Motherland spin-off Amandaland launched last week and cast member Philippa Dunne – who plays the title character’s pal Anne Flynn – recently discussed life as a parent
Amandaland star Philippa Dunne discusses Motherland on Virgin Radio
A cast member from Amandaland has revealed they once cried in the car over the stresses of being a parent.
The BBC show is a spin-off from the BAFTA-winning sitcom Motherland, which ran for three series from 2016 to 2022. A few actors have reprised their roles, with fans reintroduced to lead character Amanda Hughes (played by Lucy Punch) and her friend Anne Flynn (Philippa Dunne) in the show.
Philippa – who’s also been in the shows such as Derry Girls – has revealed she relates to the characters on Motherland now that she’s a parent herself. The actor welcomed a daughter, who’s now four, whilst that show was still running. Whilst speaking to Ryan Tubridy on Virgin Radio UK, she was asked in the interview on Monday if her opinion on if the franchise had “changed” now that she’s a parent. Philippa said: “There was definitely a penny dropping moment.”
The guest went on to say that in the first few series she had wondered if situations were being “ramped up” in scenes for “entertainment pursposes”. Philippa, however, teased that she’s since found aspects of the show to be “real.”
She said: “For the first couple of series, I didn’t know what … I thought ‘is this all just ramped up for entertainment purposes or is any of this real?’ And then I remember the moment, like I just copped on that like ‘oh the school gates scenario was real’ and it’s as terrifying as it is on the TV show because it’s just an explosion of sound and noise and chaos and stress [and] kind of like trying to hide and run away as quickly as possible.”
After discussing one particular scene, Ryan said: “But it all changed then? So you’re watching going … all that thing that you thought was being hyped up and turned into comedy actually is reality.” Philippa responded to the host: “The screaming, the stress, the panic, the problem solving, the crying in your car, all of that. It’s all real.”
Amandaland launched last week – more than two years on from the last episode of Motherland, which was a Christmas special that aired in 2022. The spin-off follows Amanda, who has now begun a new life after her divorce.
Philippa previously teased that her character Anne is “living her best life” when viewers are first reintroduced to her, teasing: “She’s had a few years of freedom [from Amanda], and things are going really well. […] She’s no longer following Amanda around.”
She added ahead of the launch: “Then Amanda comes back into the picture. Of course, Anne is delighted to see Amanda because she absolutely loves her, but she’s unaware of just how much Amanda takes up her time and headspace.”
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