Luckily, Anne’s son is at the same school, and she’s thrilled. The school has a great STEM program, she tells Amanda, cheerfully adding that “the torture scene from A Clockwork Orange was filmed in the playground”.
As well as the friendship between Amanda and Anne (is this the show’s love story?), Amandaland focuses on the dysfunctional relationship between Amanda and her mother Felicity, again played by Joanna Lumley in a feat of genius casting. Her first words in the series, after knocking on the door of Amanda’s new flat? “Darling, let me in, before I get mugged.” She’s as deliciously toxic as ever, especially now they’re growing increasingly co-dependent. More Lumley – especially as essentially an older Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous – can only be a great thing.
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Between ingratiating herself with school mum Della (Derry Girls′ Siobhán McSweeney), who runs a hip restaurant, and insulting downstairs neighbour Mal (Samuel Anderson), the school’s football coach, Amanda actually shows a more vulnerable side in this series, even if she expresses it in terms of missing the high ceilings in her old house. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to give up Regency proportions,” she wails to Anne, who offers her sleeve to mop up Amanda’s tears. Motherland fans, trust me: Amandaland is your next binge-watch.
*Nine is the owner of Stan and this masthead.
