The new BBC period drama has been created by BAFTA-winning Danny Brocklehurst.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Tuesday, 16 May 2023 at 12:00 am

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The BBC’s latest period drama offering, Ten Pound Poms, is upon us.

The six-part series follows the lives of a group of Brits as they leave post-war Great Britain to embark on a life-altering adventure on the other side of the world.

While the drama is based on real-life historical events, the stories and characters in the new drama are fictionalised and created by Danny Brocklehurst.

The series sees the acclaimed writer reunite with Michelle Keegan – who leads the cast as mysterious nurse Kate Thorne – following their collaboration on Brassic and Ordinary Lies.

And it turns out that Brocklehurst always wanted Keegan for the role.

Talking about his working relationship with Keegan, the writer recently told RadioTimes.com: “We’ve done four shows – Fool Me Once, the thing that’s shooting at the minute will be our fourth show together. So yeah, we know each other pretty well now and we enjoy working together.”

When asked about whether he had Keegan in mind for the role of Kate, Brocklehurst added: “Because we’d done Ordinary Lies and then Brassic… I don’t tend to write any script with a particular actor in mind as I’m writing the very first draft.

“But as it goes on, you obviously start to think who would be brilliant for certain parts and very quickly, I thought Michelle would be fantastic for Kate and it was a conversation we had with Eleven Film and the BBC.

“Then we started talking to Michelle about whether she’d be interested in doing something like that. I think the cast is terrific, I’m very pleased with everyone we’ve got, not only Michelle.”

Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Ten Pound Poms.

Who’s in the cast of Ten Pound Poms?

Here are the main cast members and characters in Ten Pound Poms. Read on below for more information about who they are in the series and where you’ve seen the actors before.

• Michelle Keegan as Kate Thorne
• Faye Marsay as Annie Roberts
• Warren Brown as Terry Roberts
• Hattie Hook as Pattie Roberts
• Finn Treacy as Peter Roberts
• Stephen Curry as JJ Walker
• David Field as Dean
• Sophie Gregg as Tina
• Emma Hamilton as Sheila Anderson
• Leon Ford as Bill Anderson
• Berynn Schwerdt as Arty
• Cheree Cassidy as Marlene
• Rob Collins as Ron
• Trisha Morton-Thomas as Aunty May
• Travis McMahon as Ivan
• Nic Cassim as Ted
• Emma Hamilton as Sheila Anderson
• Tara Morice as Sister Mulligan
• Johnny Nasser as Bob Travers

Michelle Keegan plays Kate Thorne

Who is Kate Thorne? Kate is a nurse who has come to Australia for a slightly different reason than the Brits she’s surrounded by in her new accommodation. While others have spent just £10 on the trip from the UK to Down Under in search of a better life in the dreary post-war era, Kate is on a personal mission of her own.

Where have I seen Michelle Keegan? Keegan became a household name after her long-running role as Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street. Since her departure from the soap in 2014, she has starred in BBC’s Our Girl, as well as Ordinary Lies and Brassic – both works by Danny Brocklehurst, who has also created Ten Pound Poms. She will also be reuniting with the BAFTA-winning writer once again for Netflix’s Fool Me Once.

Rob Collins plays Ron

Who is Ron? Ron is a fellow worker at the building site with Terry and soon, the pair bond over their similar war veteran history. As an indigenous Australian, Ron has to live a life filled with discrimination but is a lead figure in his community.

Where have I seen Rob Collins? The Australian actor and singer has starred in many Australian stage productions, as well as in multiple TV series like Cleverman, Wrong Girl and Glitch.

David Field plays Dean

Who is Dean? Dean is one of the managers at the building site that Terry works at and immediately shows Terry the side of discrimination he’s not used to. Although the pair get off to a rocky start, they do bond somewhat – until Dean’s true colours are revealed.

Where have I seen David Field? The Australian actor and film director has starred in numerous roles throughout the years including Chopper, Two Hands, Shantaram and Preacher, to name a few.

Faye Marsay plays Annie Roberts

Who is Annie Roberts? Annie is 1950s housewife in post-war Northern England who is married to Terry and together, they have two teenage children, Pattie and Peter. When she sees an ad in the paper for a £10 passage to Australia, she convinces Terry and the children to emigrate, thinking it’ll be the best thing for them.

Where have I seen Faye Marsay? Marsay has starred as The Waif in Game of Thrones, Vel Sartha in Andor, Katya Godman in McMafia and as Candice Pelling in Fresh Meat. She has also appeared in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Vera, Doctor Who, Black Mirror and Bancroft.

Warren Brown plays Terry Roberts

Who is Terry Roberts? Although we meet Terry and his family 10 years after the Second World War, it’s clear that his time as a soldier and in a prisoner of war camp still affects him deeply.

Suffering from PTSD, he and Annie lead a very tense life in the UK, so when the ad for the Assisted Migration scheme comes up, they go to Australia in hope of a better life – but will Terry be able to leave his personal demons behind?

Where have I seen Warren Brown? Brown is perhaps best known for his roles in Hollyoaks as Andy Holt and in Luther as DS Justin Ripley. He has also starred in Strike Back, Liar, Doctor Who, The Responder and Trigger Point.