Ten Pound Poms tells the story of Brits lured to Australia in the 50s

Thursday, 25 May 2023

Period drama Ten Pound Poms follows a group of people who leave post-war Britain in 1956 for a new life in Australia.

Ten Pound Poms is a British period drama. But there is not a corset or carriage in sight.

That was the main attraction for writer Danny Brocklehurst when he was offered the chance to pen this new drama about the generation of Britons who paid just £10 to travel to Australia in search of a new life during the 1950s, but were often sorely disappointed by what they found.

Brocklehurst, who has also written Brassic and Shameless, explains. “You get this sort of thing a lot as a writer and quite often you think, ‘You know, it’s not for me’. But there was something about this that really appealed.

“I’ve not written a period drama before – for good reason, because they’re generally quite tricky to make good. But I was drawn to the themes of escape, of no matter where we go, we take our problems with us – something which is ever present in my work – and the fact that this was a piece of our history that I didn’t know much about.”

He adds, “It’s a period piece that isn’t all bonnets and frocks – and the more I looked into it, the more I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s definitely a TV series here. I’m in.’ ”

The result is a thought-provoking, culture-clash family drama. It focuses on three Brits – the hard-pressed Annie (Faye Marsay) and her husband Terry Roberts (Warren Brown) and young nurse Kate (Michelle Keegan) – who are journeying to Australia to flee problems in the UK.

Brocklehurst underlines how deeply disappointed many of the Brits were by what they discovered in Australia.

“Britain in the 50s was a fairly grim place and many people were tempted by the adverts for Australia as ‘a great place for families’.

Faye Marsay as Annie (left) and Warren Brown (middle) as Terry Roberts in the period drama series Ten Pound Poms.

“The technicolour promo films of the time showed golden beaches, beautiful houses with picket fences and big gardens, attractive, suntanned people water-skiing and playing volleyball.”

However, “In reality, many immigrants arrived to gross disappointment. They were housed in post-war steel Nissen huts with outdoor showers, no flush toilets and terrible food. The accommodation was cramped, insects rife, the heat stifling and walls paper-thin.”

In the drama, the writer says, the British newcomers collided with various Australian characters on the compound and in the town.

“There was a real sense of, ‘Who are these Poms, coming here, taking our jobs?’ ”

Terry is one of the characters in Ten Pound Poms who feels deeply let down by what Australia initially has to offer.

Brown says, “We meet Terry and his family in Manchester in 1956, more than a decade after the end of World War II.

Former Coronation Street actor Michelle Keegan plays as Kate, a nurse, in Ten Pound Poms.

“We learn that Terry is still suffering, badly affected by those experiences and using alcohol to numb the pain. This has led to a tumultuous home life.

“When Annie sees an advert for the Assisted Migration scheme, they decide to move to Australia in the hope of a better life – affordable housing, great job opportunities and a more optimistic way of life.”

However, the truth is that, “When they arrive there, they find themselves living in hostels and the job opportunities aren’t necessarily what they’d been led to believe. One of the brilliant things about playing this character is that Terry goes on such a roller coaster of emotions, from start to finish.”

“Many people were tempted by the adverts for Australia as ‘a great place for families’,” says writer Danny Brocklehurst.

The actor adds, “It must have been a massive culture shock for the real Ten Pound Poms. I think we take for granted how easy it is to travel from one side of the world to the other nowadays.

“But these people were on a ship for more than six weeks with no outside contact, no social media, no instant means of communication. I mean, I was on the phone to family and friends every day when I was out there.”

Brocklehurst outlines what he hopes audiences will take away from Ten Pound Poms.

“I hope it’s an entertaining story that shines a light on something viewers didn’t know much about.”

In his view, “Ten Pound Poms is a kind of rare beast these days. It’s unashamedly a character drama. It’s got thriller moments and emotional high stakes, but it’s essentially about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, trying to make things work.”

The writer continues, “In a TV landscape awash with cops and crime and high-concept whizz-bang, it’s a privilege to have the time to do a character piece that feels very rich and emotional.

“It’s about love and hope and following your dreams. We’ve created a show that doesn’t glamorise the past.

“It’s a period drama with dirt under its fingernails.”

Ten Pound Poms, TVNZ 1, from Saturday June 3.