Airdate: Motherland

UK comedy Motherland, which examines the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood, premieres next week on ABC Comedy.

The cast features Anna Maxwell Martin (Julia), Lucy Punch (Amanda), Diane Morgan (Liz), Paul Ready (Kevin), Philippa Dune (Anne).

Co-written by Sharon Horgan & Graham Linehan, this premiered in the UK in 2016.

A group of less-than-perfect parents reveal the comic and crazy sides of middle-class motherhood as they navigate the trials and traumas of unromanticised parenting, where chaos and hyper-competition reign supreme as they struggle to keep up and stay the course.

We meet the ‘Alpha Mums’ headed by Amanda, who is very much the Queen Bee: everything is organised, clean and sparkly – even the kitchen cork board is a statement of success. Yet at the other end of the spectrum, we meet Liz, who’s totally chaotic and feels the kids should enjoy free expression.

Somewhere in the middle is Julia, who, when she forgets it’s the school holidays, realises her organisational skills are nowhere near the level of the ‘Alpha Mums’. Also in the mix is Kevin. He’s the stay at home dad, who, rather than fighting against that, is embracing it with gusto – much to the irritation of the other mothers.

Motherland isn’t the public face of motherhood, it’s unromanticised parenting: competition, cafes full of kids, dog-poo bags standing in as replacement lunch boxes.

Thursday 16 July 9.30pm on ABC Comedy.