Must Watch reviews The Real Derry

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan review The Real Derry.

Following the success of Channel 4's 'Derry Girls', Jamie-Lee O'Donnell who plays Michelle, showcases the city of Derry and how it's transformed over time.

Hayley says "It’s not so much a documentary, it’s more like having a chat in a pub with someone about what [Derry is] like"

I think if Derry girls is your first introduction into the politics of Northern Ireland, then absolutely you should watch this. It’s not so much a documentary, it’s more like having a chat in a pub with someone about what it's like -- and because it's Michelle from Derry Girls, you feel like you know her.

This isn’t one of the usual dry, depressing things I’d recommend, and it no way goes as deep as I’d ordinarily want a documentary to go. It’s more of a personal thing from her and if you're aware that's the extent of it I think it’s worth a watch.

Scott says "This documentary smartly looks at the past and points towards the future"

Derry Girls caused everyone to have a big conversation, not only about their youth and nostalgia but it also made people realise that they hadn’t really learnt that much about Northern Ireland history in schools.

What Lisa McGee (the writer of Derry Girls) did was really kind of shine the light on this and this documentary comes off the back of the success of the sitcom I think it’s great that it’s just telling us more.

And I think it also like Jamie Lee who has been very closely associated with the city, knows loads of people from there, lives there, she was surprised at all the things that she learnt in this series. So, for example, 90% of children in Northern Ireland are still being taught in non-integrated schools and that has an impact of course on the friends that you make and the people therefore that you hang out with.

Also, why I felt that this documentary does well is that it looks at generational trauma. There’s a mental health crisis facing the younger generation in the country, yet they have some of the lowest funding allocated in the country. And it also looks to the future, in terms of Brexit, the Northern Ireland backstop and what that would mean for the community there. This documentary smartly looks at the past and points towards the future.

It’s still giving a sense of the important issues facing the community now in the past and in the future, I think it does it very well.

The Real Derry is available now on Channel 4.

Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.

This week, the team also review Sky's We Own This City and The Lazarus Project- alongside conversations on BBC One's Sherwood with actor James Graham

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