Amandaland's Lucy Punch on 25 years of hard slog to become leading lady

When Amanda Holden posed with Amandaland prima Lucy Punch astatine a screening of the caller BBC show, it was a lawsuit of “move implicit Holden, there’s a much celebrated Amanda connected telly now!”

Rave reviews person greeted the show, which launched connected Wednesday night, and which critics person described arsenic “both hilarious and heartfelt,” saying Lucy “has ne'er been better” arsenic the cardinal quality Amanda Hughes.

The Motherland spin-off bid has already seen Lucy, 47, universally hailed arsenic the main attraction, for her show arsenic overbearing azygous mum Amanda Hughes.

In Motherland, which was acceptable successful westbound London’s leafy Chiswick, Amanda was portion of an ensemble of mediate people mums.
Set successful leafy Chiswick, the deed bid - which besides starred Anna Maxwell Martin arsenic Julia, Diane Morgan arsenic Liz, Philippa Dunne arsenic Anne and Tanya Moodie arsenic Meg - ended successful 2022.

Now, Amandaland follows a caller section successful Amanda’s life, arsenic she settles her 2 children into secondary schoolhouse successful South Harlesden (or SoHa) aft being forced to downsize and downgrade her beingness pursuing her divorcement - swapping Waitrose for Tesco Metro.

Co-writer Holly Walsh says of Amanda’s plight: “To spot idiosyncratic who thinks they’ve made it successful beingness autumn is simply a amusive communicative to write.
“South Harlesden is lone astir 5 miles distant from Chiswick, but for Amanda that’s huge, arsenic she’s truthful postcode-obsessed.”

Irish histrion Phillipa besides returns successful Amandaland, arsenic Amanda’s agelong suffering champion person Anne, and acting royalty Joanna Lumley, who had antecedently made impermanent appearances successful Motherland, is present a main formed subordinate arsenic her narcissistic mother, Felicity.
“I’m ever formed arsenic savage aged grannies and mothers and wizened, cruel aunts,” says the Ab Fab legend.
But, contempt Joanna Lumley’s stardust, this is precise overmuch Lucy’s infinitesimal to instrumentality the spotlight.

And it’s been a agelong clip coming .

It’s taken the stunning blonde with razor-sharp comic timing 25 years of adjacent misses and disfigured stepsister roles, earlier she’s yet go the star.
The privately educated histrion was calved successful Hammersmith, westbound London, the girl of Johanna and Michael Punch, a marketplace probe executive.
She attended the prestigious Godolphin and Latymer School, wherever notable alumni see TV presenter Davina McCall and TV cook Nigella Lawson.
But Lucy dropped retired of her past grade astatine University College London to travel her acting dreams and, aft grooming astatine the National Youth Theatre, she achieved admirably swift success.
She won a coveted relation alongside her surface mum’s Absolutely Fabulous co-star, Jennifer Saunders and Vicar of Dibley prima Dawn French successful the 1999 BBC sitcom Let Them Eat Cake.
Set earlier the French Revolution, she played Eveline De Plonge. Sadly, though, contempt a stellar cast, the amusement was not a ratings victor and was axed aft 1 series.
Jobbing roles followed, including Midsomer Murders and Doc Martin, earlier she decided to effort and conquer the US - moving stateside successful 2005.

Lucy said: “I moved to the States due to the fact that I kept getting formed arsenic posh idiots. I was similar ‘This is boring. I cognize I tin bash much than this.’”
And she was close - landing a relation successful sitcom The Class successful 2004, co-creator of which was David Crane of Friends fame.
She past got what she hoped would beryllium a large interruption - winning a main relation successful a sitcom co-created by Friends creator David Crane.
Lucy was a country stealer successful the amusement astir a radical of erstwhile classmates, which was wide touted to go the adjacent Friends.
Yet, contempt hefty promotion, which included emblazoning the faces of Lucy and her co-stars crossed LA buses and billboards, the amusement launched to lukewarm reviews and was wide regarded arsenic a failure.
Still, her co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson went connected to execute mega-stardom conscionable a twelvemonth aboriginal arsenic Mitchell Pritchett successful Modern Family.
Disillusioned, astir this clip Amanda considered giving up and heading location - with her mum adjacent suggesting that she retrain arsenic a chiropodist.

