Scorsese Praised Derry Girls, And Its Creator's Reaction is So Precious
As we have mentioned before, Martin Scorsese is known, among other things, for his discerning tastes in films and scathing opinions about much of what is produced by modern cinema industry.
So you can imagine the impact of him saying that he has watched Derry Girls, a sitcom, of all things.
Derry Girls is set in Northern Ireland and follows a group of schoolgirls, plus one unfortunate English boy, at a school run by a formidable set of nuns.
And Scorsese mentioned that while speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago's annual black tie dinner, which took place this October, no less!
Derry Girls' creator Lisa McGee certainly has been shocked and flabbergasted, in a good way. Just recently, she has posted a clip on Twitter of Scorsese discussing the show, with the caption: "Excuse me while I drop dead and actually die a death."
In the clip, Scorsese says: "I watched, the other night, Derry Girls?" The crowd can then be heard cheering and clapping, to which Scorsese responds by punching the air and saying: "Those nuns!"
Reactions of her Twitter followers were appropriate for the situation.
One Day author David Nicholls posted, "Oh my God! The dream. Congratulations, Lisa!"
Comedian Dara O'Briain tweeted: "And that's it, you win. Shut it down, people, we have a winner."
Derry Girls came to an end after three seasons in May this year. During its run it was nominated for two Baftas for Best Scripted Comedy. It became very popular and its fame spread far and wide, to the point that its last season saw cameos from Liam Neeson and Chelsea Clinton, but it was hard to even imagine someone with taste as refined as Scorsese giving it high praise!
Though to be fair, Derry Girls was more than a simple sitcom. It was set during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and made a good use of its historical background (for starters, the above-mentioned English boy was forced to attend an all-girls school out of concern for his safety). Some fans even said at the time that the show's final episode taught them more about the Good Friday Agreement, which ended The Troubles, than they ever learned in UK schools.