Derry Girls creator and Derry girl Lisa McGee
Ms McGee will become the first women to ever receive the district’s highest honour.
The awarding of the freedom by the council was in recognition of the “global positive impact” Ms McGee’s work has had on the city and district.
The award was proposed by SDLP Waterside councillor Martin Reilly.
Speaking on Monday, Mr Reilly said the ceremony would be an opportunity for the city “to show how proud we are of Lisa”.
“The work she has done and the way she has put Derry on a global map through her writing really is just incredible,” he said.
“The freedom of the city is the highest honour a council can bestow on an individual and it’s really great that Derry girls is being recognised and, more importantly, a Derry girl specifically is being recognised.
Derry Girls, which first aired on Channel 4 in 2018, follows four teenage girls – and “a wee English fella” – growing up in Derry during the 1990s.
It follows the group as they navigate the ups and downs of teenage life, all in the shadow of the final years of The Troubles.
Derry Girls has been a massive success for Channel 4, winning Royal Television Society Awards, Irish Film and Television Awards and being nominated for BAFTAs.
The cast of Derry Girls pictured on the set of the final episode, which was set during the 1998 Good Friday Agreement referendum.
It is currently availabe on Netflix to audiences around the world.
Other notable recipients include:
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former SDLP leader John Hume
Former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
Composer, musician and songwriter Phil Coulter
Former Catholic and Church of Ireland bishops, Edward Daly and James Mehaffey
Derry City’s treble-winning manager Jim McLaughlin
Ultra-endurance athlete Danny Quigley
Ms McGee’s other notable work includes the television series Raw, which she created for Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the Channel 4 sitcom London Irish and The Deceived for Channel 5.
The Derry-born screenwriter will be conferred the honour at a ceremony at 4 pm following a special meeting of council at the Guildhall.
The ceremony will be broadcast live over on Derry City and Strabane District Council’s YouTube channel and a large crowd is expected to descend on Guildhall Square for the event.
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