Amandaland. Image shows left to right: Anne (Philippa Dunne), Amanda (Lucy Punch), Felicity (Joanna Lumley)
Motherland is getting a spin-off, focused on Lucy Punch‘s character Amanda, British Comedy Guide can exclusively confirm.
Six 30-minute episodes of Amandaland have been ordered for BBC One, with Joanna Lumley and Philippa Dunne also returning from the original.
After 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.
Written by the Motherland team of Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Amandaland is directed by Simon Bird.
Diane Morgan revealed that Motherland had ended after three series on the BBC, running from 2016 to 2022, and hinted at a spin-off, in an interview with The Times in March. It is not yet clear if she and the other core castmates from the original, Anna Maxwell Martin, Paul Ready and Tanya Moodie will reprise their roles in the new episodes.
Executive producers for Merman are Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Serafinowicz, O’Shaughnessy and Walsh. The show was commissioned by Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy at the BBC.
“We’re delighted to be working with the BBC and with this incredible cast” said Horgan. “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.”
Quereshi added: “Motherland continues to be one of the most loved comedies on the BBC, and we’re so pleased we are carrying on with the story, taking the characters in a new direction and to a different postcode. Lucy, Joanna and Phillipa are three of the funniest comedy actors around and we’re thrilled to have them on board.”
Full casting details and production schedule will be announced in due course.
The first two acclaimed series of BBC Two sitcom Motherland, depicting the ins-and-outs of parenting in the London suburbs.
First released: Monday 2nd December 2019
Fear not! Many items can still be ordered. Amazon in the UK delivers to many international territories, whilst their Australia, USA and Canada stores also supply many equivalent or imported items.
If you are in the North America, look out for US/Canadian flag icons on popular product listings for direct links.
If you order from a UK store, please note that the UK is in Region 2 and B, respectively, for DVDs and Blu-rays – check your player’s compatibility, or look for multi-region products if you are located in another region.
If you are in Australia or New Zealand (DVD Region 4), note that almost all DVDs distributed in the UK by the BBC and 2entertain are encoded for both Region 2 and Region 4. The UK and Australasia are in the same Blu-ray region (B).
The nation’s favourite gang of Mums (and Dad) return to navigate the pitfalls of middle-class parenting and the clash of cliques formed at the school gates.
First released: Monday 11th October 2021
Fear not! Many items can still be ordered. Amazon in the UK delivers to many international territories, whilst their Australia, USA and Canada stores also supply many equivalent or imported items.
If you are in the North America, look out for US/Canadian flag icons on popular product listings for direct links.
If you order from a UK store, please note that the UK is in Region 2 and B, respectively, for DVDs and Blu-rays – check your player’s compatibility, or look for multi-region products if you are located in another region.
If you are in Australia or New Zealand (DVD Region 4), note that almost all DVDs distributed in the UK by the BBC and 2entertain are encoded for both Region 2 and Region 4. The UK and Australasia are in the same Blu-ray region (B).
