Aisling Bea has been winning praise for her new Channel 4 comedy drama This Way Up – which she wrote and stars in herself – for its sensitive depiction of mental health.
The sitcom follows Bea's character Aine navigating life after a mental breakdown, with the aid of her sister Shona (played by Sharon Horgan).
And, appearing on Sunday Brunch today (August 11), Bea has revealed what her show owes to another series hailing from the Emerald Isle – Derry Girls.
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Speaking about how the idea for This Way Up came about, Bea revealed her inspiration for the show came only after her initial pitch was rejected, after the script for Derry Girls thudded on desks at Channel 4.
She said: "Sharon [Horgan] and I were actually working on another show together that we co-wrote and we were working on that for two years, and then Channel 4 had this other script set in Ireland come in which we've never heard of again called Derry Girls.
"It's my favourite comedy in the world, but that was pitched up against our show at the time, and they were like, 'Goodbye'."
Related: Derry Girls future confirmed by Channel 4
She continued: "And then one night I was just sitting, hanging out with my sister and just started writing down a script of the vibe of two sisters hanging out together and it developed and developed, but I wrote that first one about 12 hours after we worked on the other one."
However, the first one may still have some traction in it yet, as she said: "The other one we've just sold to America, so nothing ever goes to waste."
The series' first episode saw Aine struggling after being dropped from a dinner party invitation, with things taking an awkward turn when she makes an unexpected advance on an old friend.
This Way Up continues on Thursday, August 15 at 9pm on Channel 4. Or you can watch the entire first series now on All 4.
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