Natalie Nash was re-cast for the better!

[Jacklost]

I think Flynn´s re-cast was for the better

Like Natalie with the ex-athlete storyline, Flynn #2 looked more suited (appearance wise) to the role of husband and foster father, while Flynn #1 was more suited to his storylines - the storyline with Ashley, being a new-age counsellor etc.

I prefered Natalie #1 - she was the more interesting of the two.

What i didn´t like was that they didn´t warn us about Flynn being recast. One episode Martin Dingle played him and the next episode Leo Mcilroy played him, i was like. Who is that guy? But i learned to love him, tho he didn´t have as much action as Martin Dingle had when he played his role

I loved how Alf pointed out how Flynn looked different when McIlroy debuted!

Btw, is it il or ll in his name? I´m not sure if it´s a big i and then a l

[patrick]

I really would like to see Nat #2 departure again, i remember they used a really dramatic piano underscore and it was all in slow motion when she drove off while Gypsy ran after her.

Yeah I remember that being very emotional. From what I remember it went all dark and overcast and started raining really heavily. Nat said goodbye to Peta and Joel in Summer Bay House. When Gypsy got home Joel told her that she had missed Nat, but she might be able to catch up with her and so off she ran through the rain until they caught up with each other and said goodbye/hugged, getting drenched in the process and then the screen faded to black.

The reveal that Natalie had been having an affair and the whole fallout was really well done and very emotional from memory. Do you remember when Gypsy tried to stop Natalie from moving out (before her exit)? She was shouting and pleading with her not to leave out in the caravan park. Yes I do remember this era for me is when I thought home and away started to up there game again after a few weak years.

[adam436]

I disagree - I think the show started to decline in/after 2000. Most of the waifs and strays, something which defined Home and Away since it began, slowly left and they were replaced by a big nuclear family who just took over the show in a similar way to how a certain family has now. I also think 1999-2001 sort-of lost its way because it had an alarming turn-over of cast: Natalie #2, Peta, Edward, Judith, Mitch, Ken, Harry and Shauna all lasted less than 18 months and many other established and/or popular characters (Ailsa, Sam, Joel, Tom, Justine, James, Jesse, Chloe, Rebecca, Travis and Marilyn) left in 2000 or towards the end of 1999.

It's a shame the affair had to happen, as Joel was pretty much redundant after Natalie and Tom left to the point where I think they should have left together. He had the relationship with Judith, but like Joel, she was redundant after Edward left, so I felt like they were just thrown together to give the actors something to do until their contracts ran out.

Does anyone know if Antoinette Byron chose to leave or whether she was axed to make way for the Sutherlands?

[beau_t]

I don't know about Natalie but looking back, it's obvious Joel and the Nashes in general were removed to make way for the Sutherlands. It's a shame. The Nashes were far better, especially the adult characters. Shelley never really developped or had any good stories before she left, and Rhys all he did was moan about Kane for 4 years.

I'd much rather Joel stayed on by himself than all of the Sutherlands put together!

[CaptainHulk]

From what I read, They had planned for the Sutherlands not long after Travis and Rebecca left.

[beau_t]

From what I read, They had planned for the Sutherlands not long after Travis and Rebecca left.

That was late 1999 and they plan these things 6 months in advance so yes, they would have been coming up with the idea of the Sutherlands around that time.

[adam436]

I don't know about Natalie but looking back, it's obvious Joel and the Nashes in general were removed to make way for the Sutherlands. It's a shame. The Nashes were far better, especially the adult characters. Shelley never really developped or had any good stories before she left, and Rhys all he did was moan about Kane for 4 years.

I agree, I liked all four of the Nashes much more than any of the Sutherlands. I guess the problem was that Joel and Natalie's children were no longer school-age and the producers needed/wanted a group of teenagers. The Willis family were axed from Neighbours in 1994 to make way for the Kennedys for a similar reason. Saying that, it's a shame Joel and Natalie couldn't have adopted the Sutherland girls in some way. Shelley and Natalie #1 looked alike, so they could have made them sisters and killed Shelley and Rhys in an accident, leaving Natalie with her three nieces.

I think had he not been written out, David Woodley would have become a long-term cast member and may still even be around today, as he's mainly just done TV commercials and been a guest in other drama programmes. I'm not sure about Antoinette Byron, but according to IMDB she hasn't done a great deal since leaving, so she could have been around for a good few years too.

[beau_t]

I don't know about Natalie but looking back, it's obvious Joel and the Nashes in general were removed to make way for the Sutherlands. It's a shame. The Nashes were far better, especially the adult characters. Shelley never really developped or had any good stories before she left, and Rhys all he did was moan about Kane for 4 years.

I agree, I liked all four of the Nashes much more than any of the Sutherlands. I guess the problem was that Joel and Natalie's children were no longer school-age and the producers needed/wanted a group of teenagers. The Willis family were axed from Neighbours in 1994 to make way for the Kennedys for a similar reason. Saying that, it's a shame Joel and Natalie couldn't have adopted the Sutherland girls in some way. Shelley and Natalie #1 looked alike, so they could have made them sisters and killed Shelley and Rhys in an accident, leaving Natalie with her three nieces.

I think had he not been written out, David Woodley would have become a long-term cast member and may still even be around today, as he's mainly just done TV commercials and been a guest in other drama programmes. I'm not sure about Antoinette Byron, but according to IMDB she hasn't done a great deal since leaving, so she could have been around for a good few years too.

yes - or a more simple idea would be not to introduce Shelley and Rhys at all and simply have Joel and Natalie deciding to foster, after some empty nest syndrome with Gypsy and Tom leaving home. The three girls could have been introduced that way and it would have been more in-keeping with the original theme of the show.

I agree about Joel he had potential to be a long term member of cast. I found him very likeable with a lot of sides to his character. I always felt Natalie #2 would have been excellent with something really gritty and dramatic to do, show a different side to her than the sweet and soft mother and wife.

[Jacklost]

I disagree - I think the show started to decline in/after 2000. Most of the waifs and strays, something which defined Home and Away since it began, slowly left and they were replaced by a big nuclear family who just took over the show in a similar way to how a certain family has now. I also think 1999-2001 sort-of lost its way because it had an alarming turn-over of cast: Natalie #2, Peta, Edward, Judith, Mitch, Ken, Harry and Shauna all lasted less than 18 months and many other established and/or popular characters (Ailsa, Sam, Joel, Tom, Justine, James, Jesse, Chloe, Rebecca, Travis and Marilyn) left in 2000 or towards the end of 1999.

It's a shame the affair had to happen, as Joel was pretty much redundant after Natalie and Tom left to the point where I think they should have left together. He had the relationship with Judith, but like Joel, she was redundant after Edward left, so I felt like they were just thrown together to give the actors something to do until their contracts ran out.

Does anyone know if Antoinette Byron chose to leave or whether she was axed to make way for the Sutherlands?

I think home and away has been the best after 2000. I have seen a few clips from the 90s and 80s and compared to the 2000 to 2006 time it don´t look nowhere as exciting

[CaptainHulk]

I still think Ken's axing was a big mistake. His presence may have made those kids of his bearable and nobody's really made Irene that happy since.