BBC’s ‘masterpiece’ 6-part series Amandaland is your next Netflix binge-watch

The series follows Amanda as she navigates her new life in South Harlesden, having been forced to downsize from Chiswick following her divorce. 

With both Manus and Georgie now at secondary school, the titular try-hard mum-of-two has to try and get her head around “raising teenagers, dealing with modern motherhood horrors like teenage drinking, fake Instagram accounts and eco-anxiety,” according to the synopsis. “Not even a woman as certain of her parenting as Amanda can deal with these nightmares alone.”

The series has been a huge hit with viewers, who have hailed the sitcom as a “masterpiece” and “hilarious”. 

One person wrote in an online review: “This was an amazing spin off show. It was absolutely laugh out loud hilarious, every episode got better and better,” while another added: “It’s hilarious, witty and entertaining, laugh out loud in pretty much every single scene and situation! I adore Amanda in this!”

A third viewer penned: “It’s a brilliant spin-off that stands tall on its own, blending wit and heart effortlessly. Highly recommend!”

The series also boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 85 per cent and was met with four-star reviews from critics.

At the show’s launch last year, co-creator Holly Walsh revealed the inspiration behind the stories featured in the BBC spin-off series and the original school-gates sitcom, Motherland.

When asked where her ideas came from, Holly, who co-wrote Amandaland with Helen, Barunka O’Shaughnessy and Laurence Rickard, told HELLO! and other press: “I sit in cafes and listen in on other people’s conversations and write it down word for word.”

“So if you’re in a cafe and I’m anywhere near you, don’t say anything loud because I will write it down and use it,” joked the writer.

Holly also said that she and Motherland co-creators Helen and Sharon Horgan brought their own experiences into the writers’ room while working on the flagship series. 

“We talked about our teenage years a lot, which was really interesting,” she said. “What’s interesting about teenagers is that no one breaks the mould. They’re just awful. Every generation of teenagers are just as bad, so we just talked a lot about our crazy teenage antics and wrote a lot of them down.”

Lucy Punch (Bloods) leads the cast as Amanda, alongside Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) as Amanda’s mum, Felicity, and Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls) as Anne. 

Samuel Anderson (Shetland, Gavin & Stacey) also stars as Mal, alongside Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) as Della and Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty) as Fi. 

The hit sitcom was renewed last year, with production beginning back in October. A release date has yet to be announced. 

Amandaland is coming to Netflix soon. The show is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.