Amandaland is the much-anticipated spin-off of BBC One's hugely successful comedy Motherland, with actress Lucy Punch returning as Amanda - the mum you really wouldn't want to meet on the school playground.

The new 2025 series comes three years after we last saw the character in Motherland, alongside her frenemies Anna Maxwell Martin as Julia, Diane Morgan as Liz, and Paul Ready as Kevin.

But this time, Amanda's ego really has landed as she gets her own series. Can you imagine how unbearable she'd be if she knew?! Here's everything you need to know about Amandaland, including plot, cast, start date, and if Motherland will ever return...

Is Amandaland a spin-off of Motherland?

Exactly right, Amandaland is a spin-off of BBC One comedy Motherland. Motherland ran from 2016 and 2022, and is arguably one of the best BBC One comedies every made.

It followed the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood. Sadly, with the cast of Motherland increasingly difficult to pin down for a series four, the BBC One has gifted us Amandaland. And the name couldn't be more appropriate, as the character often exists on another planet to the other school mums. In the words of my own teenage daughters, Amanda always thinks she's the main character. And now she really is.

The new comedy-drama follows a post-divorce Amanda, who finds herself downsizing from Chiswick to South Harlesden (or So-Ha as the estate agent calls it, definitely not the area around Wormwood Scrubs prison). But with a little rebrand, Amanda strives to make things work as a single mum.

Amanda now finds herself parenting teenagers in new surroundings, as she attempts to make new friends. Not easy when you're always looking down your nose at people - and not just because she's taller than most!

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...

Why did Lucy Punch's character Amanda get her own spin-off?

It's true, egomaniac Amanda was easily the least likeable character in Motherland, although she did start to become more sympathetic towards the end of the three series.

So she might not be the obvious choice for a Motherland spin-off. However, writer Holly Walsh has said that of there was "something unresolved" about Amanda's story.

Meanwhile, 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."

Clelia Mountford, co-Founder of production company Merman, says: "We're delighted to be bringing Amandaland to the BBC and to share the next chapter of Amanda's story.

"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."

How many episodes is Amandaland?

Amandaland is six episodes of half an hour each.

This follows the same pattern as Motherland series 1 to 3, which were also six episodes.

When's the start date? How can I watch it?

Amandaland starts on Wednesday, February 05, 2025 at 9pm on BBC One. And it will air every Wednesday for six weeks.

Viewers can watch it on BBC iPlayer, too.

Which Amandaland characters were in Motherland?

Comedic actress Lucy Punch reprises her Motherland role as Amanda. She's also known for playing Sue White in Renford Rejects, Elaine Denham in Doc Martin, Holly Ellenbogen in The Class, and BJ in Ben and Kate.

She's also famous for portraying Esmé Squalor in the TV series A Series of Unfortunate Events, Jo in Bloods, and Dawn Djopi in Avenue 5.

Philippa Dunne also returns as Anne, the simpering role she first played in Motherland. After a brief spell of freedom, poor Anne 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.

Irish actress Philippa previously played Ria in 2022's This is Going to Hurt, Geraldine Devlin in Derry Girls, Niamh in The Woman in the Wall, and Lorna Dunnet in Bodies.

Lastly, TV legend Joanna Lumley returns as Amanda's mother Felicity. She is constantly around, and completely in denial that she is, in fact, lonely. Theirs is a horribly unhealthy co-dependent relationship based on backhanded compliments and veiled snipes about Amanda's new home.

Of course, beloved actress Joanna is known for playing Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, Purdey in The New Avengers, Sapphire and Sapphire & Steel, and Kate Swift in Class Act.

More recently, Joanna played Keeley Hawes' mum in Finding Alice, and mother-in-law from hell Judith Burkett in Harlan Coben thriller Fool Me Once.

Who else is in the cast?

Samuel Anderson, aka Fingers in Gavin & Stacey, joins the cast of Amandaland as Mal.

Derry Girls actress Siobhan McSweeney plays school mum Della, alongside Line of Duty star Rochenda Sandall's Fi. Amanda latches on to the duo, whether they like it or not.

This Way Up's Ekow Quartey plays JJ, while Spitting Image's Peter Serafinowicz portrays Johannes. His sister Helen Serafinowicz actually co-wrote the show.

Youngsters Alexander Shaw and Miley Locke star as Amanda's children Manus and Georgie.

The End of the F***ing World star Jack Veal plays Darius, Suspicion's Anya McKenna-Bruce stars as Morten, and newcomer Archie Smith is Ned.

Anna Fey plays another mum, while Holby City's Liz Sutherland-Lim stars as Joy.

Lastly, Cavan Clerkin is Daniel. He's best known for playing multiple character in sketch show Smack the Pony, as well as Karl in Pulling, Joel in EastEnders, PC Damien 'Clarkey' Clarke in Babylon, and Father Pyrlig in The Last Kingdom.

Cavan also portrayed DS Patrick Flynn in the brilliant drama The Capture, opposite Strike actress Holliday Grainger. More recently, he played Commissioner Neil Millar in COBRA, and John in Stags.

Is Motherland ever coming back for series 4?

Sadly, there are no plans for a Motherland series 4. But we suspect this is more to do with the cast's schedules than anything else.

Leading lady Anna Maxwell Martin has been busy filming Ludwig and Until I Kill You, while Diane Morgan now has her own shows, including Cunk on Life, and Mandy.

In an interview with The Times, Diane confirmed the show was no more. She said: "I hate to say it, because I still get women running up to me with prams in the street asking me when it's coming back."

Meanwhile, co-writer and creator Sharon Horgan has moved on to other things, too. Namely, Bad Sisters series 1 and 2. Although her production company is behind the show, Sharon has not written any of the episodes.

We're still hopeful that the cast will reunite for a special episode one day, although Amanda would have to return from So-Ha!

Where is Amandaland filmed?

Amandaland is set in South Harlesden, a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London.

However, while much of it was filmed in North London - particularly Islington, Angel, and Muswell Hill - some was filmed in Surrey and Oxfordshire.

How many series are there of Motherland, and how can I watch them?

There are three series of Motherland in total, and all are still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

As well as a pilot episode, there's six episodes in series 1, and six in series 2, with a Christmas special as the cherry on top.

Series 3, the last series of Motherland, was six episodes including a Christmas special.

Amandaland starts on Wednesday, February 05, 2025 at 9pm on BBC One.