Channel 4 commissions documentary about life in Derry from Tyrone Productions

24 May 2022

Channel 4 has commissioned Northern Ireland’s Tyrone Productions to make a single authored documentary The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell.

This timely documentary will follow Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, one of the stars of Channel 4’s award-winning comedy series Derry Girls, as she explores how things have changed since she grew up in Derry.

Commissioned by Alf Lawrie’s Factual Entertainment department, the film will also look at what the future may bring for Derry, in particular for the younger generation who still live with the impact of the Troubles.

With her trademark wit and warmth, Jamie-Lee documents the city’s complex past while also offering her own personal insight into her upbringing in a Catholic community. Viewers will hear from real Derry girls, students at Jamie-Lee’s old school, about the regeneration 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.”

The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell was commissioned by Daniel Fromm, Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment with Head of Entertainment Alf Lawrie. Patricia Carroll and Claire Hughes are the executive producers for Tyrone Productions.

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