You Won't Believe What Happens to Amanda from Motherland Now

As the last episode of the popular BBC One sitcom “Motherland,” which focuses on the lives of middle-class mothers in affluent west London, aired at the close of 2022, it seemed like an emphatic conclusion to their story.

It appeared that no one, including Lucy Punch who portrayed the exasperatingly high-class Amanda, had anticipated a return. However, during filming in the heartland of Arkansas, United States, the actress unexpectedly received an unforeseen phone call.

47-year-old Punch, originally from London and currently residing in LA (thankfully unaffected by the recent wildfires), remembers being asked if I’d be intrigued by a series centered around Amanda. To put it simply, my response was an immediate affirmative!

The premise for the series is that Amanda is compelled to relocate from Chiswick to the more unfamiliar surroundings of south Harlesden, which is near Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, she must adapt to a new lifestyle where she’s no longer the leading mother figure or successful resident as she was in W4.

According to co-writer Holly Walsh, Amanda stood out among all the potential spin-off/sequel ideas due to her relatability. Writing about someone who believes they’ve achieved success, only to encounter a fall, makes for an engaging tale. Despite South Harlesden being just five miles from Chiswick, it might as well be a world apart for Amanda, given her strong affinity for social status and postcodes.

Walsh mentions that one reason for continuing to spin tales within the “Motherverse,” as she names it, was to address the unique pressures of raising teenagers, thus the upcoming series is situated a few years down the line.

In this setting, TopMob interviews Walsh on site during the filming of episode four, which takes place in a retirement home in Croydon, South London. Here, Walsh discloses that it is at this location where Amanda, following in her mother Felicity’s footsteps, uncovers her long-lost father, portrayed by Shaun Scott.

Joanna Lumley, portraying Amanda’s self-centered mother on set, shares that they haven’t been in contact for a long time due to him leaving them. However, he is currently residing in a care facility where memory loss has affected him, prompting Felicity to visit out of compassion.

In the town of Amandaland, Lumley’s character appeared only in two installments of Motherland, yet she consistently stole the spotlight with her charisma. Her seemingly effortless meanness towards her own daughter served to make Amanda appear more compassionate.

Punch is thrilled to be working with Lumley on a permanent basis now, considering they’ve known each other for quite some time. You see, when Lumley was growing up, she was friends with one of Punch’s best friend’s mothers. In fact, these two actors previously played a mother and daughter in the movie Ella Enchanted with Anne Hathaway, which was 21 years ago.

She’s interwoven in various aspects of my life,” Punch points out, emphasizing that the genuine Lumley bears little resemblance to prickly Felicity or ambitious Amanda. “She’s a pure delight, just as charming and kind as one would expect. I truly admire her.

For Lumley’s part, she was delighted to be invited again. “The series has some diverse elements, but I wouldn’t describe it as drastically different. Much like many others in this field, she tends to stick to familiar routines – you won’t see her doing unexpected things like shopping at discount stores.

She finds Felicity rather unpleasant, chuckling as she explains, implying it’s due to her character’s jealousy towards Amanda stemming from envy. Many women who were once attractive themselves can become envious, she suggests, when they have a particularly beautiful daughter.

Perhaps the revised series might offer insights into why Amanda exhibits such a sharp temperament: “It delves deeper into the origins of her bitterness. Essentially, she has suffered years of bullying from her mother and those who have been bullied themselves frequently develop a tendency to bully others.

Besides Amanda and Felicity, another character from Motherland also returns – Anne, portrayed by Philippa Dunne. For about a year, Anne had been without Amanda, but when they meet again unexpectedly at the school gates in south Harlesden, Anne gets drawn back into Amanda’s influence once more.

Initially, Punch confesses that the first few days of working on the series without Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan, Paul Ready, and Tanya Moodie, who were part of her Motherland crew, felt quite peculiar. However, he notes that his character was always somewhat detached from these individuals. Despite this, he still had Philippa and Joanna, and the addition of a new, unique cast whose humor resonated swiftly. Although he missed the rest of the old gang, everything just seemed to fall into place naturally.

The new group is made up of Amanda’s neighbor Mal, portrayed by Samuel Anderson from Trollied and Doctor Who, the hipster chef Della, famously known for Derry Girls, and her partner Fi, who is an interior designer, as seen on Line of Duty.

Although no decision has been made regarding a second season for Amandaland, Punch expresses enthusiasm about the potential to explore the diverse cast of side characters further. She explains that the show isn’t solely focused on Amanda; instead, it invites viewers to discover another world filled with captivating and intriguing characters. If another series is produced, she hopes they can delve deeper into their lives.

At the present time, Punch is enjoying the spotlight being on her iconic character, Amanda. After portraying her for ten years, she’s delighted to uncover fresh aspects of her character. In a world growing more skeptical, it’s Amanda’s enduring optimism that resonates with people, according to Punch. “She’s quite hopeful and full of energy, though perhaps a bit misguided, about regaining her life,” Punch explains.

As a film enthusiast, I must say she’s far from passive. In Motherland, she played a character that could be seen as the antagonist, but the writers have cleverly made her more understandable and radiating warmth in their latest work.

Indeed, Punch, who relocated to Los Angeles over 20 years back, mentions that she’s met numerous women named Amanda since assuming her role and becoming a parent. Consequently, if given a chance to revive the series, she won’t lack wisdom regarding the character.

2025-02-04 03:41

You Won’t Believe What Happens to Amanda from Motherland Now

Read More