HIT comedy Derry Girls is to come to an end following its forthcoming series, its creator said last night.
Lisa McGee said it was "always the plan to say goodbye after three series" as she confirmed that "this is it" for the Channel 4 show.
In a post on Twitter, Ms McGee said it had "been an honour to write it and I will be forever proud of everything it's achieved".
The comedy follows a group of teenagers growing up in the 1990s and stars Nicola Coughlan, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Dylan Llewellyn.
The second series of the Channel 4 show was filmed in 2018, but the third instalment was delayed because of coronavirus.
It is understood filming is due to begin in the coming days.
A major ratings success, the first episode of its second series had a consolidated audience of 3.2 million viewers and was Channel 4's biggest UK comedy launch episode for 15 years.
It was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the BAFTAs in 2019, and has won multiple Irish Film and Television Awards.
Derry Girls reflected much of Ms McGee's experiences as she grew up in Derry, including her education at all-girls convent school, Thornhill College.
The writer said: "It was always the plan to say goodbye after three series.
"Derry Girls is a coming of age story; following five ridiculous teenagers as they slowly...very slowly...start to become adults, while around them the place they call home starts to change too and Northern Ireland enters a new more hopeful phase - which was a small, magical window of time.
"Derry Girls is a love letter to the place I come from and the people who shaped me.
"It has been an honour to write it and I will be forever proud of everything it's achieved.
"I'd like to thank the people of Derry and Northern Ireland for getting behind us.
"Thanks also to the team behind the series, the incredible Hat Trick productions and a special thanks to Channel 4 - the channel I grew up watching; the channel that made me want to write comedy and the only channel that could have made our show."
Perhaps leaving the door open for a possible return of the show, Ms McGee added: "Who knows if Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle and James will return in some other guise someday, but for now this is it for us and we're excited to start filming this series with our incredible cast and crew to hopefully take our loyal fans on one last adventure".
Commenting after the announcement, actress Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in the comedy, said on Twitter: "What ride it has been alright. We had no idea it would go like this.
"Thank you all. Especially to the people of Derry and Northern Ireland.
"And be warned, series three is a cracker. Dusting off the habit and sending martial arts uniform out to be dry cleaned."
