SMASH-HIT comedy Derry Girls has scooped two awards at tonight's Irish Film and Television Academy awards.
The Channel 4 comedy won the IFTA Gala Award for Best Comedy, while writer Lisa McGee took the Best Writer in a Comedy or Soap gong.
The sitcom, which follows the lives of four schoolgirls in Derry during the 1990s, has been a ratings hit for the British broadcaster.
With an average audience of 519,000 in Northern Ireland, it reached a total of 54 per cent of the possible TV audience.
In Britain, the series was watched by an average of 2.5 million viewers, making it Channel 4’s biggest comedy launch since 2004.
A second series has already been commissioned and is expected to start filming later this year.
Nicola Coughlan, who plays straight-laced Clare, couldn’t attend the awards at the RDS but her co-stars made sure she was represented – with a cardboard caricature.
O look it is an actual bunch of angels 😍😍😍
The cardboard cutout of me is the best thing that’s ever happened to me I cannot lie #DerryGirls take on the #IFTAs pic.twitter.com/ceBCJwiTEP— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) 31 May 2018
However she was clearly over the moon, along with fans of the series, at its double success, expressing her delight in very un-Clare-like fashion…
SLAINTE MUTHAFUKCAS!!!!!!!! https://t.co/4UXOw0ycJD
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) 31 May 2018
Congrats #DerryGirls well deserved
— Mrs. Brown's Boys (@MrsBrownsBoys) 31 May 2018
DerryGirls is absolutely brilliant well done all. Love the fact your there Nicola 😊
— Rachelle N (@RJN0926) 31 May 2018
Derry Girls just won the IFTA Gala Award for Comedy! Well deserved everyone👏👏❤#IFTAGala18 #DerryGirls
— Alicia V Perry🌍 (@aliciavperry) 31 May 2018
Yeooo! Derry Girls wins best comedy at IFTAs https://t.co/uhWLQuodMj
— myles sweeney (@mylesie) 31 May 2018
Derry Girls just won the IFTA Gala Award for Comedy! Well deserved everyone👏👏❤#IFTAGala18 #DerryGirls
— Alicia V Perry🌍 (@aliciavperry) 31 May 2018
BEST COMEDY TOO FOR #DERRYGIRLS - AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH! #IFTA18 #IFTAGala18 pic.twitter.com/iTAtZLDVH3
— Nick Barron (@Nick_Barron) 31 May 2018
Well done @LisaMMcGee and all involved in the brilliant #DerryGirls ! https://t.co/mOSvtpFLRv
— Danny Donnelly (@DannyDonnelly1) May 31, 2018
Other winners on the night included Red Rock for Best Soap, Marty Morrissey for Presenter of the Year and Peter Foott for Best Director in a Comedy or Soap for The Young Offenders.
