Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell is to showcase her home city of Derry in a brand new documentary from Channel 4.
The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell will follow the actress, who played Michelle in Derry Girls, as she explores how things have changed since she grew up in the city.
Commissioned by Alf Lawrie's Factual Entertainment department, the film will also look as what the future may bring for Derry, particularly for the younger generation who still live with the impact of the Troubles.
O'Donnell will document Derry's complex past while also offering her own personal insight into her upbringing in a Catholic community. Viewers will hear from students at her old school, about the regenerations of the city and why, despite this, many young people feel that they need to leave Derry to gain new skills and experiences.
Daniel Fromm, Commissioning Editor, Popular Factual, said:
“I’m hugely excited to be working with Tyrone Productions on their first commission for Channel 4 - and with Jamie-Lee in a brand new role for her. Derry Girls has brought the city to national prominence, now this film gives a voice to a new generation of its young people, so they can tell us what it’s like to grow up there in 2022.”
Patricia Carroll, Executive Producer, Tyrone Productions, said:
“As a Northern Ireland company, we are delighted to be working with Channel 4 and Jamie-Lee O'Donnell on this very personal documentary at such an important time in the city's story.
"Fiercely proud of her home city, Jamie-Lee is the perfect person to explore Derry's past and share her hopes for its future and we know that Channel 4 audiences will be both entertained and intrigued by what she discovers.”
