adam436

I'd love to know what the rationale was/is behind the move to being an entirely adult cast. As far as I know, the producers have never spoken about the change in the show. There was never really an official rebranding or revamp, the teenagers just sort of dwindled away with Ryder, Raffy, Bella etc, and then I assume Maggie was written out because there was no school for her to be principal for. I understand that demographics and viewing habits change, so it's probably a case of the audience being the same age as the majority of characters, but surely there people in their 30s or 40s with teenagers or pre-teens that could relate to their storylines. I would have thought enough for the show to invest a token 2 or 3. I remember when the 20somethings and early 30somethings used to be the minority group in Summer Bay with the bulk of the cast being teenagers or 35+ I'd be down for that. Maybe not Alf or Marilyn, but a serial killer would certainly generate some hype for the show, especially if we didn't know it was except it was someone in the regular cast. British soaps (Hollyoaks at least!) has had it's share of serial killers, but I don't think it's been done on an Australian soap before.

I didn't have anything against Kelly. She was a nothing character for me. She wasnt around have any long-term impact or interesting enough to be well remembered, but I didn't hate the character either.

The Nashes suffered from poor planning on the writers' part and weren't really given a chance. They didn't move into Summer Bay House until a year into their run, and even then, they were pretty much house guests of Travis and Rebecca. By the time they had the house to themselves, they were pretty much on their way out. The producers clearly had high hopes for them because they decided to recast Natalie rather than write her out (given she was recast in the middle of the Robert Perez story, the timing fit to kill her off!), but I think it was just an unfortunate timing for the family since there were clearly big changes happening in the show in 2000 when they were just settling into their groove at Summer Bay House. Tom was just another cookie-cutter teen, but Joel, Gypsy, Peta and Justine were all great characters, so it's a shame that dynamic didn't continue for a few more years. They weren't like the Fletchers it that they didn't seem to have the same warmth, but the show as a whole didn't feel as warm or light as it did in Tom and Pippa's day. I feel like the producers tried that with Zac and Leah and it didn't really work. When they moved in there, they had five children between them (Evie, Oscar, VJ, Hunter and Matt) and Alf living with them seemed like an odd set-up. The timing didn't help tho since most of them had moved on pretty quickly, but it would have worked better without Alf there in my opinion. It's hard to see how we would ever get a large or foster family back into Summer Bay House while Alf is still around, unless they married off Roo again, which has already been done with Harvey/Maddie/Spencer, or introduce a recast Duncan with a new wife, Bryce and some stepchildren/foster children. Duncan would be close to 40 now going on his SORASed age in 2016, so he could easily head up a brand new family on the show.

Same. Though I probably would skip most of the early - mid 1990s. I'd be keen to rewatch 1995 - 2000 again, but I don't much interest in re-watching 1990 - 1994ish. Other than a few highlights like Sophie's pregnancy, Bobby's death and Dale's cot death, those years seemed pretty boring in my opinion. The pace didn't really pick up again until 1995. Having said that, I'd probably still watch them if I had to wait for 1995 onward to be uploaded. For me, it's 2001-2006 in which Alf felt like a spare part. He lost his home and then his entire family (Ailsa, Duncan, Mitch and Shauna) in quick succession, so he pretty much just lived on his own in a flat above the diner during that time. Seb moved in after Fisher left, but that felt like it was because the writers needed somewhere for Seb to stay, rather than utilising the family connection.

Nola was played by Denise Roberts, who went on to become known for her roles in GP and Always Greener. She always played an unnamed customer in Ailsa's store in 1988, who in theory could have been Nola too

Do we think Lynn was misused or underused by the writers? I can see why they axed her - she got sidelined storyline-wise by the older female characters (Carly, Bobby and Roo), and was definitely the least developed of the main Fletcher children. Other than running away early on, she was very much a supporting character for her whole stint. Lynn was meant to be in Steven's year, but they never really seemed that close or used that other than Lynn playing matchmaker between Steven and Sandra. I feel like her and Sally's closeness/backstory got lost too. Less than a year after she left, we were introduced to Viv who had a strict religious upbringing. Might have just been a coincidence though.

