Penelope’s other show is well-known among Bridgerton fans. The period drama’s Penelope Featherington is played by Nicola Coughlin, who is also a star of Channel 4’s Derry Girls. The award-winning show’s first two seasons (or episodes, as they’re known across the pond) are currently available on Netflix, although the third series has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, Coughlin revealed on Twitter that filming for the third season of Derry Girls would begin this year.
Derry Girls is set at the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland’s city of Derry. The titular girls are a Catholic school clique consisting of Erin, Clare, and Michelle, as well as Erin’s cousin Orla and Michelle’s English cousin James. The five “children” must deal with fame, faith, first love, and a lot of embarrassment. The film has been nominated for several BAFTAs and has received several screenwriting and comedy awards. Almost as significant, TikTok sounds have been created from clips from the show.
Despite the fact that season 3 of Derry Girls will begin filming in 2021, no official premiere date has been set. The show has been put on hold, according to RTE, because the COVID-19 pandemic has stopped filming in Derry. “We’re still waiting,” she said, “because it’s crucial to the display that we film in Derry.” As excited as fans are for a new season, Coughlin is itching to get started on filming.
Not one, but two of Coughlin’s shows are awaiting their premiere dates. Bridgerton season 2 will begin shooting this spring, according to Netflix. The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn’s second book, would most likely be the basis for the second season. The fourth book in the Bridgerton series, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, stars Coughlin’s heroine, Penelope Featherington.
According to Cosmopolitan UK, all of the girls will be back in town for the third season. Erin will be played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Clare will be played by Coughlin, Orla will be played by Louisa Harland, Michelle will be played by Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and James will be played by Dylan Llewellyn. Sister Michael, their headmistress, is also expected to return.
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee would love to have Dara Ó Briain make a cameo. She said the storylines are the best she’s ever done. The show maintains a tricky balance of acknowledging the politically tense world in which the girls live. Other potential guest stars or cameo appearances are not known at this point. The Troubles are a background to the show, but don’t define the characters’ lives.
