Siobhán McSweeney, who plays Sister Michael in Derry Girls, is making her directorial debut with a new BBC comedy short, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

McSweeney takes the title role in Spud, which she also wrote and executive produces, the "average story of a very average woman".

A carer for her father, she cooks, cleans, serves badly and half-heartedly. A woman who is never seen or thanked and is ignored.

A woman who, in spite of what society tells her, does not feel bad about herself. Who, despite not being young, or a mother, or, worst of all, beautiful, is actually quite happy in herself, if not her life. Then, one day, her dad dies, making her realise that she may have to come out of the shadows and be seen.

Co-starring Dermot Crowley (Father Ted, Father Figure) as Spud's father and Mary Coughlan as Francey, the 17-minute short will air on BBC Three on 29th February at 10pm.

Shot in August, it is produced by Leah Draws (Comedy Central At The Edinburgh Fringe) for Lookout Point (Am I Being Unreasonable?, The Power Of Parker) and executive produced by McSweeney and Pippa Brown (The Other One). Tanya Qureshi and Navi Lamba are the commissioning editors for the BBC.

Spud is the BBC's first comedy short since the broadcaster announced 13 films for BBC Three and iPlayer in May, including a short from Ricky Gervais starring Joe Wilkinson and others featuring stand-up Jack Carroll and sketch group Tarot.

Also today, BCG has revealed another upcoming BBC short, the silent comedy Quiet Life, led by McSweeney's co-stars in Extraordinary, Luke Rollason and Ella Bruccoleri, which will air on BBC Three next month.

The acclaimed Disney+ superpower comedy, which features Máiréad Tyers as a woman born without special abilities, returns for a second series on 6th March.