Had the original mainstay characters run their course when they left?

[adam436]

14 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

 I think they wanted to keep Sam on, probably because Sally was now a teenager and they felt they needed a proper "kid" character, and given that he stuck around for nearly eight years that was hardly an irrelevant decision, but couldn't envisage Bobby leaving him.Greg, on the other hand...

True, but there was no way anyone could have known back in 1993 that Sam would be part of the main cast until 2000. 

[Red Ranger 1]

1 minute ago, adam436 said:

True, but there was no way anyone could have known back in 1993 that Sam would be part of the main cast until 2000. 

They probably didn't envisage the show would still be going in 2000! That doesn't mean it was a bad decision!

[Summer's Bay]

1 hour ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

It's hard to imagine Sam happily dumping his dad for the bloke that tried to split Bobby and Greg up: He pretty much hated Frank! (I guess they could have reversed it and killed Greg off, although Bobby would have to be pretty cold to go back to her ex straightaway.)

I think they wanted to keep Sam on, probably because Sally was now a teenager and they felt they needed a proper "kid" character, and given that he stuck around for nearly eight years that was hardly an irrelevant decision, but couldn't envisage Bobby leaving him.Greg, on the other hand...

Yep since there didnt appear to be any immediate long term plans for him, or after the affair, Greg could've left and Frank could've swooped in and taken Sam and Bobby away. That way, Bobby could've been written out, have her happily ever after with the door open for her Frank or Sam to return.

 

 

although Bobby would have to be pretty cold to go back to her ex straightaway

Not really, she loved that man. It was fear of thinking he would leave her again that stopped her from going back to him. 

[Red Ranger 1]

7 minutes ago, Summer's Bay said:

Not really, she loved that man. It was fear of thinking he would leave her again that stopped her from going back to him. 

Well, she also loved Greg, enough to marry him.Running back to someone that she'd probably fallen out of love with about 4 years earlier just because the guy she chose over him wasn't around anymore would not show her in a very positive light, especially if she was ignoring her son's feelings in the process.(Kind of like Frank running back to her for a second go as soon as things ended with Roo didn't really win him any fans...)

Moving back to the original point...Well, they didn't seem to want to leave Pippa single for long so she might have got a bit repetitive.But I think they'd learned their lesson with Sally by the end: The attempt to have her move on from Flynn never really worked, and Miles coming in seemed to give her a potential new direction which we didn't get to see much of.Donald...hmm.Would he have worked as a retired character? Possibly not, so maybe having him leave when he did was the right decision.(After all, Alf's never really retired because it is hard to give things to characters when they do.)

[Summer's Bay]

18 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Well, she also loved Greg, enough to marry him.Running back to someone that she'd probably fallen out of love with about 4 years earlier just because the guy she chose over him wasn't around anymore would not show her in a very positive light, especially if she was ignoring her son's feelings in the process.(Kind of like Frank running back to her for a second go as soon as things ended with Roo didn't really win him any fans...)

Moving back to the original point...Well, they didn't seem to want to leave Pippa single for long so she might have got a bit repetitive.But I think they'd learned their lesson with Sally by the end: The attempt to have her move on from Flynn never really worked, and Miles coming in seemed to give her a potential new direction which we didn't get to see much of.Donald...hmm.Would he have worked as a retired character? Possibly not, so maybe having him leave when he did was the right decision.(After all, Alf's never really retired because it is hard to give things to characters when they do.)

 

I dont think marrying Greg was as clean cut as it appeared. I think Bobby grew to love him when she settled. The scene where Donald said along the lines of her only being with Greg because of Sam was just as true as Ailsa telling Bobby that Frank only wants her back because he just broke up with Roo. I really liked that  scene where Frank was telling Alisa that he wished he never gave up Bobby  it was evident that he hadnt stopped loving her , he pretty much proved her wrong. Ive often wondered if Alex agreed to stick around, would Ailsa have convinced Bobby to go back to Frank

 

 

I personally didnt like Pippa jumping from man to man. I think she could've stayed single for a while and that somewhat ruined the character for me besides DebPip taking over the role. I wouldve preferred to see Pippa move to the city for a while, maybe going to care for her parents and let Carly and Ben take over the house or something

[cymbaline]

I'm sure they could've found another kid to replace him though. It's not as if Ryan Clark was much of an actor. They just seem to like killing characters off just for the sake of it. It makes sense in some cases but at times you'd wonder. 

I personally didnt like Pippa jumping from man to man. I think she could've stayed single for a while and that somewhat ruined the character for me besides DebPip taking over the role. I wouldve preferred to see Pippa move to the city for a while, maybe going to care for her parents and let Carly and Ben take over the house or something

 

Losing both lead actors so soon and so quickly must have caused quite a stir behind the scenes at the time. My feeling is that they brought Michael in and quickly hooked him up with DebPip so that they could restore the show's original formula. We can only speculate as to what they might or might not have done with VanPip. Her departure changed everything, I think. 

