry Girls,’ because constantly worrying about that could have been paralyzing.

The characters in “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” like those in “Derry Girls,” are a diverse bunch. Saoirse is a successful writer living in London, Dara is a gay Catholic who lives with his family, and Robyn is a glamorous but stressed-out mother. While the creator, McGee, acknowledges they could be seen as the adult versions of Erin, Orla, Clare, and Michelle from “Derry Girls,” she made a conscious effort to avoid repeating jokes or the same conversational style.

She enjoys writing about female friendships, but this thriller required a more serious approach than her previous work on ‘Derry Girls.’ The characters in this new story have more responsibilities – like jobs, children, or elderly parents – which raised the stakes. For the first time, she also intentionally removed jokes that would have lessened the suspense, something she wouldn’t have considered doing for ‘Derry Girls.’

While ‘How to Get to Heaven from Belfast’ doesn’t deal with heavy topics like the Good Friday Agreement, it’s full of bold and sometimes edgy humor. For example, there’s a scene where the women get upset after accidentally putting the wrong fuel in the car, and a police officer quips that wasting gas isn’t typical for them. The show also features a recurring joke about the character Dara jokingly having ‘an attack of the Catholics’ whenever she feels bad.

McGee believes it’s important to acknowledge the past in Northern Ireland, but she also thinks humor can be found even within difficult experiences. She explains that the history is inseparable from who they are and that it’s something they live with, but it doesn’t mean they can’t find the funny side.

She admits that becoming a mother (she has two young sons with her husband, writer Tobias Beer) has changed what she’ll write about. While motherhood – with all its craziness – actually inspires her comedy and gives her more material, there are some topics she now avoids because they’re too sensitive.

It’s crucial to address serious issues like sexual violence through writing, but it’s equally important for women to have entertainment that’s simply fun and uplifting. When I created Derry Girls, I approached it with a lighthearted and optimistic attitude, which shaped the show’s positive tone. While another writer could have made a great show, it might have been much darker.

My goal is for audiences to leave my shows feeling even a little bit happier. I create characters who are flawed and often foolish, and I think that’s relatable. People seem to connect with that vulnerability, and it can actually lift their spirits. I’m perfectly happy writing about funny, imperfect women and letting them be themselves.

Authors

Emma Cox

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2026-02-09 21:09