c120701

It seems that Debra has been working as an acting coach on Neighbours. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tv-shows/rob-mills-housemate-won-a-tv-role-that-the-former-australian-idol-contestant-really-wanted/news-story/9627366ec09029cc87d5cdb7b5c318cd

Oh, yeah I see now, although depending on the location of Stewart's Point now, (If it's still West Head Lookout) then the fire looked like it was headed towards that part of Summer Bay, unless Stewart's Point is in Yabbie Creek but named because it overlooks Summer Bay. God, it is confusing. I know one thing, I wouldn't fancy a walk to Stewart's Point from Summer Bay.

Did they use footage of the real life Palm Beach bushfire from 2013 for the shot of the smoke over the headland? Given the fire was out towards Yabbie Creek I'm not sure where they were trying to suggest Yabbie Creek was. The smoke even appeared to be blowing towards the bay from that shot when we were told thr fire was moving away from Summer Bay.

Which explains why she picked the Simpsons I guess as she'd maybe worked with Doris at the store, or just seen her a lot.

Yes, I thought it sounded similar to Beacon Store, which is mentioned in the article briefly. It's definitely not that store as it's a different construction.

I came across this history of the Barrenjoey Boathouse aka the Pier Diner which I thought might be of interest. It was apparently listed for demolition in 1989 as the cost of repairs needed was too high, so Home and Away stepped in and renovated the boathouse & pay a lease for access for filming, which obviously paid off when it eventually became the new home of the diner. http://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/barrenjoey-boat-house.php As for Alf's final store, going from some Google Earth travels the backdrop appeared to suggest it was opposite Pittwater Park on Barrenjoey Road, but much of what's there now doesn't look like it'd have been there in the 90s.

I loved how Alf was clearly talking about Ailsa's history when he talked to Nate about Tori, even if he didn't mention her by name.

I imagine that was the plan. Maybe Tina stayed longer than they thought she would as she outlasted Fin's peers, so they started to think about moving her & Damien out to freshen up the Ross house.

Leah came back from the city as Leah, although it sounds like her parents are living in the city again rather than Cyprus or Melbourne (where they were inbetween Sydney & Cyprus).

Today's episode seemed really different, it all felt odd. Olivia didn't seem like Olivia at all. Mason's feelings for her came out of nowhere. Edit: Oh no, bring in Hunter and she's just the same.

They have filmed by the Opera House with Sarah & Tug back in the 90s.

Alf & Heath didn't get on? I barely remember them interacting.

Or possibly (and quite ironically if that were the case) to stop raised eyebrows about seeing James living with a young girl on his own who had a different surname to him.

Heath doesn't seem like Heath, he seems calmer. It's nice to see him though, he'd become a much better character by the time he left (if you exclude his cameo at Casey's grave & An Eye for An Eye) - and of all the Braxton men (alive ones anyway), he'd be the only one I'd be happy to see.

Was the abandoned farmhouse in today's 5* episode the Hunter farm? The kitchen looked similar.

Happy 13th Birthday BTTB, of course being a Home and Away fan site that probably means you're now actually 17 and have been recast with Matt Little... Thanks to the team for all your hard work.

Were Charlie & Gypsy meant to be taking drugs or just drinking?

I remember reading that the reason off screen was because it was damaging Lynne's hair - I think she said her hair had become really brittle and was falling out.

I remember reading that when Hey Dad was being produced it used to share studio space with Home and Away, so they had to take down the H&A sets to shoot Hey Dad and put then take those down & put them back up again. I've done a quick search Real Life (which became Today Tonight) was launched in 1992, so perhaps it was down to studio space as Fisher's 1992-1995 house was more modular and the central part was smaller, so it probably meant they could fit it in elsewhere.

Thanks Dan. An early example of Summer Bay becoming bigger than it should be I guess.

I assume that Roo is heading towards becoming a teacher at the High School. I love that Matt brought up Frank to Roo, especially given the timing with VJ and Billie heading into a very similar story now with his proposal.

I think the big thing with Irene is that the writing is inconsistent and there will always be that - if you read interviews with the cast, past and present, Ray Meagher, Debra Lawrence... they just say they have a quiet word or just tweak it until it's in character. I really have the feeling that Lynne McGranger is worried about her job if she does. Look at Irene's scenes during Chris' departure, I felt like she was Irene as she'd have been with Will or Nick. There are times she's written right, I think we even got a "Darl" the other day, but they really stand out because she's written so badly the rest of the time.

Why would Phoebe take post for Sid to Northern Districts Hospital?

It would be mad if Channel 5 didn't want to close the gap. I would hazard a guess that it's Seven's doing because of their scheduling.

Plus he's lost the hair, so he doesn't look exactly the same - but the fact he hasn't interacted with Irene or Alf helps, even if that does highlight that there are two halves of the Bay.