Rewatching The Early Years

[Homeandawayfan.]

While they had different personalities, I feel 1988-1989 Morag Bellingham and 1986-1992 Madge Bishop looked alike.

[Homeandawayfan.]

What is so funny nenehcherry????? You have laughed a few times at my posts lately. I was not trying to be "funny".

[nenehcherry2]

4 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

What is so funny nenehcherry????? You have laughed a few times at my posts lately. I was not trying to be "funny".

Alf Stewart: Don't get 'em in a twist, eh, Marilyn!

Marilyn: well, Mr Stewart! Pardon me for daring to say how much Ailsa looks like Colleen! (High heels clank as she stomps off).

I find some of the comparisons humourous. Laughing with you and not at you. It's all good

Edited September 9 by nenehcherry2

[Homeandawayfan.]

22 hours ago, nenehcherry2 said:

Alf Stewart: Don't get 'em in a twist, eh, Marilyn!

Marilyn: well, Mr Stewart! Pardon me for daring to say how much Ailsa looks like Colleen! (High heels clank as she stomps off).

I find some of the comparisons humourous. Laughing with you and not at you. It's all good

Tell me "You are gonna feel the leather of my belt" next time. Alf Stewart style.

[nenehcherry2]

16 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Tell me "You are gonna feel the leather of my belt" next time. Alf Stewart style.

"Oh Alf!"

Ailsa nods head to one side and walks out of the diner (without even checking whether he has capacity to "hold the fort for half an hour"). 

[cymbaline]

One of the early years Home and Away channels posted a video about Blake and Simon the other day and it got me thinking about this short-lived character. He only lasted 9 months and that includes the Christmas break. Richard Norton had been on Neighbours before this and I remember seeing him on posters in teen magazines at the time. I'm pretty sure he was poached from Ramsay Street, yet they underused him when they got their man. As an actor, Richard Norton was no better or worse than anybody else at the time yet Simon is quite unmemorable as a character. Would they have been better off not replacing Haydn (Simon was a like for like swap for Haydn who'd just left)? Did he get swamped by Blake and Sophie and their dramas? 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Lance and Martin's kitchen and living room in 1988/1989 has a virtually identical layout to Amos and Mr Wilks back living quarters of the first Emmerdale Woolpack 1972-1976. And the walk in cupboard in the top left corner of the room. Must just be coincidence as I doubt sets in British TV soaps get shipped to Australia once no longer used. It is like the interior brick walls of Summer Bay High in H&A looked pretty identical to some of the prison walls in Prisoner Cell Block H. Same design.

Yes, another comparison but this is different to Morag and Madge looking identical.

[nenehcherry2]

6 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

Lance and Martin's kitchen and living room in 1988/1989 has a virtually identical layout to Amos and Mr Wilks back living quarters of the first Emmerdale Woolpack 1972-1976. And the walk in cupboard in the top left corner of the room. Must just be coincidence as I doubt sets in British TV soaps get shipped to Australia once no longer used. It is like the interior brick walls of Summer Bay High in H&A looked pretty identical to some of the prison walls in Prisoner Cell Block H. Same design.

Yes, another comparison but this is different to Morag and Madge looking identical.

Lance and Martin were the Noddy and Big Ears of Summer Bay. 

Toytown sets and all that!

11 hours ago, cymbaline said:

One of the early years Home and Away channels posted a video about Blake and Simon the other day and it got me thinking about this short-lived character. He only lasted 9 months and that includes the Christmas break. Richard Norton had been on Neighbours before this and I remember seeing him on posters in teen magazines at the time. I'm pretty sure he was poached from Ramsay Street, yet they underused him when they got their man. As an actor, Richard Norton was no better or worse than anybody else at the time yet Simon is quite unmemorable as a character. Would they have been better off not replacing Haydn (Simon was a like for like swap for Haydn who'd just left)? Did he get swamped by Blake and Sophie and their dramas? 

I have an old Inside Soap somewhere in my "broom cupboard" (get it, Brits in the house?!) in which Richard Norton says he was axed to make room for Damo and Shane. Presumably, he'd only been bought in to "replace" Haydn, so essentially a "filler" in the very short period between Haydn leaving and the next teen gang. It wouldn't have made sense to axe Blake instead since Blake had had time to become more "established" with the audience (especially after Meg).

That said, it would have made just as much logical sense to have axed Fin at the same time or instead of Simon. She'd also been, presumably, bought in under the same logic to fill the gap between Karen and Sarah/Angel. And did absolutely nothing of interest once the latter two had arrived and Sophie, Blake and Simon were gone. So quite why she stayed around for almost two years longer than Simon did remains a mystery. The power of hats and dungarees maybe? 

Edited September 11 by nenehcherry2

[cymbaline]

Fin benefitted from them, as they brought in her more interesting mother and brothers. If that hadn't happened, I can't see how she'd have lasted as long as she did. Strip away the crazy clothes and there isn't much there. 

Haydn wasn't around for a long time either but he is much more memorable. Maybe it's because he had more to do, or that Andrew Hill had more presence. Or perhaps Simon and Fin being brought in half way through the teen gang lifecycle points to a flaw in the formula? Usually you'd see raw teens who gradually have the edges smoothed off them, before they depart for pastures new as better people. By the time Simon came along, Blake had grown up quite a bit. Simon matched him in temperament and maturity (I use that word advisedly) but it didn't make for thrilling TV. We then had Blake falling for Meg and all that that entailed. It took over for a while, as did Sophie realising she was pregnant. In hindsight they would've survived just fine without replacing Karen or Haydn. 

[nenehcherry2]

11 hours ago, cymbaline said:

Fin benefitted from them, as they brought in her more interesting mother and brothers. If that hadn't happened, I can't see how she'd have lasted as long as she did. Strip away the crazy clothes and there isn't much there. 

Haydn wasn't around for a long time either but he is much more memorable. Maybe it's because he had more to do, or that Andrew Hill had more presence. Or perhaps Simon and Fin being brought in half way through the teen gang lifecycle points to a flaw in the formula? Usually you'd see raw teens who gradually have the edges smoothed off them, before they depart for pastures new as better people. By the time Simon came along, Blake had grown up quite a bit. Simon matched him in temperament and maturity (I use that word advisedly) but it didn't make for thrilling TV. We then had Blake falling for Meg and all that that entailed. It took over for a while, as did Sophie realising she was pregnant. In hindsight they would've survived just fine without replacing Karen or Haydn. 

Fully agree with every bit of your post. Who knows what the departure circumstances were for Haydn / Andrew? I understand that Karen/Belinda's was mutual consent because of her behind the scenes attitude. I've said before that I loved the biological parent/child dynamic that Haydn had with Michael within a "blender foster family" and the layers that this gave Michael. Whereas, Simon was some random guy living with the Stewarts whilst his Dad served a prison sentence (perhaps a warm up for the equitable randomness of Roxy's domestic scenario with them).

Edited September 13 by nenehcherry2