Gavin & Stacey

BBC reveals further casting for Motherland spin-off Amandaland

Lucy Punch, Joanna Lumley and Philippa Dunne sit on a sofa, smiling to the camera. Lumley and Punch wear light-toned, expensive-looking clothing, whereas Dunne wears a denim jacket and dark multicoloured dress

Joining Lucy Punch (How to Build a Girl), who stars as the eponymous Amanda, will be Samuel Anderson (Gavin & Stacey) as Mal and Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls) as Della. Peter Serafinowicz (The Gentlemen) will appear as Johannes, Ekow Quartey (Becoming Elizabeth) as JJ and Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty) as Fi.

Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) will also appear as Amanda’s overbearing mother Felicity, and Philippa Dunne (Derry Girls) as Anne, as previously announced.

What occurred? A look back at Gavin & Stacey's best moments

Few 21st-century British sitcoms have won classic status, but Gavin & Stacey did so with a vengeance. James Corden and Ruth Jones, who’d met as actors on ITV’s Fat Friends, were new to writing when they began work on the show, yet their fully-realised, relatable characters, superbly cast, have given us what every creator of TV comedy desires – a well-written series that is a genuinely popular success.

In an era of streaming and niche audiences, Gavin & Stacey retains a rare cross-generational, mainstream appeal that is now vanishing fast.

Comfort Classic: Gavin & Stacey

Credit: BBC

When a new BBC Three comedy made its low-key debut in the spring of 2007, no one imagined that Gavin & Stacey would go on to become the comedic equivalent of a national treasure. 

Despite its two writers’ utter lack of experience as screenwriters – James Corden and Ruth Jones had met as actors on Kay Mellor’s slimming club drama for ITV, Fat Friends – it soon became clear that here was a startlingly original show blessed by a group of fully realised characters, a script crackling with wit and an unusually brilliant cast. 

Gavin & Stacey to return for a one-off BBC Christmas special

Gavin and Stacey cast (Credit: BBC)

Written and created by Ruth Jones and James Corden, who also star in the series, the hit sitcom will be produced by Fulwell 73, Tidy Productions and Baby Cow Productions.

Gavin & Stacey originally aired on the BBC from 2007 to 2010 for three series, plus a Christmas special in 2008.

The show followed Gavin (Matthew Horne), an ordinary boy from Essex, and Stacey (Joanna Page), an ordinary girl from Barry, who spoke to each other every day on the phone at work.