The has given Amandaland a greenlight for a third season as it opened its annual Comedy Festival in Liverpool this afternoon, putting the hit spin-off back at the centre of its comedy slate. Jon Petrie, the ’s comedy boss, said the corporation is leaning hard into returners, with six shows getting second or third season renewals, plus an eighth run for Two Doors Down and a documentary about Not Going Out.
Among the returners is Amandaland, which has become one of the broadcaster’s biggest comedy success stories. It has won a BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy, pulled huge audiences to the and sparked memes aplenty, a rare mix of awards attention and broad public reach that helps explain why the show is getting more episodes.
The move also keeps the spotlight on Holly Walsh’s suburban satire just days after she floated an eyebrow-raising idea for the next guest spot. At the BAFTAs on Sunday, Walsh said her dream Amandaland guest is Melania Trump, describing her as “America’s Amanda.”
Amandaland is a Motherland spin-off, and its renewal lands in a wider push to hold onto comedy hits while also introducing new ones. Petrie has also renewed Daisy May Cooper’s Am I Being Unreasonable?, Black Ops, Things You Should Have Done, Such Brave Girls, Mammoth and Two Doors Down, while the broadcaster has ordered two fresh series: Hopley Hall and Opening Up.
Hopley Hall, a working title, stars Derry Girls lead Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and follows the staff who keep a Grade 1 listed house running in the Northern Irish countryside. Opening Up, created by stand-up comic Amy Gledhill with Starstruck actor Nic Sampson, follows a long-term couple trying to fix their faltering sex life by sleeping with other people.
The ’s strategy is clear enough from the list alone. It is backing the shows that already have momentum, while using the festival to signal that new commissions will sit alongside them rather than replace them. For viewers, the immediate result is more Amandaland, more familiar faces from the ’s comedy roster and a fresh batch of series trying to break through.
The real test now is whether the next run can match the first two in scale and cultural reach. If it does, the Amandaland cast will not just be returning to a loyal audience; it will be returning to a slot the now sees as one of its most bankable comedy assets.
