Lisa McGee

Last updated

Lisa McGee
Born
Elizabeth McGee

August 1980 (age 44)
Derry, Northern Ireland
Education Thornhill College
Alma mater Queen's University Belfast
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, playwright
Known for Derry Girls
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2

Elizabeth "Lisa" McGee (born August 1980) [1] is an Irish [2] playwright and screenwriter. McGee is the creator and writer of Derry Girls , a comedy series that began airing on Channel 4 in the UK in January 2018. [3] [4] In 2018, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

McGee was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, to Irish Catholic parents, [6] Anne McGee, who worked in a shop, and Chris McGee, a lorry driver. [1] [7] [8] She has a younger sister, Joleen. [9]

McGee attended Thornhill College and studied drama at Queen's University Belfast. [10]

Career

While studying at Queen's, she wrote Jump, a dark comedy play set in Derry, which was later adapted into a film. [11] [12] She gained an attachment the Royal National Theatre in London in 2006. In addition to Jump, McGee's other plays include The Heights, Nineteen Ninety Two, and Girls and Dolls. For Girls and Dolls she won the Stewart Parker Trust New Playwright Bursary 2007. [13] [14]

McGee created and wrote the Irish television series Raw (2008-2013) for RTÉ. [15] [16] This was followed by a sitcom London Irish (2013), for Channel 4. [17]

She also wrote for The Things I Haven't Told You for BBC Three and the BAFTA-nominated Being Human for the BBC. Further writing credits include episodes for Golden Globe-nominated drama series The White Queen for BBC 1, Indian Summers for Channel 4, and The Deceived for Channel 5 co-written with her husband Tobias Beer. [18]

McGee is best known as the creator and writer of Derry Girls (2018-2022), a comedy series about five teenagers growing up in the 1990s during The Troubles. [11] The series was critically acclaimed. [19] [20]

In Summer 2023, Channel 4 green lit McGee's How to Get to Heaven from Belfast , which began filming in 2024. [21] [22]

Awards and recognition

In December 2022, McGee received the Freedom of the City of Derry. [23]

In 2023, she was the winner of the British Academy Television Craft Awards. [24]

In 2024, she was awarded the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. [25] The prize honours work promoting peace and reconciliation.

Personal life

McGee married actor Tobias Beer in 2015. [26] They live in Belfast with their two sons. [10] [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile - Lisa McGee". BBC Sounds. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Lisa McGee: I had to defend being Irish". Belfast Telegraph.
  3. ↑ "Casting announced for new Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls -". Channel 4 - Info - Press. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Allen, Ben (9 April 2019). "Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee breaks down the series 2 finale, James and Erin's budding romance and what might happen next". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  5. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2018: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. ↑ O'Dornan, David (19 December 2021). "Lisa McGee: I had to defend being Irish". Belfast Telegraph .
  7. 1 2 Williams, Zoe (14 March 2022). "'I'll never grow up!' Derry Girls' Lisa McGee on comedy, class and her new show Skint". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ↑ Russell, Anna (2 June 2022). "How the Creator of "Derry Girls" Found Humor in a Troubled Time". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  9. ↑ @LisaMMcGee (25 May 2020). "Happy birthday to my wee sister Joleen". X.com. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Derry Girls could become TV hit - if viewers can understand them". Belfast Telegraph. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  11. 1 2 Russell, Anna (2 June 2022). "How the Creator of "Derry Girls" Found Humor in a Troubled Time". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  12. ↑ Tsai, Martin (6 December 2013). "Review: 'Jump' falls short in humorless adaptation of play". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Nick Hern Books - Girls and Dolls By Lisa McGee". Nick Hern Books.
  14. ↑ "Major Achievements - Tinderbox Theatre". Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  15. ↑ Starkey, Gabrielle (17 March 2008). "The Things I Haven't Told You; Skins; On That Day". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "RTÉ Television - RAW". www.rte.ie. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Derry writer's new show premieres on Channel 4 tonight". Derry Journal. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Hardy, Jane (5 August 2020). "Lisa McGee and husband Tobias Beer on their new television drama The Deceived". The Irish News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Derry Girls finale hailed as 'a triumph' by critics". 19 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  20. ↑ "In Northern Ireland, 'Derry Girls' Balances Teen Comedy And Sectarian Conflict". NPR. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  21. ↑ "Channel 4 green lights Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee's new series". BBC News. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Shafer, Ellise (21 August 2023). "'Derry Girls' Creator Lisa McGee Sets Comedy Thriller Series 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' at Channel 4". Variety. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Lisa McGee: Derry Girls writer awarded freedom of city". BBC News. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  24. ↑ Mary (24 April 2023). "Derry Girls' creator Lisa McGee wins BAFTA for best Writer: Comedy". Northern Ireland Screen. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  25. ↑ "Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee awarded literary peace prize". BBC News. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  26. ↑ Cox, Emma (1 August 2020). "Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee on making Irish Spice Girls". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
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