London Irish an introduction by writer Lisa McGee

10 September 2013

London Irish follows the antics of four ex-pat Northern Irish twenty-somethings in London, written by someone who knows a thing or two about the craic in the world’s best city, Derry/Londonderry girl Lisa McGee, in this new Channel 4 comedy

Writer Lisa McGee said: “For these four friends it's not easy navigating their way through London life. They don't really feel like they fit in at home anymore, but at the same time they still feel like outsiders in London. They have created their own little dysfunctional family-unit and their sense of what's normal and acceptable doesn't really match up with the world around them...which often leads to, shall we say, a fair bit of trouble

“Conor is hugely unpredictable . He's a bit like a creature from another world. Unbelievable things tend to happen to him and he just sort of goes with it. He never questions anything, never really judges anyone, he just floats through life and always lands on his feet. He's like a child amazed by the world around him.

“Bronagh is Conor's older sister.  She’s just the opposite of him – she’s very cynical, dark and fierce. She has a tricky relationship with her brother who she views as an annoying useless eejit, and the fact that he's her parent’s obvious favourite never fails to wind her up. She comes across as very tough but I like to think she's just a little bit misunderstood.

“Niamh is ambitious despite not really having a talent for anything.  Full of self-confidence she is, man mad, loves a ‘ride’.  She comes across as incredibly dizzy but also has the capacity to be shockingly ruthless if she doesn't get what she wants – she is very comfortable in her own skin. 

“Packy (Patrick) is a nice enough fella. The nearest thing the group has to a parental figure. He's the only one who seems to know that their behaviour isn't normal. He’s the one who has an eye on the outside world and who cares what people think about him. He tries his best to keep the others in line but always gets reluctantly dragged into the madness , because despite his protestations he's just as bad as them.

“Each character is a combination of people I know. No one character is really based on anybody. They're all a mixture, different elements of different friends and there's probably a tiny bit of me in each of them. Or at least a tiny bit of me that understands each of them.

“Is the show autobiographical? Well I'm Northern Irish and I moved to London in my twenties. I also have a very tight group of Northern Irish friends who live close by me and we too operate like a sort of dysfunctional family. Lots of elements of the show have been inspired by real life experiences and conversations – although it’s hugely exaggerated!

“Ultimately, it's a show about young people, who value having the craic above everything else.  The characters are children of the peace process, living in one of the greatest cities in the world and they want to have a good time. They inhabit their own bubbled world and yeah they're screwed up, they drink too much, they swear too much...but I really hope people watch the show and think, "I don't half want a night out with that lot" and love watching these four characters as much as I love writing for them.

“Watching it now ,any scene when it's the four leads passionately discussing something insignificant - I think that's a very Irish thing – it reminds me of my friends so I’m happy.”

The show stars Ardal O’Hanlon playing Da to Conor and Bronagh, brother and sister, (Kerr Logan and Sinead Keenan) alongside their two friends, Packy - Patrick to his mother - (Peter Campion) and Niamh (Kat Reagan).  Ma is played by Tracey Lynch.

London Irish was commissioned by Nerys Evans, Deputy Head of Comedy and is produced by Company Pictures. The Series Producer is Liz Lewin and the Executive Producer is Caroline Leddy.