Star of hit comedy Derry Girls to speak at top media conference
Wednesday 21 March 2018
ONE OF the stars of hit Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls will appear as a panellist at next month’s Nations and Regions Media Conference at MediaCity.
Derry-born actor Diona Doherty will be a panellist in a session discussing radio comedy produced in Northern Ireland.
Diona played Katya in the hit series – one of the teenagers affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster who was sent from her contaminated homeland to, as the show’s Sister Michael puts it, ‘give their wee lungs a clear out’.
What’s So Funny About Peace, Love And Derry Girls? will discuss what makes Northern Irish comedy unique, why it is rarely heard on the airwaves across the UK and whether – following Channel 4’s latest comedy success – there is a chance that more network doors will open.
Industry panel
Diona, who also appeared in BBC1 Northern Ireland’s recent mockumentary Soft Border Patrol will appear alongside BBC Radio Ulster Station Manager Jackie Neill and Jackie Hamilton, Managing Director of Irish indie Moondog Productions and producer of long running NI satirical panel show The Blame Game.
The University’s Dr Caroline Magennis, chair of the British Association of Irish Studies and organiser of the Agreement 20 Conference exploring the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, will chair the panel.
Comedy coming out of Northern Ireland is long overdue a platform at a national media conference
Conference Director Beth Hewitt said: “Comedy coming out of Northern Ireland is long overdue a platform at a national media conference.
“As the subject of Northern Ireland gains increasing prominence due to Brexit, we’re looking forward to hearing the panellists talk about how the comedy made there provides not only a unique insight into Northern Irish culture, but about how we’re increasingly likely to see more of these ground breaking productions in the rest of the UK soon.”
Future of radio
The 24th Nations and Regions Media Conference will be held in the DPL Theatre at the University of Salford's MediaCityUK campus on April 19th. The day, which is being co-hosted by Radio 1 presenters Katie Thistleton and Jordan North includes a wide range of sessions discussing the future of radio and audio production in the 21st Century.
Early bird tickets, at a discounted rate of £39, are available until midnight on March 21, after which the standard rate of £55 applies.
For more details about sessions, or to book tickets, visit our website.
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