Derry Girls has been recognised among the best in the UK at National Comedy Awards

The Channel 4 ceremony will bring together the nation's best-loved comedians and comedy stars and honours both emerging and established comedy talent alike - with the public voting for key awards.

Lisa McGee's hit series has raked up three nominations in some of the most prestigious categories this year.

The show's production company Hat Trick were first to lead in celebrating the news.

Taking to social media, they said: "Congrats to Derry Girls who have been shortlisted for 3 National Comedy Awards!"

The nominations include: Best Scripted Comedy - Derry Girls; Outstanding Comedy Actress - Saoirse-Monica Jackson; and Outstanding Supporting Role - Jamie-Lee O'Donnell and Siobhán McSweeney.

Writer and creator Lisa McGee said: "I'm at it again. Give Derry Girls a wee vote if you think we deserved it. Alternatively, tell me to shut up if you're sick listening to me. I'm sick listening to myself to be honest. Thrilled to be nominated though".

To vote for Derry Girls at the National Comedy Awards, click here.

Channel 4’s most successful comedy since Father Ted, the series was inspired by McGee's own experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990s, during the final years of the Troubles.

It stars Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn as five teenagers living in mid-1990s Derry while attending Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional girls' Catholic secondary school based on the real-life Thornhill College, where McGee herself studied.

Produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions, Derry Girls is filmed in Northern Ireland, with most scenes shot on location in Derry and some in Belfast.

Although the plot lines of Derry Girls are fictional, the series frequently references actual events of the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process, including the 1994 IRA ceasefire announcement, the 1995 visit to Northern Ireland of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton, and the Good Friday referendum of 1998. Archival footage relating to key political figures such as Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, John Hume and Mo Mowlam is shown via TV and radio broadcasts in family homes. The soundtrack features popular music of the era, by acts including Ace of Base, Blur, Cypress Hill, Salt-N-Pepa, Enya, the Corrs, and the Cranberries.