Michelle Keegan addresses "heartbreaking" Ten Pound Poms season 2 story

But things are only set to get more heartbreaking for Kate in season 2, as actress Keegan has now revealed.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the release of the new instalment, Keegan said: "As we saw in the first series, Kate’s son Michael was sent to Australia in the care system and was adopted into an Australian family, which Kate didn't know. Trying to find him is what took her to Australia.

"This series is really about Kate trying to expose the fact that her and her son have been separated against her wishes, which happened to so many families and to so many women in the 1950s, it's absolutely heartbreaking.

"Kate is not just trying to help herself and Michael, but she wants to help others as well and put a stop to families being unnecessarily separated."

The new season sees Keegan joined once again by Faye Marsay as Annie and Warren Brown as Terry, following them all on their adventures as they navigate their new life on the other side of the world.

Teasing more of what's to come in season 2, series creator and writer Danny Brocklehurst said: "For series 2, we had both a problem and an opportunity. The problem was that we'd left a lot of cliffhangers in series 1 that we needed to resolve."

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He continued: "We had to continue those stories forward and deal with them satisfactorily. But we also wanted to bring in new stories, so we had to cleverly weave a continuation of certain things from series 1 to series 2, but also bring in the new, particularly for the Roberts family.

"We meet a new family who kick-start the new story that thrusts you across the next six episodes."

The official synopsis for season 2 reads: "After a challenging first year in Australia, series 2 follows nurse Kate Thorne (Michelle Keegan) and the Roberts family (led by Faye Marsay and Warren Brown) into 1957 on their adventure Down Under, each determined against all odds to achieve their slice of the Australian dream.

"As Kate, Annie and Terry settle into their new lives, they each struggle to reconcile their hopes for the life they were promised with the harsh realities they face at Galgownie."

As well as the core trio, further casting for season 2 includes Rob Collins (Mystery Road) as Ron, Leon Ford (Elvis) as Bill, Declan Coyle (Long Black) as Stevie, Stephen Curry (Hounds Of Love) as JJ, Hattie Hook (Savage River) as Pattie, Finn Treacy (The Portable Door) as Peter, Emma Hamilton (The Tudors) as Sheila and Cheree Cassidy (Underbelly) as Marlene.

Ten Pound Poms season 2 will air on Sunday 9th March at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Episodes will continue weekly

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