[Summer's Bay]

12 hours ago, cymbaline said:

I'm sure they could've found another kid to replace him though. It's not as if Ryan Clark was much of an actor. They just seem to like killing characters off just for the sake of it. It makes sense in some cases but at times you'd wonder. 

 

 

Losing both lead actors so soon and so quickly must have caused quite a stir behind the scenes at the time. My feeling is that they brought Michael in and quickly hooked him up with DebPip so that they could restore the show's original formula. We can only speculate as to what they might or might not have done with VanPip. Her departure changed everything, I think. 

 

In my opinion it’s sometimes out of spite.

12 hours ago, cymbaline said:

I'm sure they could've found another kid to replace him though. It's not as if Ryan Clark was much of an actor. They just seem to like killing characters off just for the sake of it. It makes sense in some cases but at times you'd wonder. 

 

 

Losing both lead actors so soon and so quickly must have caused quite a stir behind the scenes at the time. My feeling is that they brought Michael in and quickly hooked him up with DebPip so that they could restore the show's original formula. We can only speculate as to what they might or might not have done with VanPip. Her departure changed everything, I think. 

 

Yeah this makes sense...Only for him to die then she gets another man lol

I honestly can’t see Dennis and VanPip as a couple. I can see VanPip and Fisher as a couple 

I’m yet to find an interview where VanPip confirms she left because Roger left. 

[adam436]

19 hours ago, cymbaline said:

Losing both lead actors so soon and so quickly must have caused quite a stir behind the scenes at the time. My feeling is that they brought Michael in and quickly hooked him up with DebPip so that they could restore the show's original formula. We can only speculate as to what they might or might not have done with VanPip. Her departure changed everything, I think. 

If I were in charge, I would have written out Pippa in 1990 and moved Alf and Ailsa into Summer Bay House to take over as the lead actors, much like how Travis and Rebecca moved in when DebPip left. In hindsight, it would have worked out well given Alf is still around and Ailsa stayed for over a decade. 

[j.laur5]

1 hour ago, adam436 said:

If I were in charge, I would have written out Pippa in 1990 and moved Alf and Ailsa into Summer Bay House to take over as the lead actors, much like how Travis and Rebecca moved in when DebPip left. In hindsight, it would have worked out well given Alf is still around and Ailsa stayed for over a decade. 

But then we would be really lacking in older regular characters.  We would just have Alf/Ailsa/Donald. 

[adam436]

Another good point - I just feel the fact that Ailsa was around for all of the 90s and Alf's subsequent relationship with Sally in later years, it was a missed opportunity. Obviously in hindsight, there was no way the producers at the time could have known that Ray and Judy, let alone the show, would have survived as long as it did. 

 

Could any of the "non-mainstay" original characters have stayed longer? 

• Tom and VanPip - no doubt had they stayed, they'd basically have had Michael and DebPip's storylines for most of the 1990s. Haydn could have been another foster child (or in a twist, the son of a previous relationship Tom had!) or maybe the son of Pippa's brother Danny, who he/they never knew about. Another foster child is the most likely scenario though. 
• Lynn - huge wasted potential. She probably could have taken on most of Viv's storylines in 1989 - 1990, other the Steven romance. They could have easily swapped Lynn's and Emma's romantic interests though and had Lynn get with Paul Black. 
• Frank - had her and Bobby remained happily married in Summer Bay, would they have become foster parents like Sally and Flynn did? 
• Steven - he probably would have gone on to become a teacher or something like Sally did.. I know he did, but I mean gradually make that transition without leaving the show. 
• Carly - she left at the right time. I understand she was written out when Julian McMahon quit - they could have killed him off/separated Carly and Ben, but she would have gone through the same "curse" that befall Sally, Pippa and Leah if she stayed too long. 
• Celia - I think it was time for her to move on. She didn't really have any major storylines at all outside of us learning of her past (the fiance who died in the war) and a brief romances with Bob Barnett and Nigel, Morag's butler. 
• Floss and Neville - likewise, it was time for them to go. They had no major storylines outside of the one with Ben. They provided good comic relief, but that's about it. 
• Lance and Martin - I'd rather them have stayed over Matt and Adam, and them basically take on their storylines. If one left without the other, I think the stayer would have settled down and got married, had a family etc (a la Vinnie in 2001-2002), probably with Marilyn. 
• Roo - there was always room for a schemer/man-eater in the show, but I think she was ahead of her time a bit. They could have turned her into late 80s/early 90s Amanda Vale/Neighbours' Izzy Hoyland. That would have been fun!