Entertainment

Michelle Keegan leads new BBC drama Ten Pound Poms

The cast is filming in Australia.
The cast is filming in Australia. The cast is filming in Australia.

Michelle Keegan will star in new BBC drama Ten Pound Poms, created by Bafta-award winner Danny Brocklehurst.

The actress, 35, will lead the original six-part series, set in Australia, alongside Games Of Thrones star Faye Marsay and Luther actor Warren Brown.

The drama will follow a group who have been promised a better quality of life in Australia for only £10, leaving behind post-war Britain.

Warren Brown
Warren Brown Warren Brown (BBC/PA)

Creator Brocklehurst said: “Ten Pounds Poms demands an ensemble cast that we are always rooting for – actors we love and want to succeed.

“I am thrilled to have found those actors. It is a delight to welcome so much exciting Australian talent as well as working with the brilliant Faye and Warren for the first time.

“This is my third outing with the wonderful Michelle Keegan and I’m positive we will make another winner together.”

Michelle Keegan
Michelle Keegan Michelle Keegan (BBC/PA)

Keegan will play young nurse Kate, who arrives in Australia without her fiance and will do whatever it takes to “rewrite her devastating past”, the BBC said.

At the heart of the drama is Annie and Terry Roberts, played by Marsay and Brown, who are trying to do the best for their family despite the poor living conditions of the migrant hostel and local attitudes towards immigrants.

They will star alongside Leon Ford’s character Bill, who has lost his family business and wants to prove he is living the Australian dream.

Faye Marsay
Faye Marsay Faye Marsay (BBC/PA)

Declan Coyle will appear as teenager Stevie, who comes from a troubled background and wants to escape his oppressive father, alongside Rob Collins, who plays indigenous Australian war veteran Ron, who is struggling with feeling like an outsider in his own country.

The cast, which includes David Field, Stephen Curry, Hattie Hook, Finn Treacy and Emma Hamilton, is filming in Australia.

The show will follow the triumphs and pitfalls of a group adapting to a new life and struggling with their new identity as immigrants, the BBC added.

It is produced by Eleven, the team behind Netflix’s Sex Education, and directed by Jamie Stone and Ana Kokkinos.