‘The show is comedy genius on every level, with loveable, funny characters you grow to love as friends’
Praised for its bold approach to “blending a particularly troubled period of time with laugh-out-loud comedy”, the final series of Hat Trick Productions’ Derry Girls was a clear winner for the judges.
Series three of the sitcom delivers comedy and emotional gut-punches as Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James get their GCSE results and vote on the Good Friday Agreement.
The show’s impact has been far-reaching, with references in The Simpsons, the House of Commons and Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament). It has also been widely praised for educating UK fans about a period of history they weren’t taught in school.
Writer Lisa McGee is the first woman to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Derry, while Derry itself has seen a tourism boom – with a Derry Girls mural in the heart of the city, themed tours, and props from the show on permanent display at the Ulster Museum.
“The show is comedy genius on every level,” said one judge, with another noting the consistently strong performances from the entire cast.
McGee’s writing and ability to create “loveable, funny characters who you grow to love as friends” was another highlight for the judges, alongside the show’s “belly laughs with a strong political core”.
SHORTLISTED
Am I Being Unreasonable?
Boffola Pictures & Lookout Point for BBC
An improvised comedy thriller with a title taken from Mumsnet, Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli’s Am I Being Unreasonable? is “a funny panic attack across six half-hours that keeps you laughing and guessing until the last frame”.
Big Boys
Roughcut TV for Channel 4
The pairing of shy and sensitive Jack, grieving his dad and worrying about coming out to his Mum, with Kent lad Danny, who’s struggling with his mental health, is executed with originality and humour, without ever downplaying the emotions of its main characters, said our judges.
Cheaters
Clerkenwell Films for BBC
Cheaters follows Josh and Fola who, after a steamy evening together, return home to their partners to discover they are new neighbours. Playing with format on its modest budget, the 10-minute episodes leave audiences to make up their own minds on who, if anyone, is in the wrong.
Stath Lets Flats
Roughcut TV for Channel 4
The third series of Roughcut’s Bafta-winning comedy follows Stath as he grapples with fatherhood while attempting to rescue the family business. The show was praised by the judges for its commitment to being a true comedy in a world of dark comedies and dramedies.
Wedding Season
Dancing Ledge Productions in association with Jax Media for Disney +
Disney+’s first UK production comes with the ambition from writer Oliver Lyttelton to make “the least boring television show ever made”. The series takes a time in life when seemingly every weekend is taken up by a wedding and adds high-octane action, murder, thrills and, of course, romance.
Award sponsored by Pinewood TV Studios
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