As Home and Away celebrates its 35th birthday, there have been enough births, deaths, marriages, and cliffhangers to give any aspiring starlet the willies.
On January 17, 1988, the long-running soap opera made its television debut, and it is still going strong today.
There have been wrecks, tragedies, and calamities during 7945 episodes that have delighted viewers in Australia and abroad.
With the exception of 1994, there have been more than 110 deaths, with at least one character dying each year.
Their lives have been filled with joy with 34 births and 43 weddings.
Along with Hawaii, Melbourne, the NSW Blue Mountains, Northern Territory, Stockton Beach in the NSW Hunter area, Nowra on the NSW South Coast, and White Cliffs in outback NSW, the show has also filmed in the UK three times.
More than any other Australian programme, Home and Away has amassed over 45 Logies, and in 2015, it was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame.
When Sally initially appeared in the show’s pilot, Kate Richie was only nine years old. She ultimately remained in Summer Bay for an astounding 4610 episodes, up until 2008. In the 20 years she worked there, she received two Gold Logies.
Emily Symons is so devoted to the programme that she has performed as Marilyn Chambers at the Bay three times: from 1989 to 1992, 1995 to 1999, and from 2010 to the present. She played Marilyn again in four episodes that took place in London in 2001.
But Ray Meagher outperforms everyone. He played Alf Stewart in the show’s pilot, and he’s still there now, 35 years later. He even owns the Guinness World Record for the longest acting run in an Australian soap opera, according to Strewth.
The 78-year-response old’s when asked why he has continued to watch the show for so long is uncomplicated: “I love it.”
“Over 90%, maybe 95%, of the occasions I’ve come here, I’ve had a great experience. The core cast and crew, many of whom have been there for as long as I have, are responsible for a large portion of that “says he.
Who could forget when tragedy struck and Alisa died of a heart attack after moving some big boxes in 2000, and then two years later when she came back from the dead? Stars have been killed off, brought back, and put through cliffhanging narrative lines.
When Billie Ashford passed away in her husband’s arms in 2017, they had only been married for a few short days. When Mason Morgan was fatally shot during a dramatic siege in 2020, tensions were high.
Sally, a favourite of Summer Bay, was stabbed in 2006, but she lived.
In its 35th season, Home and Away welcomed 28-year-old Widjabul man Kyle Manning, a member of the Bundjalung nation, as its first Indigenous main character. He’ll take on the role of Mali Hudson.
Chris Hemsworth, Isla Fisher, Naomi Watts, Julian McMahon, and the late great Heath Ledger are just a handful of the former cast members who have gone on to become some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Several famous people have made cameo cameos on Home and Away, including John Farnham in 1988. In the Bay to perform a special concert for Sally, he portrayed himself.
Ed Sheeran (1993), Simon Baker (1993), Lleyton Hewitt (2005), Johanna Griggs (1992), Jess Mauboy (2016), Sia (1997), Ian Thorpe (2000), Lisa Curry (1996), Nick Grimshaw (2015), Kostya Tszyu (1997), and Kostya Tszyu (1993) are also on the star list (2015).
When Mr. Meagher observes a future star on the Home and Away set, does he have any intuition? Occasionally, he acknowledges.
“The one who was most clear and easy to predict was Chris Hemsworth. God was really generous to him because he wasn’t hiding behind the tree when they distributed the physique and good looks “explained he.
The one who was most obvious and easy to predict was Chris Hemsworth. God was really gracious to him because he wasn’t hiding behind the tree when they distributed the body and good appearance.
R. Meagher
“He put in a lot of effort and worked tirelessly at his profession. He was the type of person who, if anyone, ought to succeed and appeared to be doing so. He truly has everything.”
The programme has a broad appeal, according to Mr. Meagher, thanks to its excellent storyline and gorgeous Palm Beach (Summer Bay) setting.
“There are numerous excellent, compelling, and pertinent narratives. Fear prevents our writers from addressing problems, “added said.
Whose line is it anyway? Stone the effing crows.
These famous quotes from Alf Stewart—”Flamin’ mongrels, strike me roan, and stone the flamin’ crows”—were actually added to the character by Mr. Meagher.
I tried to make the character an archetypal Australian rogue figure, and to do that I used some of the terms I heard growing up in the Queensland bush as a young lad, the author stated.
He once overheard a stock and station agent use the phrase “stone the flamin’ crows.”
“He would say, “Stone the flamin’ crows” 25 times in one phrase, and the more rum and cokes he drank, the more frequently he would say it. I found it to be quite humorous when I was eight or nine “Meagher stated.
On January 9, 2023, Channel 7 will once again air Home and Away.
