Michelle Keegan has been hit by a fresh career blow, as her BBC drama Ten Pound Poms has been axed after two series.

The 1950s-set series first hit screens in 2023 and draw in impressive ratings, but its second run earlier this year drew in half of the viewership.

The axe comes as the seventh and final series of Michelle's Sky comedy Brassic has also hit screens, with its final episode set to air at the end of this month.

The show followed a group of British citizens who emigrated from post-war Britain to Australia in the 1950s, with Michelle playing nurse Kate Thorne.

Its first series drew in a respectable 6.37 million viewers, but this had halved to just 3.15m by the end of series two, which concluded in April.

The second series also saw Michelle's story end on a tense cliffhanger, with her character Kate determined to reclaim her son Michael from his adoptive parents. 

Following a report by The Sun, a BBC spokesperson confirmed Ten Pound Poms' axe to Daily Mail, saying: 'It's been a joy to bring the story of the Ten Pound Poms to life for BBC viewers and we are really grateful to Danny Brocklehurst, Eleven and all the cast and crew who have worked on the series.' 

Michelle had previously shared interest in returning for a third series, but admitted at the time that since she'd recently given birth to her baby daughter Palma, there may be a delay before she was available for filming.

The show, which was filmed in Australia, previously required Michelle to relocate Down Under for several months for production.

She said: 'I love this show and there's definitely more of Kate's story to be explored. But - for very obvious reasons in my case [her pregnancy] there may be a delay before I would be available to do it.'

Fans had previously complained they'd 'given up' on series two of the drama, complaining that due to a two-year gap between series, they'd forgotten much of how the first run ended.

Posts on X included: 'Two years between seasons is really wild #tenpoundpoms.';

'#TenPoundPoms given up, going to check out millionaire instead.';

'#TenPoundPoms 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.';

'So long for S2 to come out, I've forgotten who's who from the 1st Season. #TenPoundPoms.'

While other fans were please to see the new series and one said: 'I have missed this show, so good to have it back!! the cast are incredibly talented <3 #tenpoundpoms.';

'Nice to have #TenPoundPoms back, I enjoyed the first series, a good start to this one.'

Michelle is currently filming ITV drama The Blame, which is based on the debut novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley and centres around the discovery of the body of a teenage figure skater, sending shockwaves through the town of Wakestead.

The official synopsis of the show reads: 'The drama dives into secrets, suspicion and systemic corruption - all under the surface of this seemingly quiet town.

'The series begins when the body of teenage figure skater Sophie Madsen is discovered, sending shockwaves through the town of Wakestead.

'As DI Crane (Keegan) and DI Radley (Douglas Booth) dig deeper, what starts as a tragic death, spirals into a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups, and moral compromise.

'As the clock ticks and trust fractures, Crane must navigate both a murder investigation and the treacherous politics inside her own team.'

Alongside Michelle and Douglas, Line of Duty legend Nigel Boyle is set to star as a forensic technician called Brett Shergill.