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That's amazing, I don't remember that but would love to see it again. Alexx - I remember that ending you are referring to. I'm sure Judith and Joel kissed passionately and it faded slowly to Don sitting alone in the Diner. Poor Don.

Yes I agree - great thread nenecherry2!!

Hmmm i see what you mean about him only really chilling out in the late 90s, but he wasn't exactly a villain the entire time before that. It was really only in the pilot and at the very start of the show he was totally villainous. Very very quickly into the series they started fleshing out his character and creating other sides to him. In the years that followed, he wasn't likeable all the time, and he could still be a bit of a bastard if the script called for it, but he could also be loving and funny and caring, just in a slightly more conservative way than other characters. Then, as you said, by the late 90s he pretty much became totally "nice" with only brief nods to his dark side.

I don't know the name of it but in a recent 1991 episode, there was a song playing in the Diner while Haydn was talking about how much he likes Marilyn. They used exactly the same song in the Diner/Salon when Marilyn and Haydn got up to naughty business 1996 and Fisher walked in. Intentional? It ended with the words "Come on, come on. I know you like me."

This is something that really bugs me about the current show.

All these episodes were on youtube a while ago but seem to have disappeared again, sadly. Actually that's not quite what happened. Ailsa didn't egg Alf on to push Morag down the stairs. He actually "watched" Ailsa doing it herself. Of course, she wasn't real so it must have been Alf, but in his mind, it was Ailsa who did it. Morag was walking towards the stairs (after storming out of the flat) and next thing we know Alf is yelling "No, Ails, don't!" and Morag is falling down the stairs. The "egging on" happened in a similar incident with Donald. Donald kept insisting that Ailsa was dead and Alf got angry with him, with Ailsa yelling "go on Alf, hit him! Hit him!" Donald then had an angina attack. Later, "Ailsa" remarked that Donald should be more careful with his heart and when Alf pointed out that it was Ailsa who told him to hit Donald, she replied innocently "I said no such thing!" Such a fun storyline.

I agree, his return in 2007 was just horrible. He was brought back because Cameron Welsh loved "Flathead"... but he just loved the legend of Flathead, he didn't really get the character - clearly. Some things shouldn't be messed with.

Alf had a brain tumour and while he was getting an operation to have it removed, he "died" on the operating table for a short time during which he had a near death experience where the ghost/angel of Ailsa showed him around what Summer Bay would be like in the future if Alf died. He was allowed to interact and talk to other characters but he wasn't allowed to look like himself so he "borrowed" the appearance of another ghost/angel, a black man. A while later that same guy saved Colleen and when Alf heard the description of him he realised it must be the same ghost. In hindsight you could say that because Colleen and Alf were siblings, this is why he intervened. Though at the time that story had not been written.

Yeah, the so called "joke" is really just the fact that there's a woman getting her beard cut. They use that form of joke a couple of times in the pilot, the other one being "Our pleasure... as the siamese twins said to their girlfriend". It's really just taking a relatively common phrase ("Can't complain", "our pleasure", etc)... and puting it into an unusual context for a joke. But on both occasions none of the other characters find it funny so I don't think you need your sense of humour checked, they weren't supposed to be funny! One thing I love about the pilot is that there is ALWAYS something new to notice every time you watch it.

Well to me it's more a case of having a close friend that you call by a certain name, you don't just suddenly stop calling them that when you reach a certain age. Sally didn't stop calling Alf "Mr Stewart" when she grew up, because that was how she came to know him as, and it symbolised her respect for him, like "Maz" could symbolise Irene and Marilyn's close friendship (not that they really have one like they used to). ETA in fact Marilyn herself still calls Alf Mr Stewart and she must be the only one over 40 who does. So there's no reason Irene can't call Marilyn "Maz".

Does anybody on the current show call her as "Maz" or is it just us old timer fans that remember that nickname?

Sounds like you're channelling "Old H&A fan"

Hey guys On the site in the episode summaries, for episode 590 it says "The twins feel unwelcome in the Stewart house". Are Karen and Blake twins? I don't remember this being mentioned and I always thought Karen was younger.

It was indeed Pippa's dad. Bert King I think his name was. He had appeared previously played by another actor in the early years. He first popped up (played by the actor you are referring to with the white moustache) around 1995 where he was showing signs of going slightly senile (he kept calling Michael "Tom" and would forget where he left things, or would start a job and then forget what he was doing and go off and do something else). He returned to help out around the house around 1997 when Pippa was in a coma and had a short "romance" with Don Fisher's mother Isobel. They changed his character slightly as he was a lot more "with it" this time and was able to run a house full of teenagers.

When Heath got tasered, they made it seem like it was going to be a big deal for Watson, but as usual they didn't follow through on it because let's face it, Watson is just a guest character, it doesn't matter to the writers/producers that all the viewers really like her!

I think puting the logo over the cliffhanger looks a bit dated but the freeze frame is still sadly missed!

Great minds think alike! Thanks for finding it Ryan, shame about the awful butchering of the credits that guy did!

Ah I had a feeling I was wrong about that. Oh well 1991 it probably was then! I remember vividly she is sitting on the grass laughing and playing with Dagdog who has a stick in his mouth. I always thought it would have been cute if they credited Dagdog.

He appears in the 1992 (I think) opening credits with Sally, so he's around until at least then. He is not credited though!

I would love to include Martin & Lance in your 'Most Popular Character' awards Edward but sadly I seem to be their only fan I liked Lance and Martin too, I just don't feel the need to mention them in every post I make

Nice, thanks.

Basically there's a central hallway that goes straight from the front door to a door at the rear of the house - in the interior set it would be where the linen cupboard is. Yeah that makes sense with what I remember seeing. Funny how certain things stick in your mind.

Thank you That's funny that it appeared onscreen while the extension was being built and clearly unfinished! I've always wondered what the interior of these houses look like compared to the sets. Most probably completely different. Summer Bay House especially - in a recent early years episode in an exterior scene we caught a glimpse through the side door but it was too brief to make anything out, even when paused. I am sure, unless my memory deceives me, that the real house has/had a back door situated where the kitchen windows are in the interior set. I still remember the episode where we saw it - Damien was sneaking off on his bike to visit Shane in prison.

I remember it was either Aaron's birthday party or his leaving party, there was a barbecue round the back of the Stewart House. I think it was the only time we saw the back garden and back porch area. That's assuming they even used the same house. Great news to hear that Fisher's house is next!

Thanks - nice to see what the Stewart house looks like now! By the way, from the look of the 1989 opening credits, it seems the big extention was already built on the house which may explain why they stopped showing exterior scenes there (except on a very rare occasion) after 1988. It may also be worth mentioning (and posting a screencap if you have one) that a replica of the exterior of the house was built for the mudslide episodes. It would be good to compare the replica with the actual house - I seem to remember it was quite a good replica. It is also interesting about them building the veranda onto the studio set. They should do this for the front of Summer Bay House too.