96-114

As the number of people at each level decreases, today we get those with both three and four points!

• 

  96. Blake Dean (4 points)

  Played by Les Hill

  Blake’s taken a bit of a battering as the 7TWO repeats fade from people’s memories. He was something of a figure of stability despite being introduced as a rebel, managing to stick around for a while during a period when most teens didn’t seem to last a year. And started a bit of a trend by suddenly gaining a half-sister to add to the regular cast, then leaving straight after she arrived.

• 

  96= Gina Austin/Palmer (4 points)

  Played by Sonia Todd

  This past Summer Bay High principal and past wife of John continues to have her fans, enough to get her into the lower reaches of the poll anyway. We have her to thank for giving us Jett, and the more human version of John, even if she did have a bit of a tendency to play favourites among the students.

• 

  96= Harry Reynolds (4 points)

  Played by Justin Melvey

  Harry’s back in the poll despite a relatively short time on the show. Coming in with a back story about being in witness protection, he quickly got turned into a stock “cool teacher” character and then just a stock “brooding young adult” character. His mum probably appeared more than him and she wasn’t even a regular.

• 

  96= Jesse McGregor (4 points)

  Played by Ben Unwin

  We have, of course, lost Ben Unwin since the last poll, so it’s to be hoped that Jesse’s out there somewhere doing a lot better. After accidentally killing a popular character and disappearing off to jail, it’s perhaps understandable that he never came back to Summer Bay: There’s unlikely to be many happy memories!

• 

  96= Kim Hyde (4 points)

  Played by Chris Hemsworth

  Kim didn’t make the grade last time round but is back with a vengeance. (Avengeance? Okay, please yourselves.) Starting out as something of a rebel without a cause, he settled down rather—mainly because he kept thinking he was a father about once per season—and even managed to deal with the indignity of being dumped for Scott Hunter.

• 

  96= Martha MacKenzie (4 points)

  Played by Jodi Gordon

  She’s fallen quite a way but Martha’s still clinging on. The recent return of Angelo, who lost his job for helping her escape police custody, could have been an opportunity to reference her again, but wasn’t. Oh well, the actress isn’t in Neighbours anymore, so with her grandparents, mother and cousin all currently on the show, there’s a chance we’ll see her again!

• 

  96= Scarlett Snow (4 points)

  Played by Tania Nolan

  Scarlett has lasted longer in the memory of fans than she did on the show, where she spent a few months as Alf’s assistant and Justin’s potential next girlfriend before an abrupt turnaround saw her go back to the husband she’d been running away from. Instead, Justin dated Willow instead. How did that go?

• 

  96= Shauna Bradley (4 points)

  Played by Kylie Watson

  Nestled alongside Alf’s granddaughter, we have Alf’s step-daughter, who seems to get mentioned even less, much like her mother these days. Alf started off scandalised by the idea of a female lifeguard but stayed on her side despite her pursuing a married man and Flynn.

• 

  96= Tane Parata (4 points)

  Played by Ethan Browne

  The first of the current regular cast to appear in the poll. Tane’s only one point ahead of his non-regular sister-in-law, suggesting that perhaps the idea of a charming bad boy character is a bit played out, especially when Dean’s still on the show. No-one really seems to dislike Tane, but he doesn’t seem to have made much of an impression on people either.

• 

  96= Tom Fletcher (4 points)

  Played by Roger Oakley

  Tom’s managed to avoid a repeat of his 2016 poll absence thanks to a few loyal fans. The show’s original father figure, Tom spent two and a half years overseeing his unruly brood before being killed off among the departures of quite a few original cast mid-1990.

• 

  96= Xavier Austin (4 points)

  Played by David Jones-Roberts

  A return to the poll for John Palmer’s one-time step-son. He didn’t have the most promising start as a drug dealing troublemaker, but despite a chaotic romantic life that saw most of his girlfriends decide they preferred someone else, he managed to evolve into a pretty decent young man, and had the sense to realise that if you join the police, Summer Bay’s the last place you want to be.

• 

  107. Carly Morris/Lucini (3 points)

  Played by Sharyn Hodgson

  Another original character, Carly spent quite a bit of time sparring with foster sister Bobby and dating men as diverse as Adam Cameron and former teacher Andrew Foley. She eventually got married in a whirlwind romance and somehow ended up staying with her husband despite him moving her out to a delapidated farm and then joining the army.

• 

  107= Damian Roberts (3 points)

  Played by Matt Doran

  Irene’s youngest son has gained a point since last time but still remains in that black hole into which departed relatives are cast. He did actually manage to keep on making regular visits for a year or so after his departure but they’ve long since dried up. Perhaps another one who’s still in a few people’s minds from 7TWO.

• 

  107= Emma Jackson (3 points)

  Played by Dannii Minogue

  Retaining her three points from last time round, here’s another obscure relative of Alf’s, although the fact she has the same surname as Ryder is apparently pure coincidence. Often referred to as a punk in retrospectives, even though her punk era was only a few weeks at the start of her time on the show.

• 

  107= Gemma Parata (3 points)

  Played by Bree Peters

  Gemma was some people’s favourite Parata, so naturally she turned out to be the one that was on a short-term guest star contract and abruptly left. She may even have placed higher if she hadn’t been an easy person to blame for Ben and Maggie’s marital problems.

• 

  107= Karen Thompson (3 points)

  Played by Georgia Adamson

  And another mother of a current regular cast member. Karen has been conspicuously absent this year, after a period when she could be guaranteed to turn up every few months to give Dean hives and wind up John Palmer, so it’s to be hoped she’ll be back in Summer Bay soon.

• 

  107= Martha Stewart (3 points)

  Played by Belinda Giblin

  Who would have guessed when the first BTTB poll was launched that, by 2020, Alf’s late first wife would be one point below her granddaughter and namesake? For that matter, who would have guessed that she’d be back on the show and remarried to Alf? Not many…

• 

  107= Matilda Hunter (3 points)

  Played by Indiana Evans

  Like Martha Mackenzie, Matilda was once in the Top 10 but has now slid down to the lower reaches of the list. The longest-serving member of the late 00s teen group, Matilda successfully negotiated the character path from “bit of a brat” to “kind and caring young woman” even if she did get kept in high school longer than seemed to be necessary.

• 

  107= Rocco Cooper (3 points)

  Played by Ian Meadows

  Rocco appears alongside his one-time classmate. Briefly fostered by Sally, Rocco had the misfortune to have a dodgy older brother who forced him to take part in burglaries and stab people. His time in high school was fairly short, mainly because he got beaten to death before exams.