What locals in SoHa (South Harlesden to you and me) REALLY think of how their neighbourhood is portrayed in BBC's Motherland spin-off

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was notorious for having one of the worst crime rates in Britain, as ‘yardie’ gangs selling crack cocaine fought brutal turf wars. But now Harlesden in north-west London has a new and rather more welcome claim to fame – as the setting for the eagerly awaited new BBC comedy Amandaland. In the series – a spin-off from the ever-popular Motherland – social climber Amanda, played by Lucy Punch, has divorced and moved from the upmarket West London enclave of Chiswick to Harlesden.

Or, more precisely, to what she calls ‘South Harlesden’ or ‘So-Ha’, as she tries to put a glamorous gloss on her reduced circumstances. ‘I’m done with W4 [Chiswick] – I’m all about So-Ha,’ the famously snobbish mother of two gushes of the area, which is to the north of Wormwood Scrubs and is renowned as the centre of British reggae music, as the historic home to a number of record labels. ‘It’s what the property experts call South Harlesden.’.

Amanda’s mother, Felicity, deliciously played by Dame Joanna Lumley, makes her own views of the area clear with exquisite sarcasm. ‘Darling, let me in before I get mugged,’ she rasps on arriving for a visit during the first episode, aired this week to five-star ratings all round. Complaining about the lack of a local Waitrose, she announces that she has brought her daughter and grandchildren a ‘tuck parcel’ as the poor mites have ‘only got a Tesco Metro’.

But were her fears justified? And what’s it really like in ‘So-Ha’ – gritty urban centre or gentrifying soon-to-be yuppy paradise?. Harlesden is the setting for the new spin-off of Motherland, BBC comedy series Amandaland. Lucy Punch and Joanna Lumley as Amanda and Felicity in Amandaland. Emily Russell, 36, a fan of Motherland and moved to Harlesden with her husband and two boys 18 months ago, says the area is not 'remotely gentrified'.

Some sources report, hilariously, that Amandaland wasn’t actually shot in Harlesden – instead being filmed in the more upmarket Islington, and Muswell Hill, which had to be ‘artfully distressed’. Meanwhile, when the Mail visited the real Harlesden yesterday, the new sobriquet and show were certainly bringing smiles to the faces of local residents. ‘I’ve heard kids using the abbreviation already,’ revealed Conor Jeeves, 30, a PE teacher at a local school (in fact, the one he attended as a child).

He added: ‘I know Harlesden’s had its difficulties. But you can go down the road and see people you grew up with. ‘It’s a real community. Bits of it can be rough, but so can bits of anywhere. I’ve never suffered it myself. It’s definitely posher than when I went to school. There’s some really nice cafes now and it’s in a great location, sandwiched between Wembley Stadium and Westfield.’.

Near Harlesden Tube station, we bumped into Eddie, 39, a burly but friendly bailiff. ‘I’ve been around here for 25 years and have never heard anyone talk about So-Ha,’ he chuckled. What about those fears that you might get mugged if you loiter too long outdoors?. ‘If you keep your business to yourself it’s OK, but if you mess about and get on the wrong side it can be very tough,’ Eddie admitted. ‘It has a bit of a reputation for crime among the youngsters but it’s not a bad place to live.’.

Just a short walk away in the High Street, James Jooste, 63, sales director at Churchill Mathesons estate agents, was tickled by So-Ha too – but understandably keen to hail the positives of the area. ‘There’s no such thing as South Harlesden,’ he said. PE teacher Conor Jeeves says Harlesden has a 'real community' and is in a great location. Harlesden's high street. The new sobriquet and show were certainly bringing smiles to the faces of local residents when the Mail visited the area.

Master's Supermarket in Harlesden, north west London. While estate agents use the term 'South Harlesden' or So-Ha - some residents are sceptical about the term. Blue graffiti on a brick building. Better value homes is among reasons cited by residents as to why they picked the area. Harlesden Library. One property manager at an estate agents admitted the area 'could feel a bit edgy' and the 'opposite of posh'.

‘No one would ever say they live in So-Ha, and we don’t market it as such.’. He warned: ‘There’s a perception that Harlesden is gritty. I’ve been aware of two shooting incidents in the 18 months I’ve been here, including a drive-by at a pizza place – but no one got shot.’. Mr Jooste, who moved with his wife to London five years ago from South Africa, added: ‘A lot of professional people are coming here because property is great value for money compared to areas like Acton which have already become posher.