‘Ten Pound Poms’ first look: BBC’s new 1950s Aussie drama reveals pics

The BBC has released the first images from Ten Pound Poms!

Created by Shameless writer Danny Brocklehurst, the upcoming drama series follows a group of Brits as they depart post-war Britain in 1956 for a life-altering adventure on the other side of the world.

Watch a teaser:

Brocklehurst has previously penned episodes of Clocking Off, Brassic, Accused, and Netflix’s The Stranger, as well as last year’s lovely The Railway Children Return movie.

Leading the cast are Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones) and Warren Brown (Luther) – here’s our first look at their characters, Annie and Terry:

Writer Danny Brocklehurst commented last year: “Ten Pounds Poms demands an ensemble cast that we are always rooting for, actors we love and want to succeed. I am thrilled to have found those actors.”

He added: “It is a delight to welcome so much exciting Australian talent as well as working with the brilliant Faye and Warren for the first time. This is my third outing with the wonderful Michelle Keegan and I’m positive we will make another winner together.”

English actress Michelle Keegan, best known for her roles in Coronation Street and Our Girl, completes the show’s main trio as nurse Kate.

The six-part drama was filmed in Australia in 2022.

Rounding out the cast alongside the British leads are Aussie actors Rob Collins (Mystery Road), Cheree Cassidy (Home & Away), Leon Ford (Elvis), Declan Coyle (Life Of Jess), David Field (Shantaram; Preacher), Stephen Curry (The Castle), Sophie Gregg (The PM’s Daughter), Hattie Hook (Savage River), Finn Treacy (Young Rock), and Emma Hamilton (Mr Selfridge).

Here’s a shot of Sophie Gregg and David Field as Tina and Dean:

The official synopsis reads: “For only a tenner, they have been promised a better house, better job prospects and a better quality of life by the sea in sun-soaked Australia.

“But life down under isn’t exactly the idyllic dream the new arrivals have been promised. Struggling with their new identity as immigrants, we follow their triumphs and pitfalls as they adapt to a new life in a new country, far from Britain and familiarity.”

Cheree Cassidy plays Marlene and we’ve got a sneak peek at her character here:

The synopsis continues: “At the heart of the drama are Annie (Faye Marsay) and Terry Roberts (Warren Brown). They try to make the best of the situation for their family, but the poor living conditions at the migrant hostel and local attitudes towards immigrants test them in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

“They aren’t the only people at the hostel avoiding the truth. Kate (Michelle Keegan) is a young nurse who arrives without her fiancé and will do whatever it takes to try and rewrite her devastating past.

“Bill (Leon Ford) has lost his family business back home and is so desperate to prove he’s living the Australian dream that he’ll stop at nothing in order to get a lifestyle he can’t sustain.

“Teenager Stevie (Declan Coyle) comes from a troubled background and hopes to use this new adventure to escape his oppressive father. Meanwhile, Ron (Rob Collins), an Indigenous Australian war veteran, struggles with feeling like an outsider in his own country.”

Here’s Rob Collins as Ron:

Ten Pound Poms is set to launch later this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.

Over in Australia, it’ll premiere as a Stan Original Series.

We don’t have an exact release date yet, but the BBC has said this week that the show is “coming soon,” so we’d expect it to debut within the next few months.

The original UK version of Shameless is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.