Amanda has landed

Comic actress Lucy Punch on the joy of landing her very own spin-off show

- SANJEETA BAINS

MOVER over, Holden there's a new Amanda in town. Lucy Punch is back and better than ever, playing Amanda Hughes in Motherland spin-off Amandaland.

And she even got to pose with her character's namesake Holden at a screening of the new BBC comedy.

Critics have greeted the show, which launched on Wednesday, with rave reviews, calling it "both hilarious and heartfelt" and saying Lucy "has never been better" as its central character.

In Motherland, set in Chiswick, West London, Amanda was part of an ensemble of middle-class mums.

The hit series also starring Anna Maxwell Martin as Julia, Diane Morgan as Liz, Philippa Dunne as Anne and Tanya Moodie as Meg - ended in 2022.

But Amandaland follows a new chapter in Amanda's life, as she settles her two children into secondary school in South Harlesden (or SoHa), downgrading her life following her divorce and swapping Waitrose for Tesco.

Joanna Lumley adds some stardust to the cast but it is Lucy who takes the spotlight and it has been a long time coming for the 47-year-old.