BBC spin-off of ‘best comedy ever’ soars up Netflix top 10 after being quietly added

Amanda speaks on the phone in front of a shop in Amandaland.
We last saw the alpha mum during the Amandaland Christmas special (Picture: BBC/Merman/Natalie Seery)

The Motherland spin-off Amandaland is the latest BBC show to wash up on the shores of Netflix for a whole new audience to discover.

The snappy six-parter was just added for subscribers and is already on the streamer’s ranking of the top boxsets being watched right this minute – just like Motherland was for some time before it.

The show follows the exploits of posh, alpha mum Amanda Hughes, played by Lucy Punch, whose fortunes have turned since her divorce, forcing her to turn for help to mum Felicity, played by Dame Joanna Lumley.

When the drama kicks off, Amanda must navigate solo parenting her teenagers, while traversing the perilous aisles of Tesco Metro in South Harlesden, rather than the Waitrose in Chiswick of yore.

Better yet for fans who are just getting into Amandaland, it’s now been confirmed that the show will be returning for a special Red Nose Day instalment. 

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The Comic Relief sketch will feature a smattering of other famous Amandas – we’re talking Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, travel presenter Amanda Lamb and Coronation Street star Amanda Barrie.

BBC Comedy Motherland spin-off Amandaland announced for BBC One and iPlayer Following three series of the Merman-produced, BAFTA award-winning series Motherland, a brand-new spin-off, Amandaland, is coming to the BBC, focused on Amanda (Lucy Punch). Post her divorce, 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). 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. Tanya Qureshi, Head of Comedy at the BBC says: ?Motherland continues to be one of the most loved comedies on the BBC, and we?re so pleased we are carrying on with the story, taking the characters in a new direction and to a different postcode. Lucy, Joanna and Phillipa are three of the funniest comedy actors around and we?re thrilled to have them on board.? Sharon Horgan, Co-Founder of Merman says: ?We?re delighted to be working with the BBC and with this incredible cast. Motherland took off in a way that none of us were expecting and it?s just so exciting that we get to continue to make this next chapter of parenthood and friendship. We have new parents, a new school and new problems to look forward to. We can?t wait to get going on it?. Clelia Mountford, Co-Founder of Merman says: ?We?re delighted to be bringing Amandaland to the BBC and to share the next chapter of Amanda?s story. Viewers are in for a treat! It?s been so rewarding seeing how the complexity of Amanda?s character has developed; the relationship with her mother, life as a single parent and her fledgling career. It?s a joy to be working with such incredible comedy talent such as Lucy, Joanna and Phillipa once more.?
The Motherland spin-off has now landed on Netflix (Picture: BBC)

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Plus, it will also feature Total Wipeout presenter Amanda Byram and The Traitors contestant Amanda Collier, otherwise known as the retired detective who was convinced Jade was a turret-dweller.

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Holden described herself as a longtime fan of the show, which currently holds an 85 per cent score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and has been hailed as an all-timer for the comedy genre.

What we know so far about the sketch is that it will see the OG Amanda make a visit to the BBC’s headquarters at Broadcasting House.

Amandaland,05-02-2025,Johannes (PETER SERAFINOWICZ), Amanda (LUCY PUNCH),**EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY 28TH JANUARY 2025**,Merman,Natalie Seery
The show is officially returning for season 2 (Picture: BBC/Merman/Natalie Seery)

Her long-suffering friend Anne, played by Derry Girls star Philippa Dunne, comes along with her to visit Sara Cox in the BBC Radio 2 studio for what should be a fairly straightforward appearance. That is, until they start to run into the other Amandas, in a sort of Amanda-ception.

Better still than a sketch, the show has been confirmed for a second series, which went into production late last year, with an iconic new cast member.

The absolutely fabulous Jennifer Saunders will join proceedings as Aunt Joan, the sister of Joanna Lumley’s character – reuniting the sitcom stars in what we can only presume will be appointment viewing.

Amandaland is available to stream on Netflix and on BBC iPlayer for free.

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