'Hope Street' Unveils 'Derry Girls' Star as New Lead As Season 4 Filming Commences

Since the beginning of Hope Street, the Northern Ireland set police procedural has been a revolving door of cast. Season 1 kicked off with the arrival of DC Leila Hussain (Amara Karan) to the small town of Port Devine. She'd been transferred as part of a protection program after she'd spent years working undercover to bring down a major crime boss in Nottingham, only to have her cover blown. Port Devine's lead inspector, Finn O'Hare (Ciarán McMenamin), knew the truth about her but refused to tell anyone for fear the town gossip would put her in danger, but it backfired. In the end, she left town before he could stop her, (he was left for dead in a car crash), breaking O'Hare's heart along with it and making way for DC Al Quinn (Stephen Hagan) to join the team in Season 2 while Finn's second in command, Marlene Pettigrew (Kerri Quinn), took over her boss' position while he went on leave.

Quinn also only lasted one season, leaving after being caught covering up for his daughter acting out, crashing cars, and robbing ATMs, with incidents that nearly left O'Hare a dead man again. Season 3 brought aboard Jo Lipton (Karen Hassan) and a new constable, Ryan Power (Finnian Garbutt). However, Season 3 does finally see McMenamin's exit (though for those who have not watched yet, I will not tell you how). All you need to know is there's a new lead inspector in town for Season 4, and it's... Mary Quinn from Derry Girls.

That's right, Tara Lynne O’Neill, who played Erin's mum for three seasons on the beloved Northern Irish comedy, is joining the Hope Street soap opera insanity. She'll play Police Inspector Eve Dunlop, "a character who left Port Devine many years ago and has now returned with her family to build bridges and to investigate a mysterious disappearance." 

Here’s the (very brief) synopsis for Season 4:

Set in the fictional town of Port Devine on the Northern Ireland coast, the police department is moving to new headquarters.

O’Neill isn’t the only new addition to the cast for Season 4. Marcus Onilude (Ted Lasso) will also be arriving to work in the new HQ. However, it’s not all new faces. Kerri Quinn will return as Marlene Pettigrew, alongside Niall Wright, who plays PC Callum McCarthy. Garbutt and Hassan return from last season, and co-stars from previous seasons, including Aaron McCusker, Niamh McGrady, Des McAleer, and Rachel Tucker. 

Hope Street was co-created by Paul Marquess, Donna Wiffen, and Susanne Farrell, all of whom executive produce. Marquess is the lead writer, along with Jessica Lea, Stuart Drennan, Greer Ellison, Karis Kelly, Lisa McMullin, Paul Williams, and Brian McGilloway. Directors Sean Glynn, Enda Hughes, and Dez McCarthy are all expected to return to helm episodes with John Fox producing. In a statement about the new season, Marquess said, “It’s all change in Port Devine as we return for series four of Hope Street - with a new Police Inspector and a new Police Station. What hasn’t changed is Hope Street’s unique mix of crime stories and warm character-led drama.”

Hope Street Season 4 is currently filming in Northern Ireland. As in Season 3, the series is expected to arrive in two batches, with the first half in late 2024 and the second in early 2025. BritBox will receive each as a batch drop after each part airs.