Oz Spoilers – Arrivals & Departures (August Update)
A quick rundown of the latest news on Home and Away’s comings and goings, due to air on-screen over the next few months.
Please note that on-screen dates are an estimate only, with scheduling of the episodes on Seven currently putting the planned airdates out of line.
This article contains major spoilers for both Australia and the UK!
Arrivals
Quinn Jackson (Lara Cox)
By far the biggest development in arrivals since the last update is our announcement of the impending return of Quinn Jackson, Alf Stewart’s estranged daughter from the US.
Last seen in the closing weeks of 1995 played by Danielle Spencer, we understand that Danielle turned down the offer of a return and the role has been taken on by Lara Cox.
We expect Quinn’s 4-6 week stint to air sometime in November, and finding out exactly what brings Quinn back to the bay after 22 years is certainly going to make for interesting viewing…
Ryder (Lukas Radovich)
©Greg Lewis / Morrissey Management
As we previously announced, a new character named Ryder will be heading to Summer Bay later this year, played by 22 year old WAAPA graduate Lukas Radovich.
Whilst no official information has yet been released, we did tease that Ryder would have a close connection to an existing character…
And if you haven’t already put the pieces together, we can now reveal that Ryder is in fact Quinn’s teenage son, and therefore Alf Stewart’s grandson.
We understand that Ryder’s arrival will come before his mother’s in around October, but unlike his Quinn he’ll be sticking around in Summer Bay for a while, enrolling at the high school.
How will Alf react to the news that he has yet another grandson he knew nothing about? For those counting, this is actually the third!
Beth Ellis (Anneliese Apps)
Perth based actress Anneliese Apps was first spotted filming at Palm Beach back in March, with paparazzi snaps showing her character, Beth, kissing Mason Morgan (Orpheus Pledger).
Beth will make her debut on-screen in Australia this week, when she introduces herself to Mason as one of the nurses working in the Emergency Department at the hospital, where he’s still recovering from his car crash. Though all isn’t as it seems… fun-loving Beth is hiding more than one secret and we understand that the relationship is set to end in tears.
“It’s going to be really exciting and hopefully a moving storyline,” Anneliese recently revealed to New Idea magazine. “Beth is cheeky, layered and she wants to make the people around her feel good. She is mysterious, perhaps even a bit quirky, like me – I’m not that mysterious, but I’m definitely a bit quirky. Initially, she wants to help Mason because she sees a little bit of herself in him.”
Alan & Jackie Ellis (Blair McDonough & Rachael Coopes)
©Pete Wallis / ©Lisa Mann Creative Management
It was first confirmed by the Seven Network back in April that former Neighbours and Winners and Losers star Blair McDonough would be taking on a guest role in the show. Whilst we can’t confirm for certain, we believe that he will be playing Beth’s father, Alan Ellis, alongside actress and Play School presenter Rachael Coopes as his wife Jackie.
Caleb Snow (Josh McConville)
Whilst the tragic story of son Max’s death has now been revealed, the fractured relationship between Scarlett Snow and her estranged husband Caleb is still yet to be explored in-depth. We won’t have to wait too long however, with Caleb set to finally track Scarlett down in Summer Bay at some point in the next month or so.
Diana (Sarah Chadwick)
Veteran actress Sarah Chadwick will be making another guest appearance on Home and Away in episodes expected to air in November. Whilst we again can’t 100% confirm the character, we believe she will be appearing as Maggie Astoni’s mother, Diana.
Sarah was photographed by the press attending what looks to be a small vow renewal ceremony with the Astonis on the beach, with Sarah’s character leading a blindfolded Maggie down the beach path to be met by Ben and daughters Ziggy and Coco. Sarah was also pictured filming a scene with Ray Meagher on the seaplane wharf.
Viewers may remember that Sarah previously appeared in the show as Vanessa ‘the undresser’ Unley in 2011, an old friend of Gina Palmer.
Willow (Sarah Roberts)
Not much is known about the character of Willow currently, other than she seems set to become involved somehow with Justin Morgan. Initial scenes filmed saw Justin flirting with her as she took an outdoor shower near the surf club in her bikini, whilst a week later she was seen having a heated discussion with Justin after he had a run-in with a bikie gang. These scenes are expected to air in November. More recent shoots have seen Willow talking to a new River Boy (see below).
