Hello everyone
I’ve always felt that the comedy series Derry Girls said more about The Troubles and the Belfast Good Friday Agreement than most documentaries on the topic. By humanizing the situation, it showed what the end of violence could mean to ordinary people, especially those just reaching adulthood.
So when Derry Girls’ creator, Lisa McGee, produced her next show, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, I was there.
And if you have yet to watch How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, stop what you’re doing now and head over to Netflix. If you’re hesitating, let me try and tell you—with no spoilers beyond those you can find in the trailer—why you should watch it.
Meet Robyn, Saoirse, and Dara
Three lifelong friends:
- Saoirse (played by Roísín Gallagher), a TV writer who is chaotic bundle of nervous energy with a sharp tongue
- Robyn (played by Sinéad Keenan), a glamorous, perpetually stressed mother of three whose composure is always on the verge of spectacular collapse, and
- Dara (played by Caoilfhionn Dunne), a dependable, quietly inhibited carer
are now in their late thirties. Thirty-eight, but one is claiming to be thirty-four. They have been close since school, the kind of close that survives geography, life choices, and the gradual divergence of adult paths.
Then an email arrives. Greta, the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang, is dead.
The three travel from their hometown of Belfast to a small town in County Donegal for the wake, intending to pay their respects and, crucially, to ensure that a long-held secret stays well and truly buried.
But all is not what it seems
The trio arrive for the wake, but something is very wrong: the coffin does not contain Greta.
the coffin contains the wrong body
From this single, unsettling moment, the show spins into a dark, dangerous, and frequently hilarious odyssey that takes our three across Ireland and beyond, chasing a mystery that keeps shifting beneath their feet.
Think Derry Girls crossed with Scooby-Doo, with genuine menace laced through the laughs.
Dialog
There are many facets that raise this series from good to great, one is the dialog which is consistently sparkling throughout. The wit is precise and perfectly calibrated.
the dialog sparkles—the wit is precise and perfectly calibrated
But great dialog is nothing without the performances and the timing of the interactions, and there is a rhythm and a musicality to the delivery of the dialog by the three leads. The chemistry between the characters feels entirely lived-in and authentic—the kind of shorthand and bickering and unconditional loyalty that only comes from decades of friendship.
Relationships
McGee gives the show its weight is the depth through the complexity of these women and their relationships.
Themes of friendship, connection, and the unique bonds forged in youth run through every episode. The shared experiences and the consequences of choices made many years ago all drive the story and provide a real depth and complexity to the characters and their interactions.
Link Back
While this is a totally different show to Derry Girls, there is a call back to McGee’s earlier work.
Saoirse-Monica Jackson (not to be confused with the character Saoirse) who played Erin in Derry Girls has a small part. And one later scene (with Jackson) is filmed in front of the iconic Derry Girls mural.
Trailer
Sharp comedy, genuine dramatic stakes, and believable relationships make How to Get to Heaven from Belfast one of the most compelling watches of the year.
You can find the trailer here. It’s louder and brasher and crazier than the show, but it gives you a good idea of what you’ll find.
Go watch and I’ll be back in April.
Until then. All the best
Simon