The BBC has confirmed that Amandaland will be returning for a second series.
It is little surprise that the Motherland spin-off has been recommissioned as it has been a critical and rating success, averaging 6.4 million viewers per episode since its launch.
Those figures make it the Corporation’s second biggest comedy launch in recent years, behind Ludwig (9.5 million) and on par with The Outlaws.
Starring Lucy Punch, the series has also been a hit with younger audiences, drawing 0.9 million 16-34s, the biggest BBC comedy audience in this demographic since Greg Davies’s The Cleaner in 2021.
Co-writer and creator Holly Walsh said: ‘We've been bowled over by the response to Amandaland and can't wait to get co-labbing on the next series.’
Sharon Horgan, co-founder of programme-makers Merman added: ‘With any new show you put out there, your main hope is to make something you love and are proud of. The extra bonus is that it's a critical hit.
‘But to have a loyal audience of this size is just beyond your hopes and expectations. The incredible cast and writers, director and production team worked so hard on this show and it's so wonderful to see that hard work pay off. Special thanks to Lucy for being the most extraordinary frontwoman and to the BBC for having such faith in the idea of Amandaland from the off.’
Amandaland follows Punch’s character Amanda as she is forced to downsize and move from chichi Chiswick to South Harlesden – or, as the estate agent called it, SoHa – after her divorce.
It also stars Joanna Lumley as Amanda’s passive-aggressive mother Felicity, completely in denial that she us lonely, and Philippa Dunne as Amanda’s minion, Anne – both reprising their Motherland characters.
The series also introduced new characters, including Amanda’s long-suffering downstairs neighbour Mal (Samuel Anderson), JJ (Ekow Quartey), the stepfather to Mal’s son Ned, power couple Della and Fi (Siobhán McSweeney and Rochenda Sandall) and smooth-talking South African property developer Johannes (Peter Serafinowicz).
Tanya Qureshi, head of comedy at the BBC said: ‘We always had high hopes for Amandaland, but it’s been amazing to see how much viewers have embraced not just the returning characters, but the brilliant new additions too. We’re so thrilled to reunite with this talented team for another instalment of Amanda’s new life in SoHa.'
It was first mooted that the comedy had been recommissioned last month, according to unnamed sources quoted in the Daily Star.
Amandaland was created by Horgan with the writers Holly Walsh, Helen Serafinowicz and Barunka O’Shaughnessy, with Ghosts co-star and co-creator Laurence Rickard joining the writing team.
» Chortle’s Amandaland review.
