Derry Girls

The surprise hit of the sitcom year came from writer Lisa McGee, whose rampaging teens in Northern Ireland in the 1990s had all the reckless energy of the best coming-of-age comedies and, as a distinctive backdrop, the Troubles. Bombings, checkpoints and stories about someone's uncle being tied to a radiator by the IRA added an extra note of absurdity, although McGee's scripts were too smart and agile to belittle the anguish of the times.

Review 2018: Top TV 2018

I don't know what it says about the times we are living in but comedy seems to have slipped into all sorts of programmes this year. I've kept my choices to more traditional comedies.

Katya, "a child of Chernobyl", comes to stay in Derry. "They've come over to give their wee lungs a bit of a clear out," says a priest, who just about nails the off-key approach that most of the residents of Derry have towards their new visitors. Katya turns out to be more than capable of dealing with her new hosts, but it is the family's reaction to grandad's new relationship with Maev (they winked at each other at mass) that captures the essence of what made Lisa McGee's comedy one of the best of 2018.

The 50 best TV shows of 2018: No 6 - Derry Girls

The year's breakout comedy was a giddy mix of poignancy and nostalgia - and its subject matter couldn't have been timelier.

RTS Craft & Design Awards 2018 winners

The winners of the the 2018 RTS Craft & Design Awards have been announced.

Netflix picks up Derry Girls internationally

Hoping to continue with the success of acquiring quirky British comedies like It's the End of the F***ing World, Netflix has acquired Derry Girls for international release on Netflix in December 2018.

Pictures: Derry Girls recreate Bill Clinton visit

Derry's Guildhall Square was bedecked with American flags yesterday as the cast from Channel 4's award-winning comedy Derry Girls filmed scenes that replicated former president Bill Clinton's 1995 visit to the city.