BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

The new series of WDU starts Monday 5th Jan on BBC1. Enjoy ;)

BBC One - Wanted Down Under

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Already got Sky+ set up to record the lot so I can watch them in the evenings.

Hubby's dreading it - he gets fed up with me "talking" at the telly "but what about..... "! I'm sure it'll be the usual unrealistic quasi-advertisement for a life in paradise where you only work a couple of days a week in your ideal job to pay for your bargain property overlooking a fabulous beach but I can't tear myself away. Still, we won't have to watch the next series as by then we too will be living in our bargain property etc so we must have got sucked in no matter how we tried to resist!

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Its car-crash TV isn't it! So often you can see whats coming and you just want to shout 'DON'T' :eek:

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Ye Gods! Noth another advertising unreality series. Still I suppose it's quite cheap to make.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Unreality, isn't it just. Keeps the tap flowing though and as said cheap to make.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

It can provide an opportunity to see the area you are hoping to move to and to hear what problems you may have once there. However, it is also nicely edited to gain viewer interest!
We used to look forward to watching it when in the UK over 4 years ago and not surprised it's still going well - there's still many who live in hope!!!

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

The BBC is keeping the 'tap flowing'? :blink:

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Oh, it must be January again.

I can't get it to play as I'm outside the UK.

I've downloaded iPlayer but it's the same message.

I've just watched the Ethrington/Peat episode on You Tube. What planet is Kirsty on ? I've wanted to come here since I was 13, and repeat ad nauseum.

She was told she couldn't get a job until she had a couple more years experience. He was told he'd have to retrain. They then did their figures on projected salaries.....magic money in other words.

I see on the update they've shelved their plans for the time being. I hope now he's shown an interest in Australia because everyday is trip to the park, obviously he will now get the baby she agreed to have.

She changed jobs as she did not like the prison hospital she was working in and now works in A&E. Who knew ?

I feel sorry for her mum. She beat cancer 14 years ago now she's about to lose her daughter and grandson. What the hell was it about Australia that meant so much to Kirsty ?

Her Dad has remarried. The back story to these wannabes is usually some sort of car crash isn't it ?

At the age of 27 and similar age partner they are still renting after four years together. Oh yeah ? What's that all about ?

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Is it a current i.e. up-to-date series or old hash?

Website doesn't really say. :blink:

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

If they are in the UK, then probably because they just can't afford to buy a house, as many young, and not so young, couples cant.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Yep, it's the same the world over. Nothing will change really.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Obviously the interest in the matter on hand keeps the tap flowing with viewers tuning in. Easy to make and edit pretend reality show.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

So you are saying that the BBC is deliberately and actively maintaining emigration from the UK to Australia by broadcasting WDU? :blink:

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Guys, as I say every time one of these shows runs, please be mindful that there are people on the site who have appeared in them, and there may well be others who are in this new series.
They are obviously heavily edited for tv, so lets have a bit of respect when discussing individual participants.

Thanks

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Well said Pollyana. The BBC are very good with you during the filming period but they do get some facts wrong and they obviously do look for something to hook the audience.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Yesterday's was interesting. The younger son had a heart condition and will probably (according to the programme) need a heart transplant at some future point; he was pushed out of the airport in a wheelchair although seemed fairly active in the rest of the programme. So I thought they had b*gger all chance of getting a visa and thought how cruel it was that no-one had thought it necessary to mention it to them (or indeed to flag up how difficult it would be so that viewers would realise health issues can be a problem). Then I looked online and it says they have been in Australia since September. It doesn't say whether on a permanent visa or a 457 but it does make me wonder whether the programme significantly overegged how poorly he was for the sake of good TV (in which case, poor show BBC).

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

I agree they do try and hook the audience by dwelling on something to make the programme slightly interesting. I managed to get down to the last 40 families for this series but they only needed 20. The researcher spent a lot of time wanting to talk to my 16 year old daughter who wasn't keen on going back to OZ as we had lived there in the past.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Brand new - Series 9 filmed in 2014

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I can empathise with you Garp. We were sent to Perth and in an informal conversation I had with the Director off the camera about the very unlikely prospect of my parents living with us (they already lived in Melbourne), they then popped the question to my wife (on camera)! She nearly died at the prospect and this was picked up by many of our friends - good laugh though!

