Ah, don't you love it when the numbers fall nicely, so, here we are with a rather large update which features a large number of pyscho killers and toddler Pippa who must have more points here than she has had lines in the show. We also see two of the most popular characters from 12 years ago make an appearance here before going on to have a hugely moderate impact on Hollywood.
36=. Sam Tolhurst - 25 points
NEW ENTRY
Sam is one of those characters who has completely divided our forum members, not to mention our staff members when it came to writing this. When she first arrived in 2006, she was fairly well liked. She was simply a guest character who was trying to help Jack get back on his feet after being in a coma. Even when Sam and Jack got together, something most Jack and Martha fans disliked, she was still thought of as being a nice character. Then came 2007. Jack brought Sam back to Summer Bay after she was trying to flee from her ex-husband which consequently led to her breaking her leg. Shortly after she returned, they decided to get back together and when her ex-husband was killed in a car chase, life started to get easier for Sam. That was before the seemingly never-ending storyline of 2007 began. Whilst Jack was confused over his feelings for Martha, Sam was caught in the middle. Many think that she's controlling and neurotic whilst others think she is the most sensible character out of the whole threesome. Nevertheless, the majority of viewers dislike her.
36=. Shannon Reed - 25 points
DOWN 14
Shannon is down significantly this year which may be to do with Isla Fisher who plays her, not appearing in any films recently while she was pregnant with her first child. Shannon arrived in the bay with foster brother Curtis, who was actually her boyfriend. She moved into The Caravan Park House and was bossy, opinionated but also a firm fan favourite. She had an artistic streak, first as a painter and then as an author, and went through a succession of boyfriends in The Bay. She tried to steal Shane from Angel and became anorexic when the town turned against her. She dated Alex for a long time but they eventually split, assumedly because the actor who played Alex got sick of bending down to kiss the tiny Isla. After making her way through the boys of the Bay Shannon found affection with writer Mandy and the two left in 1997 to go to Paris.
38. Johnny Cooper - 23 points
NEW ENTRY
Johnny Cooper is exactly the kind of character a show like Home & Away needs from time to time. He's a bad guy through and through, unlike so many of the other "bad guys" who really were good, but had some sort of problem. Turning Johnny good wouldn't make sense, and I'm glad they haven't tried to. Johnny's way of thinking is different, and I truly hope they never try to change him!
39=. Angel Parrish - 21 points
DOWN 10
Angel was the Sally of her generation. Every storyline conceivable was thrown at her and Melissa George who played her won an endless stream of awards for her portrayal. Angel was smart, too smart for school, and regularly took Fisher to task over lessons, but in similar themes to Bobby, she also formed a strong bond with him. She found love with the Bay heartthrob Shane Parrish and their relationship managed to survive numerous hurdles, including the revelation that she had a son. With Shane's help she got Dylan back. She was knocked down by Alf and lost use of her legs but managed to walk down the aisle on Fisher's arm, in a wedding that was recently voted favourite of all time by our forum members. She tried to leave the bay when she thought Shane was having an affair with Shannon but her seaplane crashed in the bush. She survived and she and Shane were reunited. She was stalked by her ex, lost two homes in a bush fire and an earthquake, and lost Shane after he died of blood poisoning on their first wedding anniversary. She eventually found love with Englishman Simon Broardhurst and left the Bay to be with him in England.
39=. Rocco Cooper - 21 points
NEW ENTRY
The story of Rocco Cooper is a short and tragic one. Brought up by his brother Johnny in a brutal gang environment, Rocco strove to break free of his criminal leanings, but to do that he would have to betray Johnny, something that would hurt him in more ways than one. Rocco was taken in by Sally, but in Johnny's opinion Sally had no right to take Rocco away from him, and Rocco had no right to ask to be taken. That's why if Rocco wanted to prove his loyalty to Johnny, he would have to kill Sally. That, or Johnny would kill him. Rocco didn't want to die, and so he made the impossible decision to kill Sally. Except that when he stabbed her, she didn't die. Johnny took Rocco's failure as a clear sign that his little brother was a lost cause, and had him killed after all. Johnny then pinned the murder on Sally's son in a final act of twisted justice, hoping to take Ric's life away just as Rocco's life had been taken from him.
39=. Geoff Campbell - 21 points
NEW ENTRY
For me Geoff was one of the highlights of 2007. Although I have to admit I'm a sucker for bad boys, it was nice to see the complete opposite for a change. With all the bad boys turned good we have seen over the years, Geoff was like a fresh breath of air to the show, and Lincoln Lewis' good acting made storylines that were great in the first place a real pleasure to watch.
