Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee is spicing up our screens with a brand-new mystery series: How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The Irish screenwriter’s eight-part series dropped on Netflix on February 12, and fans are all wondering: Is the series based on a true story?
The plot follows three childhood friends, Saoirse (Róisín Gallagher), Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunn) and Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), who discover that their old friend has suddenly died. Upon reuniting at the wake, the trio decide to go digging into their classmate’s suspicious death.
Packed with McGee’s Irish wit and Derry Girls-esque depiction of friendship, is it based on a true story? Here’s everything you need to know.
Is How to Get to Heaven from Belfast based on a true story?
Many fans have spotted parallels between TV writer Saoirse’s character and Derry Girls creator McGee. After Saoirse’s detective drama skyrockets to success, she experiences an uncomfortable friction with her star Marnie (Leila Farzad) who is interfering with the show’s production.
Saoirse grows frustrated at the show’s massive popularity and starts to crave more artistic integrity. She desperately wants to move on from the drama and even considers axing it altogether.
In an exclusive chat with The Mirror, McGee explained that she can absolutely see herself in certain elements of Saoirse’s character.
"I think Saoirse was definitely my way into the show, and those were the scenes I wrote first when she's with her agent and having those arguments," she disclosed. "You're right, I waited a long time to have a show that landed like Derry Girls did, so I love that show so much. But I just imagined what if you had a show that you started to tire of but it was so successful you couldn't stop making it.
"I just used it as a way to vent some frustrations, it was quite fun to work on some of those scenes."
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is now streaming on Netflix.
