Was 2000 meant to be a "revamp"?

[Homeandawayfan.]

On 11/04/2019 at 02:55, James Martin said:

2000 was very much a revamp,  but the whole of the Seven Network got a major makeover too.  Bevan Lee has gone on-record on this site previously to state there was a concious decision to bring back a large number of 90s characters for Sally's non-wedding in order to hook "lapsed" viewers into the new show.  I believe it was also done as a way of getting the UK fans back on board after a year's hiatus between ITV and Channel 5.

The only other major revamp I can think of in recent memory is the 2005 one, when Dan Bennett came in with a clean slate.  I'd argue Coral Drouyn was the last of the "old guard" of producers, with Bevan Lee overseeing the transition between Drouyn and Bennett.  But it's definitely true to say Dan's two years very much took us into the modern style of the show and I always see the barn explosion and helicopter crash as the turning point - that was where the opening credits, which for 18 years had been such a major part of the show's identity, started to be phased out.  Still think to this day it was a major mistake - it was copying an American trend (and in 2006 H&A were definitely heavily influenced by Lost) but nowadays on streaming services the opening titles give you time for the connection to stabilise!

I suppose you've got to decide what it's going to be - is it half an hour of escapist lightweight drama or it is going to try and be a nightly version of the big American HBO/Netflix/Amazon serials?  Really, it's always been more Coronation Street or EastEnders than House of Cards or Man in the High Castle.  The "summer-every-day" vibe is what made it such a hit in the UK.  You could stick it on during a dark winter's teatime and immediately be on the beach in the height of summer.  That's what made it great.

Neighbours and H&A must have lightened people's moods in the UK, and reduced seasonal affective disorder in winter. An hour of sunny skies, hunks and beach babes, and young pranksters. Made a welcome change from the rainy streets of Weatherfield and Walford, and rainy muddy fields of Emmerdale.

By 2000, though, in terms of viewing in the UK, Neighbours and H&A had almost sunk into oblivion whereas 10 years earlier, the country had gone Neighbours and H&A mad. I think 1995 was the 2 shows last stellar years of success in the UK as by 1996/1997 their popularity was plummeting. Not sure why.

[j.laur5]

On 11/04/2019 at 22:43, David Deex said:

I think 2011 was a bit of a revamp, the show introduced the Braxtons and some even darker storylines. Another revamp has been from 2017-2019, you could probably include 2016 in that as well. That period has been a mini revamp.

I think the show is more focused on 20-30 somethings than ever now.

We have eight 40+ regulars on the show Maggie/Leah/Ben/Marilyn/Roo/John/Irene/Alf.

I think the show always had mostly 20-30 year olds as I think they think most of  the viewers are loyal fans who have been watching ten or twenty years or more and I guess they feel they can relate to characters in their age group. 

[Inactive.User]

2 hours ago, j.laur5 said:

We have eight 40+ regulars on the show Maggie/Leah/Ben/Marilyn/Roo/John/Irene/Alf.

I think the show always had mostly 20-30 year olds as I think they think most of  the viewers are loyal fans who have been watching ten or twenty years or more and I guess they feel they can relate to characters in their age group. 

True, except for maybe the 80s/90s where it was mostly teens or early 20s.

[j.laur5]

1 hour ago, David Deex said:

True, except for maybe the 80s/90s where it was mostly teens or early 20s.

Lot of those characters were underused like Nick/Matt/Luke  and Finlay in her  final months. 

 

[James Martin]

Home and Away has always been a teen soap I think.  They've tried to shift that perception a few times but it's the audience they get.

What I'm amazed by though is the sheer drop off in viewers - it was one of ITV's top five programmes in the 90s and Channel 5's biggest show period when it first switched.

Is it just that people get back from work later now, which I think was ITV's argument for pushing the news back to 6.30.  If anything though I find people seem to be working earlier - more 8 to 4 than 9 to 5.

 

[adam436]

On 11/04/2019 at 11:55, James Martin said:

2000 was very much a revamp,  but the whole of the Seven Network got a major makeover too.  Bevan Lee has gone on-record on this site previously to state there was a concious decision to bring back a large number of 90s characters for Sally's non-wedding in order to hook "lapsed" viewers into the new show. 

That explains why the wedding and reunion was the week before the Sutherland family's arrival then. The scene where Pippa leaves Summer Bay House at the end of the Friday episode could easily have been used as the final scene for the series, if it ended at that point. 

I think it's a shame there were so many "casualties" of the revamp: Joel, Natalie, Tom, Peta and Edward all still had potential and were far more interesting than any of the Sutherlands and were all hastily written out. Judy Nunn obviously left by choice, but I do wonder how much the change of direction influenced her decision. 

[j.laur5]

13 hours ago, adam436 said:

That explains why the wedding and reunion was the week before the Sutherland family's arrival then. The scene where Pippa leaves Summer Bay House at the end of the Friday episode could easily have been used as the final scene for the series, if it ended at that point. 

I think it's a shame there were so many "casualties" of the revamp: Joel, Natalie, Tom, Peta and Edward all still had potential and were far more interesting than any of the Sutherlands and were all hastily written out. Judy Nunn obviously left by choice, but I do wonder how much the change of direction influenced her decision. 

Judy Nunn always said novels were her life and that’s why she left as Judy said interview she  was happy to spend time in her dressing room and type her novels and just do few scenes but producers kept on giving her storylines and took up her writing time. 

[c120701]

On 14/04/2019 at 23:16, j.laur5 said:

Judy Nunn always said novels were her life and that’s why she left as Judy said interview she  was happy to spend time in her dressing room and type her novels and just do few scenes but producers kept on giving her storylines and took up her writing time. 

Had Judy Nunn stayed with the show about 3 or 4 more years she’d have probably got what she wanted, just serving in the Diner.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Ailsa was more cheerful and feisty in the early years. I think her being attacked in 1995 by a dirty sod was what changed her. 1995 was a kind of pre 2000 revamp for H&A. The show got a bit grittier and faster paced, seeing as 1994 was a snoozefest. 1995 was like 1988/1989, it mixed drama with light hearted stuff. 1988 and 1995 were 2 very similar years.

[cymbaline]

Given that they wrote her out with a mere heart attack (or to paraphrase what she said - out you go with the trash), they probably just wanted rid of her by that stage. It's a shame because in the early years, Ailsa was one of the best long-term characters in the show. She was a fine actress too.