Let’s face facts; a lot of people – like, a lot of people – were left fuming when the BBC stealth-cancelled Motherland after its Christmas special back in 2022. Some expressed dismay when they learned that, of all the show’s characters, it would be Amanda (portrayed by the inimitable Lucy Punch) who would be getting her own spinoff. 

But it makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, it was Amanda whose world was fractured after a messy divorce. It was Amanda, too, who found herself forced out of her swanky Acton home. And, yes, it was Amanda whose fate was left unknown, her story left tantalisingly unfinished and her character’s full potential not yet realised.

Thankfully, Amandaland addresses all of this and more, picking up a little while after our perfectly coiffed antihero has settled herself in an upstairs flat in ‘SoHa’ (aka South Harlesden). Her children have been relocated from private to state school, her mum keeps dropping by unannounced in a bid to escape the clutches of her new PA (Joanna Lumley-inspired lingo for ‘carer’, of course), and Philippa Dunne’s Anne – the nation’s most beloved underdog – re-enters Amanda’s orbit in a very big and welcome way.

Watch the trailer for Amandaland:

As a rule, spinoffs tend to be a bit (whisper it) rubbish in comparison to the originals, although there are a few exceptions to the rule. Frasier, for example, is far more beloved than Cheers ever was. Better Call Saul is every bit as good as Breaking Bad. Queen Charlotte is on par with Bridgerton – and, dare I say it, Amandaland is going to be ranked right up there alongside Motherland someday, too.

A lot of that is down to its obscenely talented ensemble cast. Punch offers up all of that glossy Amanda energy we know and love (and sometimes fear running into ourselves at the school gates), but injects plenty of vulnerability and brittleness into the mix. Dunne’s character has also evolved; she’s still the Paul Burrell to Amanda’s Diana, true, but our wonderful weirdo has had the chance to become her own woman, with her own friends and her own voice. A voice which (gasp!) she is more than willing to take Amanda down a peg or two when required.  

Lumley’s Felicity delivers pass-agg perfection, as ever and always, even if she needs her daughter’s help doing up her bra. And there are, of course, some new characters in the mix: Samuel Anderson (of Doctor Who and Gavin & Stacey fame) takes on the role of Mal, Amanda’s handsome downstairs neighbour and occasional sparring partner, while Derry Girls’s Siobhan McSweeney and Line Of Duty’s Rochenda Sandall are a brilliant double-act as standoffish chef Della and her homeopathy-loving wife, Fi – not least of all because of that hot tub scene. 

Throw in the lovable JJ (Ekow Quartey) and the incredibly funny Johannes (Peter Serafinowicz), and you have plenty of people to root for as they swap harried school runs, shoe fittings and verrucas for, say, underage drinking and the perils of social media. Ah, to be a parent of young teens!

I suspect that, for Motherland fans, the first episode will feel like coming home… albeit after you’ve spent a long time away and your parents have renovated the entire house. It’s familiar and strange all at once, yet you feel comfortable enough to go rooting through the fridge without asking. What more could you ask of a comedy series at this time of year, eh?

Images: BBC