Jamie-Lee O'Donnell to star in new Northern Ireland sitcom Hopley Hall
Written by Daniel Peak
Last updated 6 hours ago
Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell has been cast in an exciting new BBC comedy, Hopley Hall (w/t), created and written by Daniel Peak (Not Going Out, Code 404).
The six-part series is centred around an historic and slightly shabby Grade 1 listed house in the Northern Ireland countryside.
What is Hopley Hall about?
A synopsis from the BBC reads: 'Hopley Hall (w/t) follows the ensemble of staff and volunteers who keep the house running: a motley group of enthusiasts, innocents, idiots and sociopaths.
'For generations the home of the Hopley family, its current sole resident is the ancient, bewildered and very English Lady Hopley and the estate’s survival depends on tourism. Not quite as popular as the castle down the road (where they filmed some of the House of the Dragon series, the jammy beggars). Hopley Hall still has plenty to offer, or so they think'.
Speaking about the exciting new project, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell says she's: “Delighted to be at the forefront of Daniel Peak’s new BBC comedy series and looking forward to bringing this fun and exciting project to life. I’ll see you soon at Hopley Hall."
Daniel Peak, creator and writer says: “I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity to write a big, warm hearted ensemble sitcom for the BBC, and to be doing it with an extremely talented writing teamin Northern Ireland and for the UK’s best and funniest actors. I’m looking forward to opening the gates of Hopley Hall for public viewing.”
Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy adds: “With Jamie-Lee O’Donnell’s impeccable comic acting, Daniel Peak’s brilliantly clever writing, fresh material from some exciting new Northern Ireland comedy writers, and Tom Marshall directing, Hopley Hall (w/t) has all the ingredients for something properly special. Expect laughs, warmth, wit and a lot of chaos. We can’t wait for BBC viewers to see it.”
When is Hopley Hall available to watch?
No date for filming has been shared just yet, but we'll keep you posted.
Check out Jamie-Lee's biggest TV and movie roles below:
6Degrees (2012 - 2015)
Jamie starred as Eva Maguire in the BBC Two Northern Ireland TV show 6Degrees. The show was a Northern Irish drama series about a group of university students living in Belfast, with Jamie-Lee starring in 18 episodes from 2012 - 2015.
I Told my Mum I was Going on an RE Trip (2018)
The actress also appeared in a TV movie titled I Told my Mum I was Going on an RE Trip. The film is a drama, that uses real interview transcripts, along with song and spoken word, to explore issues around abortion. Jamie-Lee plays the role of Leah.
Doing Money (2018)
Jamie-Lee then played the role of Fiona in 2018's Doing Money - a hard-hitting TV movie that follows the story of Ana - a young Romanian woman who is kidnapped in the middle of London by a trafficking gang, and sold into a human trafficking ring.
Derry Girls (2018 - 2022)
And, of course, we can't forget about Jamie-Lee's iconic performance in Channel 4's Derry Girls! Appearing in all three seasons as Michelle Mallon, we enjoyed seeing Jamie-Lee on the box as the show aired from 2018 - 2022. Jamie is perhaps most-known for her role in Derry Girls, with the show bagging multiple awards over the years.
The Fruit Fix (2020)
Another short film Jamie-Lee starred in was The Fruit Fix. Released in 2020, the short film revolves around Jamie-Lee's character, Hope, as she pursues her dreams while suffering with social anxiety.
Redeeming Love (2022)
More recently, Jamie-Lee appeared in the film Redeeming Love - playing the role of Lucky. As well as the wonderful Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, the film features many huge names - such as The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev, Euphoria's Eric Dane and Fate: The Winx Saga's Abigail Cowen.
The Great Festive Bake Off (2020)
Now this one isn't quite an acting gig, but we can't forget about the Derry Girls cast's appearance on The Great Festive Bake Off 2020. From hilarious mishaps to accidentally grilling a sponge cake, it was certainly an episode to remember.
Unwelcome (2022)
Jamie-Lee appeared in the film Unwelcome in 2022, playing the role of Aisling Whelan. The film revolves around a couple who escape their urban nightmare by moving to a rural area in Ireland. The peaceful move is soon ruined as they discover 'malevolent and murderous goblins' in the woods next to their new home.
Lloyd of the Flies (2022)
Dabbling into the world of voice acting, Jamie-Lee lent her vocals to multiple episodes of Lloyd of the Flies - a comedy series aimed towards children and pre-teens, revolving around Lloyd, a young fly standing at one centimetre tall.
The Real Derry (2022)
The actress teamed up with Channel 4 in 2022 for an all-all documentary titled The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell. The documentary, which aired on Channel 4 in June 2022, gives us a closer look into Jamie-Lee's childhood growing up in Derry/Londonderry, and follows her upbringing in the Catholic community, and how things have changed in the city since then.
Screw (2022-2023)
In 2022, Jamie-Lee took on a more serious role as she starred in Channel 4's Screw - a TV prison drama which follows two prison officers - Rose Gill (played by Jamie-Lee) and Leigh Henry (played by Nina Sosanya) - as well as their colleagues, working in C-Wing of Long Marsh, a men's prison.
The Feud (2025)
Jamie appeared in Channel 5 drama The Feud, which aired in April 2025. Described as a "domestic thriller" about a family and their neighbours, Jamie-Lee stars as PC Gallagher, with the cast also made up of Jill Halfpenny, Larry Lamb, Amy Nuttall, Rupert Penry-Jones, Ray Fearon, James Fleet and Chris Gascoyne among others. The show is available to watch now on Channel 5's streaming service.
Leonard and Hungry Paul (2025)
In October 2025 Jamie starred alongside Alex Lawther and Laurie Kynaston in new BBC feel-good drama Leonard and Hungry Paul — with filming having taken place in Dublin. The series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Rónán Hession and adapted by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson.
Hopley Hall (2026)
In May 2026, the BBC announced Jamie-Lee had landed a role in new Northern Irish sitcom Hopley Hall (working title). A synopsis from the BBC reads: 'Hopley Hall (w/t) follows the ensemble of staff and volunteers who keep the house running: a motley group of enthusiasts, innocents, idiots and sociopaths. For generations the home of the Hopley family, its current sole resident is the ancient, bewildered and very English Lady Hopley and the estate's survival depends on tourism. Not quite as popular as the castle down the road (where they filmed some of the House of the Dragon series, the jammy beggars). Hopley Hall still has plenty to offer, or so they think'.
There's no start date just yet.
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