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

:rofl: :goodpost:

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I knew a family who went on this a couple of years back, I went to school with the bloke.

They didn't tell many people they were going on it, we didn't know but just happend to watch it that day. He came across as the biggest knob ever because of the editing, but he is a really lovely bloke in reality.
I saw him a few weeks after in Sainsbirys and I got great pleasure from taking the piss out of him about it. He was mortified, me and his wife couldn't stop laughing!:lol: gotta love WDU.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Haha. Me too! I was asked some quite serious questions about my job in the UK and my son who I was leaving behind. I was asked to try and not look so serious! My reply was 'then stop asking serious questions that could have a negative impact on my life if things didn't work out.' They also asked me to talk slower and clearer, meaning cut out the accent.
My mates ripped it out of me for being so boring (hopefully I'm not too bad) and for talking differently.

The other negative point for us was that my wife has received sooo many men asking to be her friend on FB and what she's doing with me? Again, we laugh at it but hopefully she doesn't be-friend them!!
Unfortunately I've only received a few women requests :-(
On the positive note, it was all good fun and worthwhile.
Oh I was asked for my autograph by this guy who had some obsession with white caps!!!

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Oh Dear! :lol:

The bloke I know got asked to 'speak with a clearer accent' too, that's one of the things I was taking the mick out of him about. He has a very broad Northern English accent but on the programme, he came across all posh....:rofl: Too bloody funny, poor lad, he still gets ribbed about until this day. And after all that they never even moved to Australia.:lol:

And what's even funnier is they only did it to save money, but they're bloody loaded, so aren't short of a bob or two. I bet they regret it now though.

Mind you the kids were very well behaved so I suppose it could have been worse! :lol:

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

I watched today's, mainly because it was featuring a Chartered couple and it was based in a city we know better than Perth.

I got what they were saying re salaries, but the guy met a recruiter and was told he'd get xx amount in Public, but wouldn't he need to be a citizen?

Surprised at the house prices in Sanctuary Point ow wherever it was (I'm familiar more with the Eastern side). Is there a downside to that area?

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

I don't believe you need to be a citizen for all public jobs but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't take too much notice about comparing prices in Ozz with those in the UK. I earn a great deal more over here than I did in the UK for doing the same job but it seems to work out the same at the end of the day. General bills costs work out different in both countries if that makes sense.

House prices have shot up in the past few years but you can get great prices if you're prepared to live 30 minutes or so away from the main cities / beaches. If we lived in our closest City which is a 10 minute drive away, it was cost us an extra $200K to have the same house and land as we currently have.

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Varies from State to State. Some States will allow temp residents to hold temp posts and contract positions (thats how I started in Qld) but usually a perm job requires either a PR or citizen.
Most local govt is ok on a temp visa
Federal jobs are almost all citizen - though again some contract posts can be hold by temp residents.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

I lived in Oz for 22 years, I'm familiar with how the CoL works, just wasn't familiar with that suburb. They were housed in W'town but then seemed to be gravitating North west of Westgate?

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Sanctuary Lakes, is a huge housing estate in its own gated complex.
We went to check it out a few times as I couldn't believe how cheap the houses are there. There are lots of lovely new modern type houses on the estate and It has a lake in the middle of the complex,( hence the name)it has a club and a pub and also a childcare centre.

I think one of the reasons it's so cheap is the traffic to the city at peak times isn't the greatest ( we tried it out) the traffic jams in a morning would drive me mad but i would have been working from home, however hubby would have needed to get in the city, also it just seemed to lack character, not much going on in the surrounds and the high schools didn't have the greatest reputation but apart from that, I can't really see that there's any major problem with it. There's quite a few poms live happily on there, so maybe they can tell you more.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Thanks Molly. Sounds like it may have sprung up since we moved to the UK (mid 2010)? Just looked it up on the map, makes more sense now re prices. I figured it had to be in that area as they mentioned Werribee earlier. Now way I'd personally live on that side of the bridge unless work was there (extremely unlikely for me).

