BBC Amandaland's Rochenda Sandall's UK drama-royalty partner and cooking prowess
English actress Rochenda Sandall's will be appearing in the brand new Motherland spin-off series Amdanaland on BBC. The actress, known for her roles in Line of Duty and Doctor Who, will be playing the role of Fi in the series which will follow Amanda's life after Motherland.
While Sandall has a glittering acting career, she has also showcased impressive culinary talents and has a drama-royalty partner. Rochenda Sandall's was born in 1988 and raised in the small village of Goxhill near Grimsby in Lincolnshire. Her father worked with Humberside Police while her mother was a teacher. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
Throughout her school years, Rochenda attended Cliftons Dance Academy, which was owned by Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Kevin Clifton's parents, Judy and Keith Clifton. When she was 18, she debuted her acting kills when she took part in the Baysgarth School production of Sister Act II, earning her a mention in the Bartonian newsletter which described the production as a "huge success".
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This marked the beginning of a successful TV career for the actress, whose most notable work include ITV's soap opera Coronation Street, BBC crime drama Line of Duty, Netflix's series Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, as well as the streaming service's series Criminal: UK, the 13th series of Doctor Who and the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
To celebrate her part as Lisa McQueen in the popular series, Line of Duty, the actress said that she treated herself to Swedish meatballs and a new wardrobe from IKEA, reports Lincolnshire Live. In her personal life, it was reported in 2020 that the actress was in a long-term relationship with Mark Stanley, a familiar face to many who watched HBO's Game of Thrones and BBC's Happy Valley.
The couple starred together in Netflix's Criminal: UK, which follows the work of highly trained members of a special interrogative division of the Metropolitan Police. Both actors played detective inspectors in the series. Last year, the actress displayed her cooking prowess on Celebrity MasterChef.
While the programme was aired last August, she shared on virginradio.co.uk how signing up to the popular cooking competition programme was a surprise from her partner. "It was an immediate 'yes'," she said. "But it was actually a bit of a surprise for me".
She continued: "My partner actually had a sneaky phone call with my agent, and it was always one that I said I wanted to do. It was on my bucket list for definite, and so he had a sneaky phone call with my agent, and they cracked on with the deal without me even knowing.”
The actress wowed the judges with her amazing cooking skills, while she competed against the likes of Gladiator star and Team GB's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, actress Danielle Harold, comedian Eshaan Akbar and reality TV star Chloe Burrows. While on the show, she said: "Cooking is something I love to do at home. I'm a self-taught cook. It wasn't at the forefront of home life when I was a kid, so I got a natural, organic interest in cooking. I wanted to see how good I was, so I joined MasterChef."
The actress made it to the final of the cooking competition, alongside Irish presenter Craig Doyle and Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Vito Coppola, but narrowly missed out on the top spot to Vito. This year however, Rochenda will be returning to our screens and taking up a role in a brand new comedy show.
As mentioned, Amandaland will be a spin-off to the BAFTA-winning sitcom Motherland, which was cancelled last year. The spin-off will follow the life of Amanda, played by Lucy Punch and who also starred in Motherland, as she relocates to South Harlesden with her teenage children. Reprising their roles will be Philippa Dunne, who played the character of Anne in Motherland, as well as the iconic Joanna Lumley as Amanda's mum Felicity.
The trio will be joined by the likes of Siobhán McSweeney of Derry Girls' fame, who will play the character of Della, as well as Samuel Anderson, who starred in Gavin & Stacey, who will be playing the character of Mal. According to Radio Times, Rochenda Sandall's character Fi will play the "eccentric" partner of Della (played by Siobhán McSweeney). In the series, it is said that Fi will pick up "a new hobby every other week". The character also feels sorry for Amanda and welcomes her into their lives, despite Della showing "obvious disdain" for her.
