**Ten Pound Poms: Stream It or Skip It?**
After World War II, the governments of both Australia and New Zealand sponsored programs that allowed residents of England to migrate to their countries for a mere £10. In the 2023 drama *Ten Pound Poms*, which aired in the UK and Australia, we follow several people who took advantage of that program and explore the ups and downs of building a new life in the Southern Hemisphere.
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### Opening Shot
On a snowy day in 1956 England, we see Terry Roberts (Warren Brown) working on masonry at a factory, then flash back to a battle he fought in during World War II. Terry deals with those haunting flashbacks through drinking. One night, after he passes out in the street, a neighbor fetches his wife Annie (Faye Marsay), who brings him home. As Terry writhes in his own vomit on the floor, in full view of their children Pattie (Hattie Hook) and Peter (Finn Treacy), Annie spots a newspaper ad promising a new life in Australia for only £10.
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### The Journey Begins
The Roberts family boards the ship that will take them on their journey to a new life. Meanwhile, we meet Kate Thorne (Michelle Keegan), who is supposed to be traveling on the same ship with her fiancé, Henry Broad (Hugo Johnstone-Burt). When everyone disembarks in Sydney six weeks later, Kate arrives alone. She tells the immigration officer that Henry changed his mind. He warns her that British passports are held by authorities for two years, a condition she accepts.
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### Settling In—Or Not
Excited about their new adventure, the Roberts family soon discovers that the immigrant camp they are housed in is nothing like the advertisements promised. Terry struggles to find work and ends up digging ditches because Australians have first dibs on jobs.
Terry’s workplace is hostile. A co-worker named Dean (David Field) bullies him relentlessly, using the derogatory term “Pom” (a nickname for British immigrants) and claiming “Poms can’t even use the latrine.”
Meanwhile, Annie ventures into town and cunningly secures a job as a department store supervisor, despite lying by telling the manager her husband was dead. Terry, however, believes her place is at home, taking care of the family.
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### Kate’s Secret Mission
Kate, on the other hand, takes a truck belonging to JJ Walker (Stephen Curry), the site supervisor, and heads to Sydney to visit the port office. She seduces JJ to get the keys to access immigration records, searching for someone she came all the way to Australia to find. The mystery of Kate’s story unfolds gradually, hinting at a darker backstory.
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### What Shows Will It Remind You Of?
Created by Danny Brocklehurst, *Ten Pound Poms* bears some resemblance to *A Thousand Blows*. Many reviewers have also compared it to *Call The Midwife*, given its period setting and focus on personal struggles.
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### Our Take
The Assisted Passage Migration Scheme was a real post-WWII program initiated by the Australian and New Zealand governments. It offered British families, struggling in postwar England, a chance to start fresh in a warm climate with suburban middle-class opportunities.
As depicted in the series, things were far from easy for British immigrants. The first episode effectively illustrates how Aussies derisively called “your majesty” those new Brits, mocking them for being out of place—even when families like the Robertses were working class.
As Dean cruelly tells Terry, “You got Blacks in Britain, don’t ya? Well, over here, you’re the Black.” This highlights the resentment many Australians felt towards British immigrants, whom they saw as job-takers. It takes much effort for the Brits to earn the Australians’ trust.
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### Two Stories, One Darkening Path
The Robertses’ storyline portrays a working-class family trying to rebuild their lives amid adversity, while Kate’s narrative is shrouded in mystery and tension from the outset. Her deliberate choice to leave her fiancé behind hints at deeper motives, revealed subtly as she searches immigration records.
Both stories turn dark by the episode’s end. Terry, having finally found some acceptance among his coworkers, becomes entangled in a drunken accident caused by Dean, which may threaten his future. Kate’s plan also starts to falter as complications arise.
We’re eager to see how these dark turns unfold, particularly Terry’s storyline. Will the near-fatal accident haunt him as he tries to build a new life? Meanwhile, there are other stories in need of development—Annie asserting herself as a working woman, Pattie facing a possible pregnancy, and a side story involving JJ’s affair with Sheila Anderson (Emma Hamilton), a resident of the camp eager to return to England.
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### Sex and Skin
The first episode contains no explicit content.
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### Parting Shot
The episode closes with Terry returning from that fateful night with Dean, brooding on what lies ahead.
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### Sleeper Star
Faye Marsay is underrated in her role as Annie. She brings depth and nuance to the character, especially during her confession to the department store manager, and her candid reflections on why her family left England.
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### Most Pilot-y Line
Terry talks to Annie about their honeymoon B&B, describing the owner as having “a face like a smacked arse.”
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### Our Call: STREAM IT
*Ten Pound Poms* is a generally watchable drama that explores the trials faced by British immigrants in post-WWII Australia. While a sudden dark turn in the first episode and a few underdeveloped subplots leave some questions open, the series promises a compelling look at resilience, identity, and cultural clashes.
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If you’re interested in historical dramas that tackle real social issues with emotional depth, *Ten Pound Poms* is worth watching.
https://decider.com/2025/11/03/ten-pound-poms-britbox-review/