Looked good on the space/$$ equation though!

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Hi

Thanks for posting this :goodpost:. I was in the Etherington/Peat episode, absolutely correct the programme was very heavily edited and the fact that we don't own a house is certainly not odd in this day and age believe me!

x

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Welcome to BE :thumbup:

Every time we get a poster who has appeared on the show they say the same, the editing is heavy,and slated towards getting viewers to watch the programme, inevitable I guess.

I agree on the not owning a house issue too - many people Iknow both back home and in Aus are renters, myself incuded :)

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Absolutely, it was a great,once in a lifetime experience and I am thrilled that we did the show. We were under no illusion that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows in Australia but those discussions weren't included on the programme! LOL.

I think people need to take the programme for what it is, it's a day time entertainment show and personal attacks or comments about people that feature on the show certainly isn't fair or warranted! I appreciate everyone has a right to an opinion though! :)

xx

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

This made me LOL!

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Noting my comment from last year.....there seems to be a new series popped up on iplayer.....anyone seen it - any of our new members involved in it? :)

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

They should interview me. ;)

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Too late, you have to get on before you emigrate not after :lol: Which is a shame cos your story would make for a good plot-line!

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Yeah, real pity we didn't know about it beforehand...

Would have landed top notch jobs before we arrived, a house, free beer for a year, exempt from parking on the wrong side of the road etc...

;)

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Same salary as the UK, pool in the garden (maintenance, whats that?!) BBQs on the beach every night..... at least thats what was promised when the couple I watched last night looked at moving to Shockingham just south of Perth....... "your UK skills from the tax office will be much in demand" the guy in some recruiting place said, while also quoting the salary in £ - how set-up is that? You ever had an Australian agency quote you your salary in £? :confused:

the one I watched they were bith earning around £31,000 - and were promised the same in Perth/Rockingham......... They told the guy he could earn that Casual rather than taking a perm job. But no mention of all the pitfalls of working casual.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

Most of the episodes I have watched this series they don't seem eligible for a visa. Either they are still training or their skillset doesn't match Australia skillset.
I am still sad enough to watch it though as its always winter here when it's on and it helps me dream for the sun.
The format hasn't really changed and I wish they would go to different places and show more of Australia looking at more of what is required in relocating. I was shortlisted for the last series so I probably wouldn't have complained having a free holiday.

Re: BBC Wanted Down Under - Series 9
 

I watched a couple and one sticks out, the guy was a welder working in London and the family were from 'The North' ( winter is coming John Snow;) )

They were fed up with him working away all the time. He did a get a local job but then they were fed up with not enough money with that situation.

So they go to Oz in the hope that ' he will be home every night' ( quite why they couldn't happen somewhere else in the UK is not explored).

They get to Brisbane and are shown houses on the north of Brisbane, a little way out IIRC. Then he gets an interview at some place on the south side of Brisbane. First thing some Euro guy ( the boss) tells him is that English welding is shit compared to the Aussie equivalent. Next is that he could start as a yard hand, WTF:blink: then they say ' but you will get to go home each night'.

Now I think the guy would have rocks in his head to work for this mob, but he went back and told his wife he'd be home every night. What they didn't explain is how a guy working each day on the south side of Brisbane is going to get back across to the northern edge of Brisbane in time each night to spend time with the kids. Even if he knocks off early, he'll be starting early AM.

No mention of traffic, hours, commute times. The figures were done on projected promotional salaries. They also didn't show where they will keep the unicorn that craps fairy dust everywhere either.

There was another where some Taffy girl couldn't stop saying " shut up", I started to desperately wish she'd take her own advice.:fingerscrossed:

A strange thing seems to be that some of these companies are saying ' your skills would be transferable' but it doesn't say in which context. Does it mean ' yeah, as an employer I could use your experience here'. Or does it mean ' your experience will get you a visa'? We know with the tradies that the skills are transferable for a visa, but that means didly squat when you get there.