7.8 /10 1 Votes
7/10 No. of series 10 First episode date 1998 | 8.6/10 No. of episodes 74 Final episode date 28 December 2007 Genre Comedy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Created by Tim McGarryDamon QuinnMichael McDowell Written by Tim McGarryDamon QuinnMichael McDowell Starring Tim McGarryDamon QuinnMichael McDowellMartin ReidOlivia NashBJ HoggNuala McKeever (S1-2)Alexandra Ford (S3-10) Similar The Walshes, Dry Your Eyes, The Blame Game, Mrs Brown's Boys, Pulling Moves |
Give My Head Peace is a satirical television comedy series on BBC Northern Ireland that pokes fun at political parties, paramilitary groups and the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland. The programme is written by Tim McGarry, Damon Quinn and Michael McDowell, also known as "The Hole in the Wall Gang", who also perform as the characters. Episodes were recorded in front of a live studio audience at the BBC Blackstaff Studio A in Belfast.
Contents
- Background
- Pilot Two Ceasefires and a Wedding
- Series
- Cancellation
- 2016 return
- Live
- Characters
- VHS
- DVD
- Digital
- Trivia
- References

Background

The concept originated on BBC Radio Ulster music programme Across The Line in the late 1980s, as a five-minute slot. The radio version used many of the characters and plot ideas used in the later TV series.
Pilot: Two Ceasefires and a Wedding

Its first television appearance was in a made-for-TV film called Two Ceasefires and a Wedding, shown on BBC Northern Ireland (31 August 1995), poking fun at the clichéd "love across the barricades" plot that features in many dramas about Northern Ireland. In this case the lovers were Emer, the daughter of a "prominent" Sinn Féin activist, and Billy, an RUC constable. Their wedding is opposed by their respective families, and ends in farce, although Billy and Emer were happily married.
Series

A full series was then commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland. Some changes were made to the format prior to the series going ahead - with the character of Cal (Emer's brother) changing substantially, and the introduction of other recurring characters such as Big Mervyn and Red Hand Luke. A few years into the series, Nuala McKeever (Emer) left the series to pursue other interests, and a new love interest for Billy was introduced in the form of Emer's previously unseen sister, Dympna.

The series continued to run on BBC One NI until 2005, taking a hiatus as the Hole in the Wall Gang began work on a new series called Dry Your Eyes. Give My Head Peace usually screened in a prime-time Friday night slot, opting out from network BBC One. In mid-2004, a selection of episodes were shown across the UK on BBC Two in a late-night slot during weekends.
Cancellation

The final Give My Head Peace episode was transmitted on BBC One Northern Ireland on 28 December 2007. This was supposed to be the last ever episode but during the final few seconds, some writing appears quoting "That's All Folks?" suggesting that the show could return in the future. According to Tim McGarry, the reason for the show's cancellation was due to a mis-sent email, received by a BBC executive in charge of the show's production. Allegedly, McGarry had hit reply rather than forward to the intended recipient.
2016 return
Give My Head Peace returned for a one-off 40-minute long episode titled "The Farce Awakens" on 28 December 2016. It was filmed in Northern Ireland in October 2016. Television presenter Christine Lampard made a cameo appearance.
Live
In recent years, they have performed live shows at a selection of venues across Northern Ireland. The 2004 show was chiefly made up of scripts from the 2004–2005 series. In 2007 a new live show entitled Dry Your Eyes it's Give My Head Peace was held in Derry's Millennium Forum and the Grand Opera House to celebrate ten years of the show. This production showed material from GMHP and Dry Your Eyes and was very well received. The next live show in 2008 followed on from the final television episode, called Give My Head Peace: Back From The Grave, and also featured the Dry Your Eyes characters. In 2009, the gang went on their last tour called "Give My Head Peace: The Final Farewell Tour". However, the show returned on an annual basis with "Give My Head Peace: The Annual Review" touring Northern Ireland. The performance features the show's regulars, with the notable exceptions of Mervyn and Red Hand Luke, and also features a stand-up set from Tim McGarry who plays Da.
In 1999 a video & book was brought out. The only DVD released to date is of series 6, in November 2009, and is available at Give My Head Peace
Characters
The principal characters are:
Other occasional characters are:
There have been other characters that have made one-off special appearances over the series to great effect. One such example was a Christmas special entitled "The King and I" where Elvis Presley (played by impersonator Martin Fox) saved Andy from a very dangerous situation.
VHS
A VHS was released containing the following three episodes; Hollywood On The Falls, Red Hand Luke, The Peace Dividend.
DVD
A number of DVD's have been released in the United Kingdom.
Digital
The 2016 special The Farce Awakens (21 October 2016) and the documentary A Beginner's Guide (28 December 2016) that was broadcast on BBC One is available on BBC Store.