Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has explained why one iconic dress from the Spice Girls' heyday was missing from the show's tribute to the group this week.
Tuesday's episode (April 19) featured the gang from Our Lady Immaculate College performing a '90s-style salute to all things Spice World as part of their school's Stars in their Eyes-style talent show for Children in Need.
The episode was a genuinely loving homage to the Spice Girls – Clare (Nicola Coughlan) stood in as Baby, Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell) as Scary, Orla (Louisa Harland) as Sporty, Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) as Ginger and James (Dylan Llewellyn) slipping in the little black dress as Posh.
Related: Derry Girls stars promise tear-jerking and overwhelming finale
One aspect of the Spice Girls' style was noticeably missing, as Erin's Ginger Spice wasn't wearing her classic Union Jack dress. This change was made to reflect the political sensitivities that existed in Northern Ireland at the time and to this day.
"Erin is Ginger, but we haven't done the Union Jack dress because that would have been not okay to Catholics in Derry. Our amazing costume designer made her a glittery dress with a peace sign on," creator Lisa McGee told Digital Spy exclusively.
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Louisa felt the "double act" of Sister Michael and Father Peter bantering about Stars in their Eyes was "one of the funniest moments for me from all three series".
Related: Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan reveals why her role was reduced in final series
The Derry Girls foursome were thrilled with the end of the result of their Spice Girls routine, but admitted it took a lot of rehearsal.
"It was knackering. You're on stage full of energy then you go backstage and you're gasping," Nicola recalled.
Louisa added: "We filmed that very close to the end of shooting, so we thought we'd have loads of time to practise – but the shoots was so busy, we weren't able to. And you're absolutely knackered. So we found it very tiring, but fun."
This week's episode felt like a full circle moment for Saoirse since she'd seen the comparison between the Derry Girls and the Spice Girls all along.
"I actually said to Lisa before, it's like she wrote Derry Girls around the Spice Girls because each of us is so different and it's perfect casting," she mentioned. "It's like your childhood dream to be Geri Halliwell on TV, and wear the ginger wig, which I really feel suited me, and do the dance routine with your friends and go to a recording studio and sing the lyrics. It's lovely, a dream come true."
Jamie-Lee concluded: "It was a dream come true. One of my absolute life goals was to be in The Spice Girls, in the actual band, and I think with that scene I got close enough. That's close enough, it'll do me to have a taste of it. And I'm delighted about it. We are like a band anyway."
(Derry) Girl Power!
Derry Girls airs Tuesdays on Channel 4.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
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