I'm curious to see how/if the revisiting of the 1988 season in Australia and the UK will affect their year's Most Popular Character poll. Will the likes of Tom, Pippa, Bobby and Fisher see a surge in points?

Definitely by 2002 when it was supposedly in the works, anyway. The show was very light on long-term characters at that point. We had Sally, Alf and Fisher (who left a few months into 2003 anyway!), and the newly-returned Jesse who had a lengthy stint in the 1990s, but most other characters only had a few years under their better. Leah and Colleen were still relatively new. It's hard to imagine justifying axing a character of 10 years under those circumstances, whomever it was. It would have left the show without a "dedicated" foster parent, which would have felt weird - this was Sally's pre-foster parents days and Alf and Fisher were generally only getting relatives like Sam and Seb by this point.

I'd say Alan's death was the turning point for him that made him "human". Prior to that he just came across as a two-dimensional tyrant/villain. Norman Coburn is the greatest actor H&A has ever had and he brought so much depth and emotion to the character that a lesser actor may not have.

Does anyone know why Rob Storey departed the way he did? Did the actor have to leave suddenly for personal reasons or was there a behind the scenes story? In some ways it feels like Rob's departure was planned with him gradually phased out in his last few weeks with him losing ties to most of the cast - he quit teaching, he moved out Irene's house and his friendship with Donna broke down, but it was an odd move to have his actual exit non-existent. Every character usually at least have a final scene or proper exit, even if it's rushed in the space of an episode or two. The only other time I recall this happening with a regular character was Matt Wilson.

Lance and Martin were big drinkers in the early days too, but likewise, only drank at home. It seemed the only "adult" restaurants were in Yabbie Creek, which we saw occasionally like with Steven and Sandra, Stacey and Jeff Samuels etc.

It could have been an interesting story to go down though - Bobby struggling to fit in and adjust to uni, standing up to lecturers etc. I guess you could argue it would just be repeating her Year 12 though, but it could have been a catalyst for her and Frank's marriage ending. Are Sam and Bobby the only child characters to ever be credited as full-time cast? If they are, it's interesting that they were both among the longest-running characters in the show's history, rather than them staying for 2-3 years before leaving to focus on their schooling etc. The only other characters I can think of never had regular stints in their child years - Dylan Parrish, Rachel McGregor, Christopher Fletcher, Duncan Stewart, VJ Patterson, despite the child actors remaining in the role for a long time and some of them appearing somewhat frequently.

I think indespensible in that he survived Bobby and Greg, and then Pippa leaving, when he could have been written out with either of them. Maybe the producers had decided that as Kate Ritchie was getting older, they needed another child actor to fill that void. I'd say by 1998 he'd come into his own, but in 1993 the Marshalls could easily have been written out as a family unit (as opposed to killing off Bobby) and I doubt anyone would have been upset to see Sam go.

The writers seemed to invest everything in developing Bobby (giving her the diner, the Fisher/Morag stuff), so Carly just got sidelined. She just got the romantic stories which got a bit of repetitive after a while - in 1989-early 1990 there was Matt, Andrew, Adam, Grant and then finally Ben. I can't remember if she dated Grant, but it was definitely another case of "Carly throws herself at new guy in town" story. Given how strong her stories were in 1988, it's a shame she went down that path.

From memory, Shauna's father was a prison warder who raped Ailsa? I also have a vague recollection of it being confirmed he had since died. I've not seen those episodes since they aired though, so my memory is a little hazy.

I don't really remember the details of that story, but why were they worried about Sam and not Christopher. I'm guessing it was to do with Christopher being Pippa's biological child and Sam being a foster child, but were they not worried about him not having a responsible adult to care for him? Debra Lawrence talked about that return in a podcast interview and it sounds like "someone stuffed up" and the producers realised no one was around. It must have been a surreal time for Debra, as she said she didn't know any of the cast at the time either, which is probably true. Ray Meagher and Lynne McGranger were absent (hence, the need for Pippa), and she'd never worked regularly with the other stalwarts of the time, Ada Nicodemou and Lyn Collingwood. She wasn't even in a familiar set either, since she was staying at the Beach House and not Summer Bay House. Who else could they have realistically drafted in to the hold the fort at Summer Bay House? I guess they could have brought back a past foster child like Carly or Frank to hold the fort, but then we wouldn't have had the story of Sam possibly going into care in that situation...

