How To Get To Heaven From Belfast is an attempt to reunite four girls from school, but later in life, although back at the time they were “separate but inseparable”
The four are led by Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher – The Dry), who thinks the new series of her detective show – Murder Code – should have no murders for a change. She’s a writer who thought she’d be writing great plays as she got older, not cheesy, ‘cosy crime’ TV dramas.
There’s also Robyn (Sinéad Keenan – Three Families) and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne – Doctor Who: The Well (2025)), but the fourth, Greta, has sadly passed away.
Alas, on the way to the wake, they break down in Donegal, and stay at a crappy motel with a tired waitress and run by Ardal O’Hanlon as Séamus.
It’s been 20 years since they knew Greta – who constantly talked to her family about the four of them together – and in the present day, all three are feeling their age, but their loss is our gain, as they come across a lot of weird people, including a character played by Emmett J Scanlan who seems to be in every other Channel 5 drama, as well as last year’s A Working Man, opposite Jason Statham.
Oh, and long-standing comedian Michael Redmond also pops up as a long-in-the-tooth Garda.
Along the way, there’s secrets they want to keep secret and other things to be learned, plus surprises scattered about. As such, if I can’t say much, then you’ll have to wait and see for yourself.
For a technical aspect, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has bloody brilliant acting, writing and directing, the latter of which is occasionally done with a fish-eye lens, plus quick cuts in the editing which is done to get a humourous effect.
I definitely think Netflix have a huge smash hit in their hands with this one.
Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is on Netflix from today.
It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but when it is, it will be listed on the New DVD, Blu-ray, 3D and 4K releases UK page.
Check out the trailer below:
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 45-50 minutes per episode (8 episodes)
Release date: February 12th 2026
Studio: Netflix
Format: 2.39:1
Series Directors: George Kane, Michael Lennox, Rachna Suri
Producers: Brian J Falconer, Caroline Leddy, Liz Lewin, Jimmy Mulville
Writer/Creator: Lisa McGee
Music: Sion Trefor
Cast:
Saoirse: Roisin Gallagher
Robyn: Sinéad Keenan
Dara: Caoilfhionn Dunne
Young Saoirse: Emily Flain
Liam: Darragh Hand
Jamie: Jenn Murray
Podge: Chris Robinson
Margo: Michelle Fairley
Owen: Emmett J Scanlan
Greta: Natasha O’Keeffe
Seb: Tom Basden
Jason: Josh Finan
Séamus: Ardal O’Hanlon
Conrad: Conor MacNeill
Oul Lad at Lighthouse: Donal O’Hanlon
Booker: Bronagh Gallagher
Uncle Hughie: David Pearse
Young Greta: Emma Canning
Jim: Art Campion
Carol: Moyo Akandé
Ines: Marysia S Peres
Garda Peadar: Michael Redmond
Garda Pol: Calla Hughes Nic Aoidh
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.