Ten Pound Poms

This is a very uneven season (not sure if it's a series) because far too much is thrown into 6 episodes. This would have benefited from 8 episodes or less story. A bit like when someone says look in a mirror before you leave and take off one accessory. I feel like we didn't get to know the characters as well as we should have done the more promising or interesting ones were left with little story development or left high and dry mid way thru. There's good performances from the leads with what they have to work with but overall the show won't leave you wanting a second season. I can't comment on the historical accuracy but as this is a drama entertainment show I'll presume it's loosely based on history so I'll lean heavily on the entertainment side of things. It's passes the time but is easily missable.

I was really looking forward to this show as I was a "Ten Pound Pom". I came out to Australia as a member of a large family who emigrated from North Wales. I was hoping it would be a semi accurate reflection of how life was at that time. It's not.

It's a cliched, overblown, melodramatic soap. It's entertaining but completely over the top. I've only watched two episodes and I'll persist but so far we've had a robbery, a break in to steal documents, an aboriginal child killed in a hit and run. Etc.

What next, a bomb scare or a terrorist attack?

I really like the cast, especially Warren Brown who is good in everything but they needed to limit the number of things happening in each episode and rely on character development. It's as if it was a competition to see how many things can happen in each episode. We saw nothing of the journey out here, one of my most vivid memories.

Anyone hoping for anything like an accurate portrayal of life as a Ten Pound Pom will be disappointed. This is more like a series of Coronation Street episodes with better production values. I hope it gets better.

In the 60's most large establishments had switchboard operators , like Hotels and Hospitals . To make an overseas phone call you would call the international operator , give them the country and phone number and the operator would call back when call was connected . This series was set in 1956 . From the 40's and onwards everyone had Radios for music and entertainment as well as for the BBC news and Cricket . Throughout this series no one had a radio . Radios were as popular then as mobile phones are as popular today . Steven Curry was completely outstanding as J. J. plus all the main character child actors were really good .

Good show well acted story was good . I think people may find it interesting especially if they had parents from Britain that immigrated after ww2 . No jobs in Britain after ww2 many people immigrated to Australia the advertisements made it seem like a dream . But not so much the reality .

Poverty and discrimination face the the new arrivals . The brochure didn't say they be faced with the harsh realities .

In the end it's about community and making friends and talking everyone wants to work and have job and get along .

I would recommend this to anyone who likes good writing , interesting characters , and Australia .

I've often wondered why the Aussies call us whinging poms. After watching this six part BBC drama it would seem they had a lot to whinge about. Placed in cockroach infested one bedroom huts on some multi national camp in the middle of nowhere.

Whilst the show has some high quality production, with some impressive CGI and great attention to detail from the period. It's unfortunately let down with some just plane daft storylines like Michele Keegans character travelling the other side of the world in search of her son, after drugging her fiancé who seamed a perfectly decent bloke to go after her son.

Our Australian friends don't come out of the series to well with most being stereotyped as hard drinking wife beating foul mouthed Aborigines hater's.

Overall it feels like a wasted opportunity as the story itself is a fascinating one about a forgotten part of Anglo Australian history.

6/10.