The new BBC sitcom Amandaland is being hailed as “one of the funniest shows in years” by viewers.
A spin-off to the beloved series Motherland, it sees Lucy Punch reprise her role as Amanda – the acerbic, self-centred and extremely image-conscious “alpha mum”.
Now taking centre stage, the new sitcom follows Amanda post-divorce as she “downsizes and upsticks to South Harlesden, or as the estate agent calls it SoHa”.
“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,” the plot synopsis reads.
“Not even a woman as certain of her parenting as Amanda can deal with these nightmares alone.”
Co-created by Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters, Catastrophe), Amandaland also sees Joanna Lumley and Phillipa Dunne reprising their roles from Motherland – with the former playing the lead character’s mother.
Also part of the cast for the sitcom is Derry Girls’ Siobhan McSweeney.
Following its premiere this week, the series is earning rave reviews from audiences and critics alike – with particular praise going to the show’s sharp script, its mix of humour and pathos and its lead turns from Punch and Lumley.
You can read a sample of some of these glowing write-ups for Amandaland below:
The Daily Mail: “From the moment she stumbles through the front door in Amandaland, Dame Joanna gathers up the laughs and sweeps them into her handbag like an aristocratic shoplifter on a spree.”
The Guardian: “A rare chance to laugh so hard you wee yourself.”
The Independent (UK): “Motherland spin-off, following Lucy Punch’s posh alpha mum, is clever, jolly and hard to resist.”
The Telegraph: “Lucy Punch and Joanna Lumley make a dream comic double act.”
Amandaland airs in Ireland weekly on Wednesdays on BBC One at 9pm.
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