Motherland (British TV series)
Motherland is a British sitcom set in West London, which explores the trials of middle-class motherhood. A pilot episode, written by Sharon Horgan, Graham Linehan, Helen Serafinowicz and Holly Walsh, was first broadcast on BBC Two on 6 September 2016 as part of its "Sitcom Season". The BBC subsequently ordered a full series of six episodes, the first of which aired on 7 November 2017.
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. 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, centring around Amanda with Philippa Dunne and Joanna Lumley reprising their roles of Anne and Amanda's mother Felicity respectively.
Synopsis
When working mother Julia Johnstone's mother abruptly decides to stop taking care of her grandchildren, Julia is forced to take a much more active role in their lives and education. She becomes friends with working-class Liz and stay-at-home dad Kevin Brady, and finds herself interacting with the local mother group, including their shallow and acerbic leader, Amanda. Julia is constantly overwhelmed by aspects of parenthood, and receives no support from her perpetually absent husband Paul. Working at a PR firm at the start of the series, Julia eventually quits and starts her own PR business.Cast and characters
Production
Development
The show was originally a 2011 pilot on the American network ABC. Writer Sharon Horgan reworked the script when the pilot was not picked up for a full series and collaborated with Graham Linehan on turning it into a British sitcom instead. Following its pilot on BBC, it was picked up for a full series in October 2016.Filming
The show was filmed primarily in Acton, Ealing, Bedford Park, Chiswick, West London and Muswell Hill, North London. Scenes outside the children's school are filmed at Southfield Primary School in Bedford Park. Other areas include Hammersmith, West Kilburn, Hanwell, Ladbroke Grove and Harlesden. Julia's house is 1 Avenue Gardens in South Acton and the University of West London on the Golden Mile doubled as Julia's work office.In the Pool Party episode of series one, the lobby scenes were filmed at Mallison Sports Centre in Highgate however the pool scenes at the Charing Cross Sports Club, in Hammersmith. In The Cavalry episode of first series, the station in which Paul's parents arrived at and departed from was Teddington railway station. The hospital the parents visited in the last episode of the first series was Ealing Hospital, in Southall. The Sports Day episode of series two was filmed at the Southfield Recreation Ground in Bedford Park.
In the Nit Blitz episode of third series, the park scenes were filmed at Springfield Gardens near Acton Main Line. The school the parents visit in the Catchment Area episode of the series three is Elthorne Park High School in Hanwell. In the same episode, the Catholic church that Julia paid a visit to was Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church near Acton Central, yet the exterior was filmed at the back of Ealing Abbey.
In the Mother's Day episode of series three, Liz and Kevin visit his mum's grave with Church Lane and Street in Twickenham doubling as 'the countryside'. In the 2020 Christmas Special, the park scenes were filmed at Acton Park, in Acton Vale, London. In the 2022 Christmas special, the opening scene at the market was filmed on Pitshanger Lane in Ealing, at the butcher's Hook and Cleaver.
The pilot was filmed in April 2016 and aired on 6 September 2016. The first series was filmed from late June to early August 2017 and aired from 7 November to 12 December 2017. Filming for the second series started in March 2019, and aired from 7 October to 11 November 2019.
The third series was in the midst of filming in October 2020 and all episodes aired in May 2021. The 2020 Christmas special was filmed in November 2020 and is the first episode of the third series but aired earlier on 23 December 2020. The latest Christmas special was filmed in November 2022 and released on 23 December 2022.