Amandaland series two – give this funny picture next to Alan Partridge and David Brent | Joanna Lumley

MeIf God really loves a tryst, he’s sure Amanda Hughes of Amandaland. Former owner of West London boutique Hygge Tygge may be in the gutter – she’s a single mum who’s recently moved from a large house in Chiswick to a Harlesden maisonette (which she has to clean. himself) and is currently working in sales for a high-end kitchen company – but is settling for the stars. Don’t be fooled by the gross laziness and indifference he brings to his real work; When it comes to his true calling to become a successful artist to promote his brand Senuous, he puts in countless hours.

In this sense, Amanda fits neatly into the line of British comedy icons; put him next to the sly, sarcastic, tireless likes of Alan Partridge and David Brent. Yet the character of Lucy Punch – who first appeared in the modern sitcom Motherland before striking out on her own – gets an easier ride than her peers. At first he was the enemy of the Motherland: a dark, swarthy, flamboyant figure perched on top of the schoolgirl’s dinner table who spent his time exploiting Anne (Philippa Dunne) and watching over the protagonist Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin). Later, we see his divorce and strained relationship with his judge mother (Joanna Lumley). As the mask fell, his love grew. In the end we are encouraged to think of Amanda as more of a villain than a villain.

In his show, which is now back for the second series, he is very sad and compassionate, he follows the social network in vain following the many conflicts. This is one of the reasons why Amandaland is not as fragrant as Motherland, but there are other factors as well. While her predecessors made hay due to work and family issues, here the children are adults and the dangers of parenting are over.

If the center of gravity of Motherland was school dropouts, Amandaland moves parental conflicts aside from youth football education. Anne remains in the picture, joined by Fi (Rochenda Sandall) and her celebrity chef friend Della (Siobhán McSweeney)who is Amanda Morten’s (Anya McKenna-Bruce) daughter’s bestie’s mother. Amanda’s downstairs neighbor Mal (Samuel Anderson) is the downstairs teacher, while her son Ned’s stepfather JJ (Ekow Quartey) – move on! – it also creates a static view. In this second series, Ned’s no-nonsense mother Abs (Big Boys’ Harriet Webb) is also a constant presence.

Human behavior is forced now (do Abs, JJ and Mal all really need to watch Ned play or do they have a phobia of connecting in their free time?). And, despite the skewering of sharp-elbowed gangs – Amanda is happy that her neglected corner of London is finally lively when a modern coffee shop opens – the show is more and more in the refreshing technique of the sitcom.

Amandaland – whose first series was written by Motherland writers Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Helen Serafinowicz and Holly Walsh and is now co-written by Walsh and Horrible Histories’ Laurence Rickard – has become the kind of comedy where you know what everyone is going to say before they say it.

So, maybe it’s because the main characters are so grounded, yet the writing also has a lot of wit and plotting. Some of the secondary storylines (Fi buys a new car to run her dog-walking business and immediately transforms into a white car person; Mal and JJ struggle to use modern tools or old-fashioned skills to build a shed) may have been picked from an old hat hiding in a dusty cupboard in the BBC’s sports department.

However, some ideas, such as Anne being an Instagram phenomenon, are more convincing as the only show based on tried and tested game conventions. And overcoming all the cliches is Amanda’s amazing portrayal of Punch. Lumley is also magnetic as her mother, Felicity, Sloanier and (slightly) the very drunk Patsy from Ab Fab. Dunne gives a convincing performance as the distraught Anne, which I could listen to all day. It’s classic fantasy, but these are people you want to spend time with, even if they’re doing something as simple as taking pictures of a run or getting an eye exam.

As with the first series, where Amanda finally rejects her wealthy friend’s offer to move her and her children into a Wapping penthouse, this second installment presents our hero with a moral dilemma. It’s an episode of the show that continues to insist that it goes beyond being deserved and scorned, Amanda has heart. Not, perhaps, a mercilessly funny side, but an undeniably comforting one – and Amandaland is worth going back to hear for yourself.