Bloodlands Viewers Spot an Unexpected Derry Girls Reunion as James Nesbitt’s Dark BBC Thriller Makes Its Debut

When Bloodlands premiered on BBC One in February 2021, viewers expected a dark new police thriller involving a decades-old mystery, Northern Ireland’s troubled past and an elusive killer known as Goliath. What many hadn’t anticipated was the familiar faces that immediately reminded them of a very different Northern Irish television hit: Derry Girls.

James Nesbitt leads the drama as DCI Tom Brannick, a detective drawn back into an investigation connected to disappearances from around the time of the Good Friday Agreement. But alongside Nesbitt, viewers quickly recognised Ian McElhinney and Kathy Kiera Clarke — better known to Derry Girls audiences as Grandad Joe and Aunt Sarah.

The crossover sparked plenty of amusement among viewers, who joked on social media about Bloodlands gradually working its way through the Derry Girls cast.

From Derry Girls comedy to a much darker Northern Ireland

Anyone familiar with Derry Girls will know McElhinney and Clarke from considerably lighter roles.

Clarke played the wonderfully eccentric Sarah McCool in the Channel 4 comedy, while McElhinney portrayed the famously irritable Grandad Joe. Both were key members of the extended Quinn-McCool family throughout the series.

Their Bloodlands characters couldn’t be more different.

Clarke appears as Claire Keenan, the wife of missing former IRA figure Pat Keenan, whose disappearance helps trigger the investigation at the beginning of the series. McElhinney plays Adam Corry, whose own family history becomes connected to Brannick’s search for answers about Goliath.

The familiar casting didn’t escape viewers.

One joked that the drama felt like a Derry Girls reunion and suggested Sister Michael should turn up as a gangland boss. Another quipped that the production appeared to be steadily working through Northern Ireland’s pool of familiar actors.

A third viewer joked that Bloodlands was helping keep the Derry Girls cast busy.

The comments reflected the striking contrast between the two programmes: one a warm and chaotic comedy about teenagers growing up during the Troubles, the other a grim police thriller built around the unresolved consequences of that same period.

James Nesbitt leads the hunt for Goliath

Beyond the unexpected Derry Girls connection, Bloodlands quickly established a much darker story.

Created by Chris Brandon and executive produced by Line of Duty and Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio, the drama follows DCI Tom Brannick after the disappearance of Pat Keenan appears to connect with a cold case dating back roughly two decades.

That investigation leads Brannick toward Goliath, a mysterious killer associated with several disappearances during the Troubles.

The case is particularly painful for Brannick because his own wife is believed to have been among Goliath’s victims.

As Brannick pushes deeper into the mystery, he encounters resistance from DCS Jackie Twomey (Lorcan Cranitch), who fears that reopening old wounds could threaten the fragile peace established in Northern Ireland. The result is a tense cat-and-mouse investigation in which personal grief and political history repeatedly collide.

The premiere divided viewers

While the familiar cast generated plenty of conversation, reactions to the first episode itself were noticeably mixed.

Some viewers were immediately impressed by the atmosphere, performances and cinematic Northern Irish landscapes. One described the premiere as thoroughly enjoyable and praised its ability to leave audiences questioning everyone.

Another singled out Nesbitt, saying he was highly believable as Brannick and predicting that the drama could become something special.

Professional reviews were also largely positive. Radio Times awarded the opening season four stars, calling Bloodlands an unpredictable thriller with the hallmarks associated with a Jed Mercurio production. The Guardian similarly praised its dense storytelling and use of Northern Ireland’s history and landscape.

Metacritic ultimately recorded a score of 76 for the first season based on nine critic reviews, indicating generally favourable reception.

Not everybody was convinced, however.

Some viewers complained that the opening episode moved too slowly, while others criticised aspects of the acting, camerawork and portrayal of Northern Ireland. Contemporary reaction reflected a genuine divide between viewers who were immediately hooked and those who struggled to connect with the drama.

A thriller built around twists and uncertainty

For viewers who continued watching, Bloodlands soon demonstrated that its opening mystery was more complicated than it initially appeared.

The series became known for dramatic reversals and revelations that repeatedly changed the audience’s understanding of Brannick and his investigation. Critics particularly highlighted its unpredictability, with Radio Times praising its high-stakes pursuit of Goliath and Nesbitt’s performance as the emotionally troubled detective.

Audience reviews have similarly praised the twists. One Rotten Tomatoes viewer said the series contained enough turns to keep them guessing, while another described it as grim but thrilling and praised its connection to Irish history.

That combination of bleak atmosphere, complicated history and an increasingly personal investigation helped Bloodlands develop an identity beyond the inevitable comparisons with Line of Duty.

Yet for viewers who were also fans of Derry Girls, there remained an additional pleasure: watching actors associated with one of Northern Ireland’s funniest television exports step into a world where the stakes could hardly be more different.