Rewatching The Early Years

[cymbaline]

I wonder what would they have done if they'd had to do the Pippa head-switch with Carol Willesee rather than Vanessa Downing? Debra Lawrance was only born the year before Vanessa so they're much the same age. One thing I noticed when watching Tom & Pippa and then Michael & Pippa is that the latter two seem more youthful. Even though there was quite an age gap between Roger and Vanessa, they were convincing as an older couple who'd been together a long time. It's funny now to think about Pippa being "mum" to Frank even though there's only a decade of an age gap between Vanessa and Alex Papps. 

[early years fan]

To me the age gap between Vanessa and Roger is quite obvious, she looks much younger than him. In 1988 she was only 30 and he is 45. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Donald Fisher was supposed to be about 50 in 1988, as he said he had been teaching for 25 years in March 1988. And several other refs point to him being around the same age as the actor born 1937, and in 1991 Don said he was retiring in a few years anyway, but in a Feb 1995 episode he had his 50th birthday, so was aged down, and it went against previous established facts. This made him 42 in January 1988, nearly 43 yet looked 50. In 1995 he looked closer to 60 than 50. He looked almost old enough to be Marilyn's grandfather.

[hapitoby]

6 hours ago, early years fan said:

To me the age gap between Vanessa and Roger is quite obvious, she looks much younger than him. In 1988 she was only 30 and he is 45. 

To me it doesn't feel like 15 years. I just assumed Tom was at most 5 years older, mostly from the story he said to Frank of how he and Pippa met and then he was at her 21st.

26 minutes ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Donald Fisher was supposed to be about 50 in 1988, as he said he had been teaching for 25 years in March 1988. And several other refs point to him being around the same age as the actor born 1937, and in 1991 Don said he was retiring in a few years anyway, but in a Feb 1995 episode he had his 50th birthday, so was aged down, and it went against previous established facts. This made him 42 in January 1988, nearly 43 yet looked 50. In 1995 he looked closer to 60 than 50. He looked almost old enough to be Marilyn's grandfather.

I wonder if the ageing down was specifically to not make the gap look as big..mid 20s Marilyn with a 50 yr old Don may have seemed better? I dunno maybe other reasons they aged him down. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Maybe the past refs were forgotten about and it was unintentional. H&A has always been shaky when it comes to characters ages I guess.

[nenehcherry2]

3 hours ago, hapitoby said:

To me it doesn't feel like 15 years. I just assumed Tom was at most 5 years older, mostly from the story he said to Frank of how he and Pippa met and then he was at her 21st.

I wonder if the ageing down was specifically to not make the gap look as big..mid 20s Marilyn with a 50 yr old Don may have seemed better? I dunno maybe other reasons they aged him down. 

Before I read further into the "facts" RE character ages and birthdays (i.e. the sheer inconsistencies from the obvious lack of a "bible" behind the scenes), I'd assumed the age gap between Tom and Pippa 1 was about 7-8 years. That she was roughly 32-36 over her tenure, he 40-43. Similar to what I'd assumed RE Julie and Phil in Neighbours.

4 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Donald Fisher was supposed to be about 50 in 1988, as he said he had been teaching for 25 years in March 1988. And several other refs point to him being around the same age as the actor born 1937, and in 1991 Don said he was retiring in a few years anyway, but in a Feb 1995 episode he had his 50th birthday, so was aged down, and it went against previous established facts. This made him 42 in January 1988, nearly 43 yet looked 50. In 1995 he looked closer to 60 than 50. He looked almost old enough to be Marilyn's grandfather.

I can't take Don's 50th birthday in 1995 seriously since Norman looked his age (i.e. 57/8) by then, possibly older.

What was even more unbelievable to me was Ailsa turning 50 in late 2000. Judy was 55 but looked early 60s by that point.

Almost certain that I've posted this opinion before!

27 minutes ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Maybe the past refs were forgotten about and it was unintentional. H&A has always been shaky when it comes to characters ages I guess.

 

7 minutes ago, nenehcherry2 said:

Before I read further into the "facts" RE character ages and birthdays (i.e. the sheer inconsistencies from the obvious lack of a "bible" behind the scenes), I'd assumed the age gap between Tom and Pippa 1 was about 7-8 years. That she was roughly 32-36 over her tenure, he 40-43. Similar to what I'd assumed RE Julie and Phil in Neighbours.

I can't take Don's 50th birthday in 1995 seriously since Norman looked his age (i.e. 57/8) by then, possibly older.

What was even more unbelievable to me was Ailsa turning 50 in late 2000. Judy was 55 but looked early 60s by that point.

Almost certain that I've posted this opinion before!

 

3 hours ago, hapitoby said:

To me it doesn't feel like 15 years. I just assumed Tom was at most 5 years older, mostly from the story he said to Frank of how he and Pippa met and then he was at her 21st.

I wonder if the ageing down was specifically to not make the gap look as big..mid 20s Marilyn with a 50 yr old Don may have seemed better? I dunno maybe other reasons they aged him down. 

I'm almost certain Pippa says to Bobby in early 91 that she wasn't much older than her (Bobby at that point) when she herself fostered Frank. Which could easily have made Pip born as late as 1955.

Then there's a mention of Tom and Pip having been married for 17 years in early 90... The marriageable age at that point in NSW was 16 for females. I don't recall a mention of her 21st birthday.

Edited December 17, 2023 by nenehcherry2

[CaptainHulk]

5 hours ago, hapitoby said:

To me it doesn't feel like 15 years. I just assumed Tom was at most 5 years older, mostly from the story he said to Frank of how he and Pippa met and then he was at her 21st.

I wonder if the ageing down was specifically to not make the gap look as big..mid 20s Marilyn with a 50 yr old Don may have seemed better? I dunno maybe other reasons they aged him down. 

She was at least 28 when she married Don. 

Based on this exchange in 96

Don: I wish I'd known Marilyn 20 years ago.

Pippa: She would have been about 8, Don!

 

[cymbaline]

Age is like the distance between Summer Bay and Yabbie Creek - they expand and contract like an accordion. 

Pippa had her last child in 1999, so goodness knows what age she was in H&A canon by then. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Alf was 45 in 1988 and 47 in 1995. Also in May 1988 Alf said Don and Barbara were Frank's age 19 years ago, thus meaning that in 1968/1969 Don and Barbara were about 19, so born 1948/1949. Another huge continuity error, this means Don was only about 39 in 1988 if you go by that May 1988 ref, yet he said he was teaching for 25 years by then. H&A has always been shockingly bad with continuity and backhistory, just the general characterisation and storylines was more well written in the 1980s and 1990s and early to mid Noughties.

[nenehcherry2]

2 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Alf was 45 in 1988 and 47 in 1995. Also in May 1988 Alf said Don and Barbara were Frank's age 19 years ago, thus meaning that in 1968/1969 Don and Barbara were about 19, so born 1948/1949. Another huge continuity error, this means Don was only about 39 in 1988 if you go by that May 1988 ref, yet he said he was teaching for 25 years by then. H&A has always been shockingly bad with continuity and backhistory, just the general characterisation and storylines was more well written in the 1980s and 1990s and early to mid Noughties.

Believing 88 Don to be 39 is a HUGE stretch of one's imagination!

Edited December 18, 2023 by nenehcherry2