Derry Girls 2022 season 3: Meet the cast of Channel 4's joyous hit as they talk about the show's emotional ending and final episodes

It’s time to dust off your 90s pop collection and stock up on chocolates from the Christmas cupboard because the Derry Girls (and the wee English fella) are back on Channel 4.

Returning for a third, and sadly final, series in 2022, the joyous, nostalgia-fuelled comedy is one of the funniest TV shows of the last decade.

The girls of Our Lady Immaculate College are preparing for their GSCE results and they have just one final year together of partying and hijinks.

To find out where you can watch the Derry Girls gang next -  Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Dylan Llewellyn are very much in-demand – and their thoughts on the show’s incredible final episodes, check out our quick cast and characters guide.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson plays Erin

On how Derry Girls ends:

“It’s extremely poignant: it makes your heart swell. The Good Friday Agreement runs in parallel with some storylines about the girls growing up, and at the same time Derry is growing up, and even talking about that now makes me emotional, and makes me want to cry. It has such a swell of pride and hope and that runs throughout the episode. You really feel that. But with that sense of hope is also a sense of trepidation that it could be broken at any moment and that makes it feel like it has a heavier weight, that it's more fragile.”

What TV shows and movies has Saorise-Monica Jackson starred in?

Check out her appearances in Harlan Coben’s The Five on Sky Atlantic with NOW or the romantic drama Finding You on Sky Cinema with NOW.

Where can you watch Saorise-Monica Jackson next?

She will be appearing in DC’s highly anticipated The Flash.

Louisa Harland plays Orla

On the final season:

“This season runs up to the Good Friday Agreement, which is a huge coming-of-age moment, as it was for people of that age at that time. Orla still has a child-like innocence, and brings that child-like view of dealing with the situations that we get ourselves into.”

What TV shows and movies has Louisa Harland starred in?

You can watch her in the Netflix thriller The Deceived, the 2020 vampire comedy film Boys from County Hell and the Irish drama series Love/Hate on BritBox.

Nicola Coughlan plays Clare

On season 4:

“They’re about to get their GCSE results, and they’re slightly older but not really any wiser. They’re not kids any more, and they have to face some harsh realities of life. It changes them. Clare’s still a complete nervous wreck.

“I’d forgotten how exhausting it was to play her because it requires so much pent-up energy and stress. She’s all frenetic, mad energy, which isn’t like me at all. She’s taking life seriously, just as she always has. There’s a big storyline for her this time that I can’t talk about, but Lisa called me a couple of years ago to make sure I was comfortable with it.”

What TV shows and movies has Nicola Coughlan starred in?

You can also watch Coughlan in the 18^th Century brothel drama Harlots and as Penelope Featherington in Netflix period phenom Bridgerton.

Where can you watch Nicola Coughlan next?

She’s starring alongside Nick Frost and Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood in the comedy film Seize Them!

Jamie-Lee O’Donnell plays Michelle

On filming the final Derry Girl scenes:

“That last scene was really surreal because there were only a few hours left and suddenly we were like, ‘Is this really it?’ People were getting a bit teary and biting their lips and trying to hold it all in, even the crew. And when they said ‘That’s a wrap’ it wasn't the usual thing of everyone going crazy. It was claps and hugs and it was bittersweet: that’s the only way to describe it.

“This will be one of the most important jobs I've ever done and I think it's always going to stay at that. It's the job that launched my career. It’s the city I'm from and it's my community and my family and friends and loved ones, and it's something that I’ll always be incredibly proud of.”

What TV shows and movies has Jamie-Lee O’Donnell starred in?

You can watch her in Screw on All4, where she plays Rose Gill alongside Nina Sosanya in the prison comedy.

Dylan Llewellyn plays James

On the Derry Girls legacy:

“It has been very special to me to be part of Derry Girls, and to be part of a female-led show, an Irish show. Also, especially as there hadn’t been a lot of light shone on The Troubles, particularly in English schools. So, this is almost a lesson to everyone, showing what happened, and these important stories that occurred. It’s great to be part of that, and to tell these stories, and show that perspective.”

What TV shows and movies has Dylan Llewellyn starred in?

He previously played Jono in Hollyoaks between 2011 and 2012 and you can catch his appearance as Stewart Irmsby in Call the Midwife’s series 9 on BBC iPlayer. He also voiced the lead character in Dodo, a Sky Kids school comedy available on NOW.

Where can you watch Dylan Llewellyn next?

Later this year he plays Wally Nightingale in Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols drama series Pistol.

More Derry Girls season 3 cast

• Legendary stand-up comic Tommy Tiernan plays as Erin's long-suffering father Gerry
• Tara Lynne O'Neill, who previously starred in The Fall, plays Erin's mother Mary
• Ian McElhinney, who plays Granda Joe, has starred in hits such as The Fall, Taggart, The Tudors, Hornblower and as Barristan Selmy in Game of Thrones. He’s currently filming for season 5 of ITV’s Unforgotten.
• Kathy Kiera Clarke, who plays Aunt Sarah, has recently starred in BBC dramas Bloodlands and The Pale Horse.
• The unmistakable Siobhán McSweeney returns as Sister Michael. Her other screen roles include ITV’s recent crime series Holding, UKTV sitcom Porters and The Fall.

Season 3 cast – guest stars

It has already been confirmed that Damien Molony (Brassic, Being Human) and Emmet J Scanlan (Peaky Blinders, Hollyoaks) will appear in the final season. 

But there are also rumours of one big star making a cameo later in season 3.

Louise Harland told the Radio Times that she expected fans to "lose their minds" when a particular surprise guest was revealed.

When does the new series of Derry Girls start?

Derry Girls season 3 starts on Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 on Channel 4. Catch up on All 4.

New episodes are released weekly.

What times does Derry Girls start?

Season 3 releases new episodes every Tuesday at 9.15pm on Channel 4.

How many episodes of Derry Girls are there in season 3?

The final season will have 6 episodes.