'Derry Girls' star admits she 'forgot' about Liam Neeson cameo

It was the TV cameo that everyone was talking about - but Derry Girls star Tara Lynne O'Neill has admitted she totally forgot that Hollywood star Liam Neeson had joined the cast in series three.

Neeson left viewers of the Channel 4 sitcom open-mouthed when he appeared unannounced in the first episode of the final series which is currently airing.

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He played a detective questioning the show's teens about their school break-in on the eve of their GCSE results, leaving fans in hysterics as Uncle Colm managed to bore the tough detective so much that he eventually let them go.

But O'Neill, who plays Erin's mum Mary, has said she managed to keep the casting secret simply because she forgot it had ever happened.

On Taken star Neeson's cameo, she said: "It was just amazing, wasn’t it? You know, I forgot to even tell my other half that Liam Neeson was in it.

"We were watching it together and he was saying, 'You actually kept the secret'. But I didn’t, I just forgot to tell him."

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Although O'Neill plays the mother of a 90s teen in the comedy, she was actually a teenager herself during the period of the Troubles the show features and said writer Lisa McGee's scripts had brought back many memories of the Good Friday Agreement which series three's storylines coincide with.

She said: "You know, I was a teenager at the time and it was life-changing for us, so to watch it on the screen and see it depicted both through the family but also the kids, it’s perfect.

"Remembering that we’re at peace now, and this helped, and this worked. It’s just so delicate, how she handles it. It’s beautiful."

Derry Girls continues on Tuesdays at 9pm on Channel 4.

Watch: Liam Neeson praised by stars of Derry Girls