dwlea-08545 Reviews

Bill Bailey's Australian Adventure (2023)

Not enough scenery

[5/10 · 27 November 2023]

I watched only the episode featuring Margaret River, Perth and Fremantle. I've been to all three because my daughter lives in Freo (I'm from the UK).

But Bill spent most of the episode talking indoors; in a fruit and vegetable warehouse, a music studio, someone's house.

Could have been in the UK for all we saw.

I did enjoy the brief section about Aussie Rules football from Fremantle Oval.

Some stunning beach shots would have done the trick (although filming seems not to have been done in the summer months, for probably the best reasons).

In fairness to Bill he really does love WA and in fact thinks it's the best place on earth!

The Long Shadow (2023)

Could have been better

[7/10 · 25 October 2023]

I appreciate that this latest drama on this case was meant to be from the victims point of view.

It most certainly is not. Most of episode four was taken up by the wrongful arrest of a taxi driver (I'm not aware that this even happened in reality). A waste of an episode, even though it highlighted the shocking behaviour of the police.

Episode five dwelt on a landlord charging high rents to black people.

No mention yet of the £5 note enquiry, the nine interviews with Sutcliffe, no background on several of the unfortunate victims.

In fairness, the period detail is incredibly good; the fashions, the cars, the smoking indoors, sexism, misogyny.

A good, compelling drama but could have been much, much better.

Ten Pound Poms (2023– )

Cliche upon cliche

[2/10 · 15 May 2023]

So many possibilities with this premise. Unfortunately there are ludicrous plot lines and (as usual) making it out that 2023 values existed in the 1950s in the same way.

As others have said, it would have been good to see the family discussing their move with relatives and also feature at least some of the six week ship journey.

On arrival in Sydney (wouldn't Freemantle have been more realistic?) there is a kerfuffle in the arrivals hall as one or two passengers are apparently not the requisite white colour. Would there even have been non-white people from the UK accepted on to the scheme in 1956 in the first place?

The cartoon villain Aussie who is in charge of the migrant accommodation was off the scale.

Then Michelle Keegan uses the phone at work to ring a pub in the UK, in the 1950s! And her manager was in the room at the time! She then pinches the villainous Aussie's Land Rover, drives to Sydney, dons party frock and has a fling with the immigration officer to steal his office keys from his pocket. Good lord.

Tripe of the highest order.