39=. Kane Phillips - 21 points
DOWN 29
Kane is a controversial topic of conversation. He "attacked" Dani, and then went on to marry her sister. Now, some people will tell you that this is a sick and twisted development beyond all reason or comprehension, and others will tell you that it's proof of Kirsty and Kane's love being able to overcome anything. Either way, Kane is an interesting character. He came from a family of jailbirds and managed to turn his life around to become a decent, well loved member of society. He overcame the horrors of his childhood, the hatred of the townsfolk, and the ravages of cancer, only to end up seconds from a jail sentence through the lies and betrayal of his own father and brother. Rather than leave his pregnant wife and be an absentee father, Kane decided to skip town with Kirsty, and they drove off to become fugitives. Always on the run, but always together.
43=. Tamsyn Armstrong - 20 points
NEW ENTRY
I don't think anybody expected Rachel and Brad to have a fifteen-year old half sister, and when she arrived I believed even less that the cheeky, bad girl was related to 'sensible' Brad and Rachel. But Tam was a great addition to the cast. She gave us an air of 'freshness' and fun in our daily watching. I think she should have been a permanent addition to the cast and let her relationship with Geoff develop.
43=. Jade Sutherland - 20 points
UP 8
Jade is, and probably always will be, one of my favourite characters. So much deeper than many of the other characters, and a very special character. Kate Garven's acting was good all along, but it was particularly good during the twin-swap storyline in 2004. I think she was a little bit underused in comparison to her Sisters Kirsty and Dani, but acted more as a rock between them. If she had actually been used as much, or more, as her sisters more people would have grown fond of Jade.
45=. Jazz Curtis - 19 points
NEW ENTRY
Basically, Jazz is Amanda. She's feisty, and she'll do anything to get what she wants. There have been many characters like that over the years, but Jazz is a particularly 'deep' character. She's the kind of character that many love to hate... Or hate to love...
45=. Pippa Saunders - 19 points
NEW ENTRY
As a baby, Pippa had very little to do. But this year has seen a new actress take on the role and Pippa has become a key role in the Caravan Park House. Not only does she look exceptionally cute, she and Sally come across as a real mother and daughter. She shares scenes with Ric, Cassie, Colleen and numerous others. During Brad's time off from work he elaborately described his day with Pippa as involving lots of scenarios with 'Teddy'. She was recently given her first major storyline when she was run over by Alf and recovered in hospital. Lots of touching scenes followed and she was the catalyst for Sally to reminisce about her old imaginary friend Milco, when she continued to talk to Brad, despite him having left the Bay. With all that under her CV at such a young age its no wonder Pippa has made her way onto our poll.
47. Jules Munroe - 17 points
NEW ENTRY
Jules, one of my favourite guest characters of 2007, was first seen riding a motorbike. Teenage boy + Motorbike = Possible trouble! Shortly after arriving, it was revealed that he was running away from home and was a friend of Drew's. He liked a laugh and enjoyed hanging out with his friends. Underneath that cheerful exterior, however, he was a very emotional character who had been through a terrible ordeal. One day, he and his girlfriend went sailing, but the weather took a turn for the worst, and she drowned whilst Jules was trying to get the boat up the right way. Jules held himself fully responsible and what happened to him had obviously scarred him. Jules was an excellent character, who, had he of been on the show for longer, had a lot of potential.
48=. Brad Armstrong - 16 points
NEW ENTRY
Many viewers found Brad to be a ''nice'' character. He wasn't spectacular and, by most people, he won't be remembered as a 'great' character. He left for a teaching job in Tasmania with his half-sister and her mum, and all in all, he was just...nice. But there are worse words that could be used to describe a character. Like Lucas.
48=. Eve Jacobson (Zoe McAllister) - 16 points DOWN 32
Eve Jacobson/Zoe McAllister/Wal Harisse/Maxine Trood/"Tick Tock"/ etc... was the most talked about villain of recent years. She IS the Summer Bay Stalker! I think perhaps that's more to do with the hype and promotion of the storyline than to do with the character herself though. Chris Hemsworth even took time out of his Logie's speech to remind viewers that the Stalker would soon be revealed... even though she psychologically tortured his character... That was fun though, the torture, there's no denying that. It's just a shame that a good character (Zoe) became a reasonably interesting villain (Eve), but then undid all of that by rising from the dead and coming back to seek revenge on a town full of people who, besides Peter, had little if anything to do with her (Promotional Pawn). Still, if we ignore the horrendous Tracey Thompson saga and return to the pure vengeance of Sarah Lewis' distraught lover, then Zoe... Eve... Maxine... Wal... well and truly deserves her place on the favorite's list.