Ten Pound Poms

It’s a solidly enjoyable Sunday night drama, albeit one that feels slightly lacking.

For the most part, Ten Pound Poms is a watchable drama about the difficulties Brits had in Australia during the post-WWII immigration movement. But its sudden dark turn in the first episode, plus a couple of underdeveloped stories, make us wonder just where the show is going.

The serious issues Ten Pound Poms touches on are couched in a cosiness that does not always serve them best.

Halfway through, my chief concern is that it’s getting a tad oversoapy, like an Oz-based The Durrells. Let’s hope it doesn’t descend gurgling into the Sunday night primetime suds.

It’s certainly very watchable, and the subject matter is excellent.

Lightweight, superficial, and a missed opportunity to interrogate our modern immigration concerns, Ten Pound Poms is, all the same, a burst of sun-soaked schmaltz.

Marsay and Brown offer solid performances but the A-lister here is Keegan, who effectively stars in her own separate drama. .... But regular viewers of Ten Pound Poms know the story is likely to revert to trashy, soapy strife before long.