‘Those nuns!’: why Martin Scorsese must be a devout Derry Girls fan

The Economic Club of Chicago isn’t necessarily known for its social media heft. So when Martin Scorsese appeared at its black tie dinner event in October, for a 46-minute discussion about his life and career, it barely made a ripple. Six weeks have passed, though, and finally the details of this momentous occasion have started to leak out. The biggest of them all? Scorsese has seen Derry Girls.

The revelation came at the end of his discussion with Jeffrey Katzenberg, during a speed round in which Scorsese claimed to have wished he’d made Fellini’s 8¹/₂ and announced that he preferred to parcel out television rather than binge it. “What are you watching now?” asked Katzenberg. “I watched, the other night, Derry Girls”, Scorsese replied. After a small cheer went up in the crowd, Scorsese did a little air punch and added: “Those nuns!”

Obviously this isn’t much of a review. At no point during this exchange did Scorsese explicitly say that he enjoyed Derry Girls, but he left his comments vague enough to allow you to project your own thoughts on to it. If you’re a fan, the little chuckle he gives before saying “Derry Girls” is a sure sign that he holds the sitcom in high regard. If you’re not, then you’ll see “Those nuns!” as a way of politely referring to the one thing that he can remember about the show. But it’s Derry Girls, for crying out loud. It’s great. Of course he liked it.

And now that his comments have been made public, the reaction has been delightful. Lisa McGee, the show’s creator, tweeted: “Excuse me while I drop dead and actually die a death”, while Siobhán McSweeney – one of the aforementioned nuns – added: “Good morning. I’m ded”. And this is just from the people responsible for Derry Girls. The show is so beloved that seemingly every single person who has ever watched it counts Scorsese’s recognition as a tiny personal victory.

That said, it isn’t really too much of a surprise that he has seen it. The man isn’t just the world’s greatest director; he is first and foremost a fan. And don’t forget that he watches absolutely everything. Three years ago, Mubi tried to list all of Scorsese’s favourite films and TV shows based on past interviews of his, and the list ran to 1,200 titles. There’s A Trip to the Moon and Nosferatu, and Gone with the Wind and Blood on Satan’s Claw, but he also has a fine eye for comedy. Among his choices are Problem Child, Fawlty Towers and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Plus, Derry Girls is a nice thematic match with his work. You don’t have to be an expert to know about his obsession with Catholicism, which runs through everything from Mean Streets to The Last Temptation of Christ to Silence, so it only makes sense that he’d find an affinity with a show about the realities of attending a Catholic school. Throw in Joe Pesci and a handful of Rolling Stones songs and it would be a completely perfect fit.

Of course, given how low-key the Economic Club of Chicago’s black tie dinners are, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that their other esteemed speakers have also made time to point out their love of unexpected entertainment. Bono spoke there in 2018; perhaps he wouldn’t shut up about how much he loved Stath Lets Flats. Similarly Bill Gates spoke in 2021, and for all anyone knows he had to be forcibly removed from the stage after stripping off and unveiling his new full-body tattoo of the cast of We Are Lady Parts. And while I don’t have any evidence that Barack Obama spoke fondly about my appearance on the Channel 5 talking heads show Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2015 during his talk 17 months ago, I equally don’t have any evidence that he didn’t. Nevertheless, this is Derry Girls’ moment and they should enjoy it.