Motherland (TV series)

This article is about the British sitcom. For the Freeform drama series, see Motherland: Fort Salem.

Motherland
Created bySharon Horgan
Helen Serafinowicz
Graham Linehan
Holly Walsh
Directed byJuliet May
Simon Hynd
Graham Linehan (Pilot episode)[1][2]
StarringAnna Maxwell Martin
Lucy Punch
Diane Morgan
Paul Ready
Philippa Dunne
Tanya Moodie
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3 + 1 pilot[3]
No. of episodes19 (+ 1 pilot)
Production
Running time26–33 minutes
Production companiesDelightful Industries (Series 1–2)
Twofour (Series 3)
Merman
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
BBC iPlayer
BBC One (2022 Christmas special)
Release6 September 2016 (2016-09-06) –
23 December 2022 (2022-12-23)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Motherland is a British sitcom set in London, which explores the trials of middle-class motherhood.[4] A pilot episode, written by Graham Linehan, Sharon Horgan, Helen Serafinowicz and Holly Walsh was first broadcast on BBC Two on 6 September 2016 as part of its "Sitcom Season".[5][4][6] The BBC subsequently ordered a full series of six episodes,[3] the first of which aired on 7 November 2017.[7]

The second series was released on BBC iPlayer on 7 October 2019. The third series began transmission on BBC2 on 10 May 2021, with all five episodes being released on BBC iPlayer the same day.[8] In the United States, the show is broadcast on Sundance TV. The series won a British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy in 2022. A second Christmas special aired on 23 December 2022 on BBC One.

A spin-off was announced in May 2024 titled Amandaland, centering around Amanda (Lucy Punch), with Philippa Dunne and Joanna Lumley reprising their roles of Anne and Amanda's mother Felicity respectively.[9]

  1. ^ "Motherland (TV Series 2016– ) – IMDb". Retrieved 17 November 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
  2. ^ "BBC Two - Motherland, Pilot".
  3. ^ a b Martinson, Jane (6 October 2016). "BBC's Motherland to return as full series". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Sitcom Season: Motherland". BBC Media Centre. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Motherland". BBC. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Motherland". BBC Writers Room. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  7. ^ Wilson, Benji (7 November 2017). "Motherland reaches similar comedy heights to Fawlty Towers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  8. ^ Morris, Lauren (7 May 2021). "Motherland season 3 review". Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  9. ^ "BBC Comedy Motherland spin-off Amandaland announced for BBC One and iPlayer". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2024.