“The perfect place to make a fresh start”: Unproblematic constructions of migration in the UK television programme Wanted Down Under

Research on media discourses about migration in the United Kingdom primarily focus on immigration, and particularly the ways in which refugees and asylum seekers are constructed as invaders, criminals or drains on the UK. By contrast, research about British citizens who emigrate from the UK has been less widely conducted, particularly in relation to the media. This article addresses this lacuna through a critical discursive analysis of the UK daytime television programme Wanted Down Under, in which British participants are given a trial week living in Australia or New Zealand to help them decide if migrating is the right decision for them. Fifty episodes were analysed using the principles of Critical Discursive Psychology and three interpretative repertoires were identified: Few restrictions make migration possible and easy; Migration as a better lifestyle; and the urgency of realising long-held dreams. In addition, two ideological dilemmas were identified: Separation from family ties as a reason to not migrate; and Lifestyle at home a reason to not migrate. These discourses are discussed in relation to privileged notions of migration and we suggest that these mediated discourses draw on colonial narratives that imply that migration for British citizens is unproblematic and easy.