But successful 2009, the agleam lights came calling again, erstwhile she won a portion successful Woody Allen’s 2010 film, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, aft Nicole Kidman dropped out.
Playing Anthony Hopkins’ enactment idiosyncratic woman Charmaine - a platinum blonde - she won captious acclaim - past going connected to play a stalker successful the 2010 movie Dinner for Schmucks with Steve Carrell. And successful 2011 she played romcom queen Kate Hudson’s champion pal successful A Little Bit of Heaven.
But the Woody Allen movie was the relation that “changed her life,” according to Lucy, who said: “I’d been retired of enactment for a agelong clip earlier I got that.
“That truly changed my life, getting that job, due to the fact that I was acceptable to battalion it each in.”
Lucy besides 2nd pistillate pb to Cameron Diaz in the 2011 drama Bad Teacher, playing . Cameron’s emotion rival - the painfully perky Amy Squirrel - who she battled for Justin Timberlake’s affection.

ANd Lucy stole the movie “ packing a almighty drama punch” according to 1 critic, besides winning praise from Cameron for her “fearless,awesome” show arsenic idiosyncratic “you truly wanted to punch successful the face”.
But self-deprecating Lucy said astatine the time: “Every movie I’ve done, erstwhile they formed maine they knew I’d astir apt bash it for a toffee pome and a Frappuccino. Everyone assumes you indispensable beryllium making a fortune, but I’m inactive driving astir successful my bashed-up Honda Civic.”
After gathering creator hubby Dinos Chapman successful Hollywood, Lucy settled determination permanently. The couple, who person 2 sons, were among the fortunate radical whose homes were not destroyed successful the caller LA wildfires.

Aside from a fewer melodramatic roles, including playing a caregiver other Jennifer Aniston’s medicine cause addict quality Claire successful the 2014 movie Cake, Lucy was champion known, by her ain admission, for playing unhinged pistillate characters erstwhile she was formed successful Motherland arsenic passive-aggressive snob Amanda.
In 2014, she besides played evil stepsister Lucinda successful Into the Woods, alongside Meryl Streep, saying: “I was ever playing witches and brainsick women.

“When I was 11, I had an Ugly Sister day party. All my idea. Most girls privation to beryllium a fairy oregon a princess, but determination I americium with quality spots and fur and fluorescent pinkish kiss-curls. When I told my parent astir Into the Woods, she was like, “Oh darling, not again”.’
Now, backmost arsenic Amanda Hughes successful Amandaland, her quality is showing overmuch much of her “vulnerability” than she did successful Motherland, according to Lucy.
She adds: “She’s astir apt had a quiescent breakdown oregon meltdown on the way. She’s disintegrated somewhat but has galvanised herself, she’s doing her best.”
And this clip mum Felicity is determination each measurement of the way.
Joanna Lumley archetypal worked with Lucy successful 2004 successful Ella Enchanted, starring Anne Hathaway. Lucy played 1 of Ella’s cruel stepsisters portion Joanna played abusive stepmum Dame Olga.

Of her connected surface mum, Lucy says: “I emotion Joanna truthful much. Occasionally I’m disquieted what my mum’s thinking. But truthfully, Joanna would beryllium my 2nd prime of mother."

Reunited arsenic a knockout drama duo successful Amandaland, Joanna describes her ain quality arsenic “amused and amusing, with a small spot of cattiness towards her daughter,” she is delighted to beryllium acting with Lucy again and says: “Amandaland was magic to beryllium portion of.”

Amandaland tin beryllium seen astatine 9pm connected Wednesdays connected BBC1 and the full bid is disposable connected BBC iPlayer.

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