Inside Amandaland star Lucy Punch's VERY varied career as she's finally a leading lady at 47

She's got a face that many would recognise - but could you name her?. Lucy Punch is the star of her very own sitcom as Amandaland - spin-off of popular BBC comedy Motherland - hits UK TV screens tonight. But it has been a long road to leading lady for the 47-year-old actress, who has enjoyed countless small roles in small and big screen and cemented herself as a supporting character in Hollywood - but never quite making it as the biggest name.

However, as Amandaland follows Punch's high-maintenance, uptight Amanda as she navigates motherhood and divorce while promoting herself as a local celebrity, the actress is officially a top prime time star. She stars opposite TV legend Joanna Lumley, who is her on-screen mother, and Philippa Dunne, who plays Amanda's long-suffering best friend Anne. But British viewers will likely be familiar with the actress's work over a series of decades and she is well-known for her charming portrayal of irksome characters who are often the source of their peers' annoyance.

The west London-born actress currently lives in LA alongside her visual artist husband, Dinos Chapman, and their two children - though the family recently had to vacate their property in Laurel Canyon after the 'devastating' fires threatened to destroy their home. Over the years, Lucy has played roles in dozens of productions including Hot Fuzz, Bad Teacher and St Trinian's. She began life in Hammersmith, London and later attended the prestigious private school, Godolphin and Latymer School, before heading to University College London to study history.

Now, Lucy is the star in a new spin-off, Amandaland, where she spotlights as a post-popular yummy-mummy struggling to cope with a divorce - all while navigating the new surroundings of a less affluent part of town. Lucy began life in Hammersmith, London and later attended the prestigious private school, Godolphin and Latymer School, before heading to University College London to study history (pictured in 2024).

But it wasn't to last, with the star quickly realising her true calling and she promptly dropped out of university to pursue a career in acting. As a teenager, she always shared an interest in the arts and had performed at the National Youth Theatre between the ages of 16 and 19. She took on her breakout TV role in The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1998. She later had a role in Let Them Eat Cake, a BBC sitcom starring Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, that aired in 1999. Shortly after, she managed to bag roles in episodes of Poirot and Midsomer Murders as well as a part as a receptionist in Doc Martin.

After several years of steady jobs in both TV and film - bored of being cast as 'posh idiots' - Lucy ended up moving to LA during the early 2000s, where she was given a role in the comedy show, The Class. However, work began to dry up, leaving the actress questioning whether she really wanted to pursue the vocation. Her mother even suggested she consider becoming a chiropodist - a specialist in prevention of foot disorders.

But things took a positive turn for Lucy when in 2009 she was cast in Woody Allen’s 2010 film, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, after Nicole Kidman dropped out. In the film, she took on the role of Anthony Hopkins' gold-digger girlfriend Charmaine, delivering scene stealing performances while radiating in a platinum blonde wig. She previously described the role as life changing. 'Getting that was a huge endorsement. I still had to audition for things, but the feeling was ,"If she's good enough for Woody…,"' she told The Guardian.

The British born actress currently lives in LA alongside her visual artist husband, Dinos Chapman (pictured) and their two children - though the family recently had to vacate their property in Laurel Canyon after the 'devastating' fires threatened to snatch their home. While she said the role was 'fun', Lucy revealed in a later interview that she hadn't enjoyed having to 'wear these tiny outfits' and watch what she ate. 'That side was really, really boring,' she told Vulture.

In an interview with The Independent last week, the actress described the project as a 'failure' in hindsight - despite having previously called it 'life changing'. 'There are plenty of [personal regrets] that I don't want to actually resurrect and talk about. My list of failures? I did a film with Woody Allen, a very long time ago, and I'd been out of work for a long time before I got that,' she told the publication.

'That really changed my life, getting that job, because I was ready to pack it all in. It's difficult to say that now because of all the stuff that's happened around him since then.'. Nevertheless, she said she remains 'proud' of what was one of her breakthrough films. Since then, she has taken on a string of TV and film gigs across both sides of the Atlantic, including the 2010 film Dinner for Schmucks with Steve Carrell and A Little Bit of Heaven with Kate Hudson.