Do you need a new show for autumn? Paramount+ has shared a first look at a very exciting new show, The Doll Factory, and we can’t wait to check it out - particularly since it stars Outlander and Derry Girls alumni!
The upcoming show recently concluded filming in Ireland, and stars Derry Girls’ actress Saoirse-Monica Jackson as well as Outlander’s very own Nell Hudson, who is joined by an all-star cast including The Nest’s Mirren Mack and Hanna star Esme Creed-Miles.
Adapted from the bestselling novel, the story takes place in 1851 and follows Iris, who paints dolls for a living, alongside her twin sister, Rose. The synopsis reads: "But [she] dreams of becoming an artist. By night, she secretly paints herself naked, honing her craft.
"Silas is a taxidermist who owns a shop filled with his creations. He hopes to one day find an item so unique he will be catapulted to fame. Louis is a painter and member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, searching for his next muse.
© Buccaneer TV"In a city humming with anticipation for the Great Exhibition, their three worlds collide, and Iris is offered an opportunity to escape and start a new life. To do so, she must abandon her sister, sacrifice her reputation, and launch herself into the unknown. As Iris’ world expands, she finds herself challenging patriarchal beliefs, exploring her sexuality, and starting to experience the things she has always dreamed of. But alongside her newfound independence, a story of dark obsession begins to unfold." The show has yet to confirm a release date yet, so watch this space!
The Derry Girls stars have been busy since the show concluded after three seasons, with Nicola Coughlan starring as the lead role in Bridgerton season three, while Dylan Llewellyn has starred in Big Boys and Beyond Paradise, and Louisa Harland is set to star in Sally Wainwright’s upcoming show, The Ballad of Renegade Nell.
Meanwhile, Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has announced a new series, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The official synopsis reads: "The eight-part comedy series will follow Saoirse, Robyn and Dara who have been friends since school. Now in their late 30s, they lead very different lives. Saoirse a successful writer with a compulsion to hit the self-destruct button, Robyn, a sweary, stressed-out mother of three young boys, and Dara, a full-time carer of an elderly parent, who hasn't managed to move out of her teenage bedroom.
“When the women each receive an email informing them of the death of Greta, an old classmate they were once very close with, there's clearly some unspoken, unfinished business. The friends decide to attend Greta's wake and discover all may not be quite as it seems. They soon find themselves embroiled in a dark and twisted mystery. It’s absolutely terrifying. But it’s also.... utterly thrilling." Sign us up!
