Give My Head Peace

Give My Head Peace
Title card (2016 special)
Created by	Tim McGarry Damon Quinn Michael McDowell
Written by	Tim McGarry Damon Quinn Michael McDowell
Starring	Tim McGarry Damon Quinn Michael McDowell Martin Reid Olivia Nash BJ Hogg Nuala McKeever (S1-2) Alexandra Ford (S3-10)
Country of origin	Northern Ireland
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	74 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	30–40 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC Northern Ireland
Original release	31 August 1995 (Pilot) 16 January 1998 – 28 December 2007 28 December 2016 (Special)

Give My Head Peace is a satirical television comedy series on BBC Northern Ireland that pokes fun at political parties, paramilitary groups and the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland. The programme is written by Tim McGarry, Damon Quinn and Michael McDowell, also known as "The Hole in the Wall Gang", who also perform as the characters. Episodes were recorded in front of a live studio audience at the BBC Blackstaff Studio A in Belfast.

The concept originated on BBC Radio Ulster music programme Across The Line in the late 1980s, as a five-minute slot. The radio version used many of the characters and plot ideas used in the later TV series.

Its first television appearance was in a made-for-TV film called Two Ceasefires and a Wedding, shown on BBC Northern Ireland (31 August 1995), poking fun at the clichéd "love across the barricades" plot that features in many dramas about Northern Ireland. In this case the lovers were Emer, the daughter of a "prominent" Sinn Féin activist, and Billy, an RUC constable. Their wedding is opposed by their respective families, and ends in farce, although Billy and Emer were happily married.

A full series was then commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland. Some changes were made to the format prior to the series going ahead - with the character of Cal (Emer's brother) changing substantially, and the introduction of other recurring characters such as Big Mervyn and Red Hand Luke. A few years into the series, Nuala McKeever (Emer) left the series to pursue other interests, and a new love interest for Billy was introduced in the form of Emer's previously unseen sister, Dympna.

The series continued to run on BBC One NI until 2005, taking a hiatus as the Hole in the Wall Gang began work on a new series called Dry Your Eyes. Give My Head Peace usually screened in a prime-time Friday night slot, opting out from network BBC One. In mid-2004, a selection of episodes were shown across the UK on BBC Two in a late-night slot during weekends.