Adventures in the world of secondary school are coming for Motherland‘s Amanda in Amandaland.
Updated 13/01/25: Samuel Anderson, Rochenda Sandall and Peter Serafinowicz join the cast at the gates of a different school.
Commsioned last year, the BBC have revealed that we can expect Amandaland to land in February. The comedy follows the former alpha-mum Amanda in her new life, post-divorce, in a totally different part of London.
Now the BBC have confirmed the wider cast for the show. It’s led by Lucy Punch as Amanda. with Joanna Lumley as her mother Felicity and Phillipa Dunne as the ever-reliable Anne.
Joining the cast will be Samuel Anderson (Doctor Who) as Mal, Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) as Della, Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty) as Fi, Ekow Quartey (Trying) as JJ and Peter Serafinowicz (The Gentlemen) as Johannes.
Amandaland comes from Motherland writers Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz, Barunka O’Shaughnessy, with Laurence Rickard (Ghosts). Alyssa McClelland (Sex Education) directs the six-part series, and the Series Producer is Tim Mannion (Trying).
Executive Producer Sharon Horgan said:
“I was genuinely sad having to say goodbye to Motherland. There’s such a fondness for that show and those characters. So it was a real thrill to get to pick up the further adventures of Amanda and Anne, not to mention Felicity. Lucy, Phillipa and Joanna are top of their game in these roles and are joined by an incredibly funny and talented new cast. Can’t wait to showcase the next challenges of parenthood and the very particular kind of friendship the school gates bring.”
We’ll keep you posted.
Original article (of 20/05/2024) continues…
Amandaland – BBC commission a Motherland spinoff starring Lucy Punch
Providing three series so far, the joyous Motherland rang true with anyone who’s ever done a school run. While the show itself seems to be finished – the last being 2022’s Christmas special – the BBC have unveiled a spin-off.
Amandaland will follow Lucy Punch’s Amanda as she relocates and has to get a grip on secondary school life. Luckily, she’ll be joined by the ever-reliable Anne (Phillipa Dunne). Additionally, we can look forward to exploring the fraught mother/daughter relationship that Amanda enjoys with Felicity (Joanna Lumley).
Here’s what we can expect in Amandaland…
Post her divorce, Amanda has had to downsize and up sticks to South Harlesden, or as the Estate Agent calls it SoHa (definitely not the area around Wormwood Scrubs prison).
With both Manus and Georgie now at secondary school, Amanda has to try and get her head around raising teenagers, dealing with modern motherhood horrors like teenage drinking, fake Instagram accounts and eco anxiety. Not even a woman as certain of her parenting as Amanda can deal with these nightmares alone.
Then there’s Amanda’s mother Felicity (Joanna Lumley) who is constantly around, and completely in denial that she is, in fact, lonely. Theirs is a slightly unhealthy co-dependent relationship based on backhanded compliments and veiled snipes about her new home.
After a brief spell of freedom, Anne (Philippa Dunne) is sucked back into being Amanda’s minion to help her navigate the social scene with the other parents at the children’s new school. Thank God for Anne.
The six-part Amandaland comes from Motherland writers Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Breeders). All three executive produce, alongside Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford of Merman.
Sharon Horgan, Co-Founder of Merman says:
“We’re delighted to be working with the BBC and with this incredible cast. Motherland took off in a way that none of us were expecting and it’s just so exciting that we get to continue to make this next chapter of parenthood and friendship. We have new parents, a new school and new problems to look forward to. We can’t wait to get going on it”.
Amandaland is bound for BBC Two and the iPlayer.