Amandaland, the much-anticipated Motherland spin-off is finally here - and boy was it worth the wait.
Motherland went down in comedy history with its pitch-perfect depiction of the trials and tribulations of middle-class parenting, with characters everyone at the school gate can relate to. But comedy genius Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters and Catastrophe) has done it again with Amandaland, which follows Motherland's 'alpha mum' Amanda (Lucy Punch) as she moves to a new area and juggles divorce with raising teenagers.
Just like Motherland, Amandaland once again offers those laugh-out-loud moments along with a good dose of cringe, with Lucy Punch playing Amanda to perfection. I am a huge Motherland fan and have watched every episode countless times, but I have to admit, I think Amandaland has done what many spin-offs fail to do, and that's making it as good, if not better, than the original.
Alongside Lucy Punch is Joanna Lumley who is back as Amanda's narcissistic mum, Felicity, while the amazing Philippa Dunne returns as Amanda's long-suffering minion - sorry, I mean friend - Anne Flynn. Each returning as their iconic Motherland characters, but this time stepped up a gear and polished to comedy perfection.
If you are yet to watch, Amandaland picks up a few years after Motherland ended, with Anne and Amanda's kids now teenagers.
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!), and as she navigates teenage drinking and fake Instagram accounts, Amanda is also trying to make her new job as an interior influencer take off.
Of course, good old Anne is on hand to introduce her to the other parents at the school - and after a few years off from being Amanad's downtrodden sidekick, Anne is well and truly back under Amanda's well-manicured thumb.
Also among the Amandaland cast are Samuel Anderson (Gavin & Stacey) as Amanda's neighbour, Mal, plus 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.
With all six episodes now on BBC iPlayer and each one only half an hour long, this is binge-worthy TV at its very best. Enjoy!
Amandaland airs on BBC One on Wednesday evenings at 9pm from February 5 and all six episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now.
