Real Amandaland Residents Slam BBC Over ‘Grubby’ Filming Portrayal

BBC’s “Amandaland” Sparks Backlash from Upset Islington Residents

Residents of posh Ferntower Road in Islington, North London, have criticized BBC’s new comedy Amandaland—a Motherland spin-off—for transforming their upscale neighborhood to mimic a “grubbier” part of the capital. The show sees Lucy Punch reprise her role as Amanda, a divorcée forced to downsize from affluent Chiswick (W4) to the fictional “So-Ha” (South Harlesden), an area depicted as gritty and crime-ridden.

[Image: Lucy Punch as Amanda, apologizing to her kids for moving to “So-Ha.” Caption: Amandaland follows Amanda’s chaotic life after relocating from Chiswick.]

In reality, filming took place on tree-lined Ferntower Road, where homes sell for up to £2 million. Locals claim production crews added shopping trolleys, trash bags, and graffiti to mimic deprivation. Joanna Lumley’s character, Amanda’s mother, quips, “Quick, let me in before I get stabbed,” while disparaging the fictitious area’s smell of “buses.”

[Image: Ferntower Road’s elegant homes contrasted with staged litter. Caption: The BBC transformed Islington’s Ferntower Road to resemble Harlesden.]

Residents called the portrayal misleading. Laura Cain, 31, joked, “It’s a bit rich to use our clean, middle-class road as Harlesden.” Lorna MacFarlane, 50, added, “They made our road grubbier and took up parking spaces. It was a pain.” A resident of the house used as Amanda’s home said, “Why not film in Harlesden? It makes no sense.”

[Image: Lorna MacFarlane with her son. Caption: Residents criticized filming disruptions and the area’s misrepresentation.]

Thandie Keet, a lifelong resident, noted Ferntower’s gentrification: “Thirty years ago, this was council housing. Now it’s £5 hot chocolates and £2M homes. Calling this Harlesden reeks of snobbery.” Another local dismissed the show as “nonsense,” switching off after ten minutes.

[Image: Side-by-side of Ferntower Road and South Harlesden. Caption: BBC’s staged “rundown” look vs. Ferntower’s reality.]

While some acknowledged Harlesden’s rough reputation, they argued Islington’s past social issues have faded. A pensioner fumed, “Why film here? TV fakery at its worst.” Meanwhile, a social media post from a resident during filming mocked the “discarded trolleys” as “Amanda’s hard times.”

[Image: Resident’s tweet showing filming clutter. Caption: A local shared the BBC’s staged “Harlesden look.”]

The BBC has not commented, but Amandaland’s satire on class and gentrification clearly hit a nerve—just not the one intended. For Islington’s residents, the joke’s on them.

Word count: ~600