Axel (Matthew Pearce)
Matthew Pearce will be debuting as guest character Axel (seen above in the blue jacket) around November, who we understand is involved in the fashion industry and will be part of a big storyline for hopeful designer Olivia Fraser-Richards.
Scenes have been filmed which show Olivia selling her wares—under the name ‘Liv Design’—at an event outside the surf club, and rumour has it that her involvement with Axel could lead Olivia to make some unfortunate decisions, which could have dire consequences for her relationship with Hunter…
Jasmine (Sam Frost)
The arrival of reality TV and radio star Sam Frost in her acting debut has been much publicised over the past month or so, and we can now confirm that her character’s name will be Jasmine.
Jasmine is certainly set to arrive with a bang, being the driver of a car that is involved in a huge crash in the 2017 season finale that tragically kills Kat Chapman (more on that in the Departures section further down).
Whilst we probably won’t see much of her in the finale itself, Jasmine will be integrated into the bay in the opening weeks of 2018 as she comes to terms with what’s happened, and has been seen filming several scenes alongside Leah who she appears to be striking up a friendship with.
We understand that Jasmine is contracted as a guest character to begin with, but that’s not to say she won’t stick around for longer.
Dean (Patrick O’Connor)
It would appear that we are set to see a return of the notorious River Boy gang in some form as we move into the new season, which may or may not come as a surprise given recent changes behind-the-scenes. A new character played by Patrick O’Connor—reported to be named Dean and adorned with the all-too-familiar ‘Blood and Sand’ branding—has been seen filming a number of scenes with Ash and various gang member types, which have already been involved in a brawl with police officers.
One notable scene shows what looks to be some sort of procession, led by Dean and Ash, down to the beach following Kat’s funeral. He has also been seen to be friendly with fellow newcomer Willow, so there may be a possible link between the characters.
Colby (Tim Franklin)
Actor Tim Franklin will be appearing as a new police officer, again reportedly named Colby, in the new year. Nothing is known about the character or whether he’ll be sticking around, but scenes so far have seen him in a heated conversation with Ash, as well as filming with Leah and Jasmine.
Departures
Scarlett Snow (Tania Nolan)
After only 6 months on the show, we will soon be bidding farewell to the character of Scarlett Snow. With Scarlett’s estranged husband Caleb set to rock up, will the couple reunite and try to move on from their son’s tragic death…? Does he have something more sinister in mind? Or could Scarlett simply move on from the Bay in order to avoid the resident grim reaper? Only time will tell…
Scarlett’s final scenes are expected to air in October.
Kat Chapman (Pia Miller)
Major news came to light as filming for the 2017 season finale got underway earlier this month, with the revelation that Kat Chapman (Pia Miller) and her unborn child were to be killed off in a horror car smash, with the other car driven by Sam Frost’s character Jasmine.
The following week, Kat’s funeral was filmed at the church location in Pitt Town, with Ash seen carrying an additional small coffin for the baby.
Kat Chapman first appeared in Summer Bay in the opening week of the 2015 season, where the one of the first requirements of her job was to arrest Darryl Braxton for the suspected murder of Dean Sanderson. When her departure comes to air, Pia Miller’s tenure as a main cast member will have lasted for nearly 700 episodes.
Hunter King (Scott Lee)
Whilst not an imminent on-screen departure, Scott Lee revealed back in December that he would be leaving the show towards the end of this year and looking to head to LA.
“I’m excited” Scott told TV Week, “The time I’ve had has gone so quickly and I’ve learnt a lot as an actor. Halfway through the year I’m going to head over to America and suss it out. It’ll prepare me for what’s to come. With the rise of Netflix, work is becoming more obtainable, so it’s a good move for me to go over there”
As the show is filmed several months in advance of airing, Hunter will still be on-screen well into the 2018 season.
For a full rundown of what’s to come on-air over the next couple of weeks, visit our Australian Spoilers page.
Visit Summer Bay!
If you’re in Sydney, why not take the time to visit the beautiful Palm Beach (Summer Bay) yourself – you may even be lucky enough to spot some filming and take some snaps with cast members!
The Official Home and Away Tour departs from central Sydney four days a week, and costs just $99 per person. For more information, and to book tickets directly through the official tour provider, click here or on the button below.
