Motherland spin-off Amandaland has been commissioned for a series at BBC Two, here are the details.
Motherland was a terrific sitcom created by Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Graham Linehan, who stepped away from the show after the first series. It chronicled the never ending stress of motherhood through the eyes of the perpetually put-upon Julia, (Anna Maxwell Martin), who tries to do the best she can as she battles with the ‘Alpha Mums’, led by the acerbic Amanda (Lucy Punch). She’s supported by her blunt best friend Liz (Diane Morgan) and stay at home Dad Kevin (Paul Brady).
Earlier this year, Horgan confirmed that the show had been quietly cancelled by the BBC, but she also revealed that a spin-off was in the early stages of development.
According to the British Comedy Guide, the spin-off will be called Amandaland, and a six episode series has been commissioned.
The synopsis reads as follows:
After her divorce, Amanda (Lucy Punch) 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, the show will be directed by The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird. Executive producers for production company Merman are Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Serafinowicz, O’Shaughnessy and Walsh.
Full casting details will be announced soon, we’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
