Screen Queen: Amandaland review, Invisible Boys, St Denis Medical, Mysteries of Loch Ness, Celebrity Bear Hunt

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Screen Queen: Amandaland review, Invisible Boys, St Denis Medical, Mysteries of Loch Ness, Celebrity Bear Hunt

AmandalandStreaming now on Stan

The British series Motherland may have passed you by. Which is a shame, because it really is one of the best — and most accurate — portrayals of motherhood to grace our screens in recent years.

Created by Sharon Horgan, (she’s the genius behind Catastrophe and Bad Sisters, so you know already you’ll want to watch it) it bills itself as a comedy about a group of “less-than-perfect parents as they navigate the chaos, craziness and hyper-competitive world of middle-class motherhood”.

Needless to say, it spoke to my soul.

If it passed you by, don’t stress: old episodes are on Stan, and you can binge all three seasons, plus the Christmas specials, which will set you up beautifully for this very funny spin-off series.

It sees Lucy Punch reprising her role as the insufferable Amanda — she’s one of the mums featured in the series. Time has passed, and her kids are now in high school. She’s divorced and has downsized from her posh Chiswick home to (shock, horror!) South Harlesden — if you know anything about London geography, you’ll know this is a mighty fall from grace.

The always-fabulous Joanna Lumley returns as her mum, and Philippa Dunne is also back playing long-suffering Anne. It’s all fabulously good fun.

Joining them is Derry Girls favourite Siobhan McSweeney, who plays the obnoxious celebrity chef Amanda’s keen to befriend; she’s hilariously awful, as per usual.

When I tell you I HOWLED at this first episode . . . It really is that funny.

Chances are you’ll love it too — don’t miss it.

Invisible BoysThursday, streaming on StanCamera IconZach Blampied and Elaine Crombie star in Invisible Boys. Credit: Stan/David Dare Parker

Geraldton is front-and-centre in this new original series, based on the award-winning novel by WA author Holden Sheppard. The series, which filmed in the coastal town, tells the story of four gay teens and what happens after one of them is outed on social media following an encounter with a married man. Beautifully shot and superbly acted by the mostly unknown young cast, the story has been beautifully re-imagined for television.

Creator Nicholas Verso says he wanted to give today’s young LGBTQIA+ youth a story that resonated in the same way that 1998’s Head On did for him, and he’s more than succeeded.

This has all the makings of a modern classic.

St Denis MedicalScreening now, 7Plus

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Let’s face it, nothing will ever be as great as early-Noughties comedy, Scrubs. But I tell ya, this one, buried away on 7Plus, has a solid basis. Love that this is on a free streaming platform — worth a look!

Mysteries of Loch NessSunday, 7.30pm, SBS

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I’ve visited Loch Ness; it’s a pretty little spot. Not that I’d know, because my eyes were glued to the water. This is a deep dive into theories about what lurks beneath. Love a good beat up.

Celebrity Bear HuntScreening now on

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