Donald Fisher is one of my all-time favourite characters. This is down to the complexity of the character, the amazing talents of Norman Coburn and the way he was developed throughout the first season. He was written as a two-dimensional tyrant who had it in for the Fletchers, but we gradually see him let his guard down, mostly following Alan's arrival. By the end of the year, I think the writers found that balance. If you watched the pilot and final episode of 1988, you can really see the difference. He's celebrating Christmas with the Fletchers and he and Bobby have developed a mutual respect for one another (the writers knew about the connection, but obviously viewers didn't!).

It certainly was! Far better and memorable than their successors, Matt and Adam. I think the argument is that they were too dependent on each other from a story perspective. With better writing and character development, they could have had their bromance whilst still been able to have their own storylines, love interests etc.

I can't remember how long Pippa was in hospital for (as a 8 year old, it felt like ages), but they obviously needed someone to "fill in" at Summer Bay House, and I doubt there would have been many other alternatives that wouldn't have felt too jarring/obvious. Bert returning as he did would certainly have been preferable than a fully-able-bodied Danny returning in the same capacity.

I forgot about that one actually. Either way, the writers are more likely to create a new ex-husband from Roo's absent years than they are to bring back Frank

I think the attempt was definitely to recreate Scott and Charlene. Charlene and Bobby were both tomboy-ish and upfront, and Scott and Frank were both dull male "hearthrobs". I never found Frank that attractive in all honesty. Having just rewatched 1988, Martin Dibble is more physically attractive to me, but obviously his character was written as a comedic fool, not a male romantic lead.

There was Narelle he could have been paired off, but she left pretty quickly. I didn't think much of her as a character either though. And Carly, but that would have been a little ick, since Carly and Frank had been foster siblings since they were both young. I'd say it would have had to have been a new character. I doubt he has, given the producers reluctance to celebrate the past. There is also another Morgan in the show now, which may confuse viewers who aren't aware who Frank is.

Re-watching the 1988 season on 7Plus, I'm really not liking or buying them as a couple at all. It could because that I know what's coming for them in 1989 though? The chemistry between Alex and Nicolle feels more like that of best friends than two characters madly in love. I actually find the romantic chemistry between Frank and Roo much more believable. I've just watched the episode where Frank doesn't want Bobby to go to uni and instead stay at home and "look after the family". The episodes are dated in terms of societal views, but Frank comes across as really chauvinistic and arrogant in those episodes and makes me realise how much he dragged Bobby down. He made it sound like his career and future was more important than hers, despite her having more study opportunities. I'd be curious to know what would have happened had Alex Papps not quit the show? The marriage fizzling out as it did play out would have been much more believable, but I imagine the producers probably had high hopes for them as a "Golden Couple", which I struggle to imagine due to the lack of romantic chemistry. What are everyone thoughts on the pairing?

I agree. At least in the first season it was all fresh, amusing and somewhat realistic. The examples you mentioned, especially the pop group and the fish funeral, seemed a bit ridiculous. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if they were 1-2 episode comedy B plots, but the pop group and hot dog stand story seemed to go on for way longer than they should have. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but for those stories they were paired up with other characters who were on their way out - Celia for the hot dog stand and fish funeral and Stacey for the pop group. I suspect her purpose in the early days was mostly just to shake up the Lance/Martin dynamic by making them a trio, and perhaps to a lesser extent give Morag someone to bounce off, who would have otherwise primarily just been at loggerheads with the rest of the cast. The producers must have thought the character was worth keeping around (and were forced to flesh her out after losing Morag, Lance and Martin), because it would have been much easier for her to go in the late 1989/early 1990 clear out too.

From what I remember of 1996/1997, he came to stay at Summer Bay House when Pippa was in a coma and developed a relationship with Donald's mother Isobel. I've not seen the episodes since they aired and I was about 8 years old, so my memory is a little hazy, but surely he wouldn't have come to stay and help out at Summer Bay House without Pippa around if he was still suffering from the memory loss?