The BBC has unveiled the impressive cast of the upcoming Motherland spin-off, Amandaland, featuring the stars of Line of Duty, Gavin and Stacey and Derry Girls.
The six-part series, which comes to BBC One and iPlayer in February, will focus on the life of wealthy and snobbish mum Amanda (played by Lucy Punch).
Cast members include Samuel Anderson (Gavin & Stacey) 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.
They join the previously announced Lucy, alongside fellow original cast members Joanna Lumley as Felicity and Philippa Dunne as Anne.
The new series sees a post-divorce Amanda having downsized to South Harlesden, “or as the Estate Agent calls it SoHa (definitely not the area around Wormwood Scrubs prison),” teases the synopsis.
“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,” it continues.
© BBC“Amanda’s mother Felicity 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 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.”
Sharon Horgan, show creator and co-founder of production company Merman, shared her excitement at showcasing “the next challenges of parenthood”. She said in a statement: “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.”
Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy at the BBC added: “We can’t wait for audiences to see Amanda’s new chapter, brought to life by such a talented cast and a wonderfully sharp set of characters. It’s going to be a real treat.”
The upcoming spin-off arrives two years after the BAFTA-winning Motherland’s final episode aired in December 2022. The series starred Anna Maxwell Martin as chaotic mum Julia as she navigates the trials and tribulations of parenthood and school gate politics in a mum-eat-mum world.
Amandaland comes to BBC One and iPlayer in February. Motherland is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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