Ten Pound Poms [Contains spoilers]

I really enjoyed it. I think it needed more episodes so we could get to know the characters more.
Would have also liked to see more about the experiences travelling on the boat for 6 weeks.

Yes there were a lot of cliches but overall I think it has potential and I'm looking forward to next series.

I thought it was dire. Poor acting and dialogue.

I enjoyed it, but think they could have done with a couple less plot lines, or a few more episodes to fit it all in. It was also left very loose at the end as to what happened to them all. If there is another series I’d rather focus on following up the existing characters than a whole load of new ones.

Have enough people watched it all that we can discuss all of the episodes?

I just felt it didn't fit in the time period also. It could have been a bunch of Northerners a decade or two ago under any number of themes.

I will say, and as I don't think it's a spoiler, that it was interesting to hear about discrimination against the incoming British. I though they were more welcomed.

@SummerLovingDays
I would have liked to know more about the six week boat journey too. In 1963, when I was a three year old I took this journey with my family because my Dad worked for an Australian organisation. My recollections of it are extremely vague (not surprisingly), and I have little to no memory of my life in the UK before then.

My mum kept a journal of the trip. They had wondered about putting off the journey because I had tonsillitis but in the event they took the decision to go. Once we hit the Bay of Biscay we had severe continuous travel sickness, alleviated by a few days here and there of calm waters. There were entertainments on board but I never felt well enough to engage with them, and crucially I felt unsafe. I recall arriving at our new home in Oz feeling completely dazed, anxious and unable to make relationships. It never completely left me. Maybe neurodiversity, but possibly unidentified, unresolved PTSD.

Still on episode one but planning to binge watch.

i don’t understand why Annie told the shop manager her husband had died but then she seems to be with her husband…..or am I mixing two different people up?

Ignore me, that’s been explained now!

Not sure of the ethics of a spoiler thread but as everyone is watching at a different pace (dont forget there is a week by week thread) maybe just start at post saying spoiler - about all episodes??!!

Spoiler alert about the entire series!

Well I have finished and although on one level it was sort of light entertainments I think they were so wrong to overload with so many dramas and as I said before, the type of situations soaps use to boost flagging audiences.

I am sure all the "issues" they introduced ie racism, illegitimate children (under age sex?), rip off system, Pom hating, did all happen.

As they are so obviously hoping for a second series with so many plot lines left up in the air they could have spread it out a bit more, and looked at the culture shock, having to fit in, family tensions and even shown the impact on family left behind.

And if there is a second series it would be nice if with a whole bus load of new arrivals they could shift the focus to another family and bring up other issues. But suspect they will stay with the same family and it will remain a bit soapy.

My one niggle (in spite of other unlikely events) was could a man, anyone, dive in quite a bit later than someone with a rucksack of stones on their back, not only reached the depth they must have sunk to, got the rucksack off and brought them to the surface still alive.

If anyone wants a slight less soapy Australian based tv series, again showing the tensions between Brits and Aussies, and also based on a true story you could try Operation Buffalo free to watch on UK TV. https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4790562-operation-buffalo-australian-political-thriller-free-to-watch-on-uktv

Poitnless facts - both Kylie Minogue and Hugh Jackman and children of £10 Poms!

Based on watching whole series for anyone who hasn’t and doesn’t want to read it!

@IwantToRetire i agree, I felt Kate’s story in particular didn’t really fit and made it a lot soapier and less realistic. I never quite worked out what the deal was with her fiancé either, in earlier episodes he was made out to be a bit sinister but then seemed to actually really want to be with her.

I agree on the rucksack too

I think there are stories to follow through in a second series, but maybe woven in with some newer arrivals too.

All series spoiler

Yes Kate's character just didn't add up. She came over as quite posh (maybe she had "bettered" herself) whilst her mum and pub landlady friend seem more working class. And why was her mum so keen to help the fiancee? And has she kidnapped her son and left her now newly accepted again fiancee stranded at the hospital. This story line is too over the top. Pretending to be part of the adoption agency, falling asleep in someone else's home.

Honestly am now asking myself why did I ever watch this!

All series spoiler

Sorry meant to add that in fact the storyline that rang most true and was told in an understated way was the Andresons (I think that was their surnames).

He was really vile but kep it hidden and it was only revealed bit like what what was happening in the marriage.

The only bit that was odd when there was a sort of sing off and she emerged out of her cabin doing a sort of Singing Nun sings hit Brit song and wins the competition!

If you took out Kate it would improve the series overall, lots of her storyline just wasn’t believable. And how was she supporting herself after she was kicked out of the hospital? I wasn’t clear at the end if she was running off with Michael or just wanted some time with him before accepting he had a better life than she could give him. And did she actually want to be with her fiancé again or just using him a second time? Plus what about the immigration guy?

I agree with that, other than the husband’s robbery storyline, it was the most realistic in terms of unhappy wife wants to go home but trapped, subtly abusive husband. But then at the end are we meant to think she and JJ ran off together as the mother was now running the hostel?

I kind of agree a little bit with this. It was very good and I'm really glad I watched it, but it feels like it could have done with another two episodes at least. Quite a few storylines didn't seem to be tied up. What happened to the lass who was rescued from the boat who tried to drown herself. (Sheila?)

Kate - at the end with her boy ... did she run off with him or take him for a drive and then let him go home, back to his family?

It just ended with a bunch of new people coming in - and the mother had taken over the hostel. At this point, there should be two more episodes at least. Hopefully there's a new series, and hopefully soon. I felt a bit robbed at the end to be honest LOL.

Less soapy and lightweight sounds good. I'll definitely have a look at that.

I've now watched it all and the Australian review posted up-thread was spot on - too many story lines, too many characters and the tone was just off somehow. I quite enjoyed the first episode, but it was too soapy and melodramatic for me. It was like EastEnders in the Australian bush. Not sure I'd bother to watch a second series, although I did like Warren Brown's character and I liked him as an actor - he was head and shoulders above all the others.

I watched it all yesterday and enjoyed it in a easy to watch but not v realistic way.
I'd watch another series.

Loved it. Thought the English woman with the lovely singing voice could do better than her vile husband and JJ though! At least JJ saved her.

I found out by chance that the woman with the lovely voice and her vile husband are both Australian. I was totally convinced by their accents that they must be English!

And yes she does have a lovely voice but that bit of her coming out of her hut and doing a sort sound of music tirbute was a bit icky. :)

I was surprised by that too, I think I saw all of the cast are Australian except the three main leads

I've seen episode three and not sure if it was my tv, but most of it seemed set in the dark !
Couldn't make out what was going on half the time
I Hate Dean and felt sorry for Peter :(
I hope it cheers up, but not holding my breath at all. It's v grim.

I've finished them all now, it was mostly pretty watchable, not amazing, but good.

I thought both the horrid husband and his depressed wife sounded Australian 😂
I do hope they come back to the characters in S2.

Spoiler for the whole series

I've just finished and I really enjoyed it! Really hope there's a series 2!

I do think Kate was just going for a drive and then would drop Michael home, I don't think she'd just take him. I think she's knows it wouldn't be right. It was bizarre pretending to be a social worker and falling asleep etc though!

I'm glad Pattie is keeping the baby, interested to see how that works out.

Interested to see what happened with Sheila and JJ too, did she leave her husband and go off with him?! He's not running the camp anymore so I guess they must've done. I wish she hadn't left her girls though.