Watching James in the finale made me see why Derry Girls viewers have fallen in love with my city

Lisa McGee has delivered a stunning feat of soft power, telling our story in a way that goes beyond the negative headlines

(Channel 4)

As series two of Derry Girls drew to a close last night, viewers saw an emotional finale played against the backdrop of President Clinton’s historic 1995 visit to the city, as it stuttered and struggled towards peace.

Faced with the prospect of going back to London with his distant mother, James (aka ‘the wee English fella’) decided instead to stay in Derry, following an impassioned speech from his cousin Michelle: “It doesn’t matter that you’ve got that stupid accent or that your bits are different to my bits, because being a Derry Girl, well it’s a f**kin' state of mind.”

At the episode’s climax, when the girls realised James had returned, they ran to him and surrounded him in a warm, group hug, before walking off, having proudly embraced him as one of their own.

Watching James’ conversion from baffled outsider to fully fledged Derry lover reminded of many people who have come to my home city — from people marrying into the family, to university friends, to my own husband — who, having initially been utterly lost by the lingo, the humour and the political turmoil, unexpectedly end up falling in love with the place.

When Derry Girls first aired, ‘the wee English fella’ was perhaps one of the most random inclusions, seemingly plucked out of nowhere as a character to be at the receiving end of some good old-fashioned "slagging".

But last night I found myself wondering if James’ true purpose hadn’t been hiding in plain sight all along. Surely he represents the non-Derry viewers, who have come to the show knowing and understanding little about the city, watching the madness from the periphery of every escapade, only to wind up feeling like a part of the place, the people and their story.

Increasingly, more and more people are tuning into Derry Girls, and I’ve been amazed by how many of my friends and colleagues have been enjoying it (although pressure from myself may have played a role in their fandom).

They are entertained, intrigued and charmed by it, and want to talk about our dialect and local customs. People also seem more interested than they ever have been in understanding the parts of our troubled past as a country, which the show portrays so powerfully.

At a time when Brexit has brought Northern Ireland’s situation back into the spotlight, this wider national interest couldn’t be more welcome. Lisa McGee has delivered a stunning feat of soft power, telling our story in a way that goes beyond the negative headlines, and instead draws outsiders in by showing people who we really are.

The Derry Girls catch sight of James as the watch Bill Clinton speak (Channel 4)

The show ended with Bill Clinton’s plea to the people of Derry: “And so I ask you to build on the opportunity you have before you; to believe that the future can be better than the past; to work together because you have so much more to gain by working together than by drifting apart.“

Twenty-five years later, Derry has largely seen this vision become a reality. It is now a place committed to peace, with its people building a future that is to be shared by all — even wee English fellas.

Like James, people who come to Derry as outsiders will probably endure a fair bit of teasing nowadays, but will ultimately be warmly embraced, and made to feel at home no matter how brief their stay.

So if you love the show, I'd recommend you come to Derry, fall in love with the place, stand on the famous walls and shout: “I AM A DERRY GIRL!” Whoever you are, as the series has shown, it's possible.