Derry Girls will come to an end with a 45-minute extended episode set at the time of the Good Friday Agreement.
The hit Channel 4 series, about a group of teenagers growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, around the time of the IRA and loyalist ceasefires, is due to end with the third series, which is currently airing.
The extended episode, which will deal with the key moment in Northern Irish history, will air the same week as the series three finale.
The special instalment will return to Derry one year later as Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland) and friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) prepare for their final year of school.
The episode will be set in the week of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement, threatening to overshadow Erin and Orla’s joint 18th birthday party.
Series creator and writer Lisa McGee said: “Like all the very best 90s bands, I couldn’t resist ending our farewell tour with an encore for our loyal fans.
“I’m delighted to say we’ll be returning for one extended special – airing in the same week as our final episode.
“The special deals with the historic and momentous Good Friday Agreement vote, which coincides with the gang’s coming of age, they enter adulthood just as Northern Ireland embarks on a new future.
“I’m so proud of this show and of our incredible cast and crew and everything we’ve achieved over the past five years.
“What a journey it’s been. I’m so grateful Channel 4 gave me the space to end the stories of these characters that mean so much to me with this special. I really hope the fans love it as much as I do.
“Derry people aren’t great at saying goodbye, so I will instead use one of our native expressions ‘That’s us away now’.”
