Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan has shared some extremely exciting news about the hit Channel 4 sitcom’s forthcoming return.

A third series of Derry Girls was confirmed to be in the works as far back as April 2019, but due to various factors – yes, we are mainly talking about that global pandemic we’re all still living through – production has been put on hold on several occasions.

When one fan tweeted Nicola saying he hoped Derry Girls would be back on our screens soon, the actor responded saying: “Can confirm Series 3 of Derry Girls is filming this year and I cannae bloody wait.”

She added: “Covid has pushed back filming several times which has been so shite, but honestly the storylines in this series are the best we’ve ever done so I can’t tell you how worth it the wait will have been.”

Derry Girls first debuted on Channel 4 in 2019, and later gained international appeal when it began streaming on Netflix in other territories.

As well as winning huge critical acclaim, Derry Girls has pulled in massive viewing figures, becoming the most-watched TV series in North Ireland since modern records began in 2002.

Although the show has been away from our screens for over a year, the cast did appear in a special episode of the Great British Bake Off at the beginning of 2020, which quickly descended into absolute chaos.

More recently, Nicola – who plays Claire in the hit comedy – can be seen playing Penelope Featherington in the record-breaking Netflix drama Bridgerton.