Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[Homeandawayfan.]

Right from Jan 1988 they have belted out 5 episodes a week most weeks of the year. I think Neighbours and H&A helped their UK counterparts Corrie and EE in becoming more youth orientated and having more weekly episodes. N and H&A I feel did give CS and EE a bit of a kick up the bum. H&A and continuity has never been very good, ever since Celia said that Roo is her only niece, and magically she gained a new one a few months later. The geography of the village as Red said has never been consistent. Alison, Stevo, Bobby and Cary magically were at school one minute, then on a 3 hour lunch break down the beach another minute then back at school seemingly just 2 minutes later. Sometimes the Summer Bay House has been said to be a bus ride away from the beach and other times just a 300 yard walk. In 1988 Floss had to get the bus from the beach to SBH when pretending to have run from there to SBH.

I am still watching sporadically but to see another Braxton storyline is water off a ducks back now and I am noticing the crime element of the show starting to ebb away. I am watching more regularly and it shows my loyalty to H&A to keep sticking by it even just as a casual viewer.

[gutterboy]

Also, as much as I like Nate, it's quite often becoming a case of ''Call Nate'' instead of "Call an ambulance".

Yeah, I pointed this out in a thread I made here recently, but no-one replied to it lol

[Gerard]

I agree that H&A and Neighbours really changed the soap opera landscape in the UK. I'm sure there are lots of storyline continuity slip-ups across all the soaps. I guess at the time things are not noted down as it is never anticipated they will be important again. E.g. some throwaway comments by a guest character, who becomes permanent in later years, which contradicts the continuity. I'm sure all long-running series suffer from it, but these days with computer databases and episode archives, it should only take a matter of a few seconds to see if a character has any obscure siblings or been through an experience before. H&A has had some major slip-ups over the years, but generally it hasn't been too bad.

The geography of H&A is a bit bizarre, but in the early days there was a map of Summer Bay (probably still around the web), but they do seem to make it up as they go along. Summer Bay House only seemed like a stone's throw from the beach when the series began, but it feels more distant now. Summer Bay also seemed like a small rural town stuck in the 1960's when H&A started, and over the years seems to have become a large urban town (even though the same 15 characters from all parts of town seem to know each other on a first name only basis).

I also do wonder how it seems they can get up, get ready, go to the beach for a surf, hang around in the Diner and Surf Club, all before school starts. Are they getting up at 5am? Anyway, it will be interesting to see what replaces the gap left by the Braxtons. I suspect if the crime aspect goes away and viewing figures fall, it won't be long before we have another Sarah Lewis in the Bay.

[Homeandawayfan.]

I agree that H&A and Neighbours really changed the soap opera landscape in the UK. I'm sure there are lots of storyline continuity slip-ups across all the soaps. I guess at the time things are not noted down as it is never anticipated they will be important again. E.g. some throwaway comments by a guest character, who becomes permanent in later years, which contradicts the continuity. I'm sure all long-running series suffer from it, but these days with computer databases and episode archives, it should only take a matter of a few seconds to see if a character has any obscure siblings or been through an experience before. H&A has had some major slip-ups over the years, but generally it hasn't been too bad.

The geography of H&A is a bit bizarre, but in the early days there was a map of Summer Bay (probably still around the web), but they do seem to make it up as they go along. Summer Bay House only seemed like a stone's throw from the beach when the series began, but it feels more distant now. Summer Bay also seemed like a small rural town stuck in the 1960's when H&A started, and over the years seems to have become a large urban town (even though the same 15 characters from all parts of town seem to know each other on a first name only basis).

I also do wonder how it seems they can get up, get ready, go to the beach for a surf, hang around in the Diner and Surf Club, all before school starts. Are they getting up at 5am? Anyway, it will be interesting to see what replaces the gap left by the Braxtons. I suspect if the crime aspect goes away and viewing figures fall, it won't be long before we have another Sarah Lewis in the Bay.

​As I said when H&A began the setting was a bit dated but the show focused on modern teens such as Narelle the stripper, the catfights at the school and mischievous teens. The classroom settings were really good as well as just the Fletcher dining room table. Also the locations were sprawling beaches and hills rather than just a cul de sac and Lassiters complex nearby.

H&A is better at the occasional crime story or stalker, nutter, Walt Bertram, Robert Perez, Sarah Lewis etc. The Braxtons have just increased that but with drug wars, kidnappings and shootings. I am not totally against them but it is the way they are written. I dont think Dan Bennett is a Messiah but I am sure he will improve the show. I did hear Bevan Lee praised him once about him knowing the show inside out.

[~Lynd~]

Sarah Lewis was great.She's one of the best baddies they've ever had and one of the reasons she worked so well is because they used to have those sort of characters very rarely unlike in recent times where there seems to have been one every  other week until recently.None of them have been as good as Sarah though except Johnny..He was awesome.

[emmasi]

Sarah Lewis was great.She's one of the best baddies they've ever had and one of the reasons she worked so well is because they used to have those sort of characters very rarely unlike in recent times where there seems to have been one every  other week until recently.None of them have been as good as Sarah though except Johnny..He was awesome.

​Wash your mouth out, missy! I will not hear a word against my beautifully psychotic Corey!! 

[~Lynd~]

Well Yes.And Corey lol.Not sure how I forgot him though to be fair my love for Johnny has long been established.That I can see past the fact that Sarah killed my beloved Noah shows you what an awesome character she was to.Really I think Sarah, Johnny and Corey should have had their own spin off.We would have been in heaven, haha.They're all better then what we get these days baddies or otherwise.

[emmasi]

That's better

[Blaxland 89]

Was Dan Bennet the one in charge when Don Fishers character was assassinated in 2007?

 

[Dan F]

Was Dan Bennet the one in charge when Don Fishers character was assassinated in 2007?

 

​No, it was Sarah Walker in the chair at that time.