BBC Ten Pound Poms viewers distracted as ‘famous politician makes cameo appearance’

BBC viewers were distracted after they were certain they’d spotted Sir Keir Starmer on popular drama BBC Ten Pound Poms but it was in fact a “lookalike” actor

BBC Ten Pound Poms fans were thrown of course when they thought they’d spotted what they believed was Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, turning heads on the popular TV series.

Excited fans were thrilled to see the return of Michelle Keegan, Warren Brown, and Faye Marsay for the show’s second season, which details the adventurous tales of Brits venturing down under to Australia after World War II in search of a new beginning.

However, in an intriguing twist during the latest episode, audiences couldn’t shake off the impression that the actor Martin Crewes, portraying the character Charles Milnes, was a doppelganger for Keir Starmer.

Social media lit up with comments from fans who were quick to share their disbelief. One user took to Twitter – previously known as X, writing: “Anyone watch Ten Pound Poms on BBC tonight? I loved the first series this second series is just as good BUT did you spot Keir Starmer’s cameo appearance? He’s wearing his designer glasses and everything.”

Another viewer queried: “Is that Keir Starmer?” while a third helped dissolve any doubts by stating: “That Charles Milne bloke looked uncannily like Keir Starmer. #tenpoundpoms.”, reports Wales Online.

Back in the day, the historic Australian scheme saw nearly one million individuals making the monumental decision to leave their British homes and families for what they hoped would be a brighter future, enticed by somewhat over embellished promises.

The first season swept us into the lives of a group of Brits, who were quickly dubbed Poms by their Aussie neighbours, as they landed with high hopes for a markedly improved lifestyle.

At the time, immigrants were lured by the promise of a better life with improved job opportunities and housing, but their arrival in Australia turned out to be a starkly different reality.

In its second series, we continue to follow the familiar faces as they navigate their new lives down under, with Michelle Keegan starring as nurse Kate Thorne who heads to Australia in search of her son, Michael.

After an initial struggle to reconnect with the characters and storylines due to a three-year hiatus, fans are now fully engaged with the second series.

One viewer previously expressed their frustration online: “So long for S2 to come out, I’ve forgotten who’s who from the 1st season,” while another shared their decision to switch shows: “Given up, going to check out millionaire instead.”

Another fan was puzzled: “Who the hell is this baker? I can’t remember a damn thing,” and yet another echoed the confusion: “It’s been two years since the first season. How is anyone expected to remember anything? I’ve literally lost the plot. Disconnected, no longer invested. Too long between seasons.”

Ten Pound Poms is available to stream on BBC iPlayer