Is it the ultimate sin to say you dislike Alf in the early days?

[adam436]

Funnily enough, Ross Higgins auditioned for the role of Alf, so I do wonder if Alf was initially meant to have a similar Ted Bullpitt vibe abiut him on paper in terms of Alf's views, mannerisms and temper.

Ray Meagher initially auditioned for or was offered Tom Fletcher, so Ray would have brought a very different performance to that character than what Roger did had had it gone ahead. 

Alf was a relatively pleasant/mild character in the pilot and he ultimately went on to be the central patriarch figure 20 years later, so I could definitely see it working, but ultimately Ray and Roger were perfect in the roles they eventually played. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

I never knew Ross Higgins auditioned for the role of Alf.

If Ray had landed the role of Tom Fletcher over Alf Stewart then Tom Fletcher would likely be a character who is still in the show today, like Alf is.

[cymbaline]

Would he? We don't know why Roger Oakley left in 1990 but it's possible they decided that Tom was surplus to requirements. We know for definite that they were happy to axe Michael a few years later even though he was a direct replacement for Tom. Unlike Tom (or Michael), being a foster parent isn't the first thing anyone thinks of when Alf's name is mentioned. He's an erstwhile businessman and a backbone of the community. His family have longstanding roots in the area and I think that still counts, even in today's H&A. Tom would always be a blow-in .

[c120701]

  On 24/03/2025 at 15:04, Homeandawayfan. said:

I never knew Ross Higgins auditioned for the role of Alf.

If Ray had landed the role of Tom Fletcher over Alf Stewart then Tom Fletcher would likely be a character who is still in the show today, like Alf is.

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Not if the character had still been axed.

[adam436]

  On 24/03/2025 at 15:04, Homeandawayfan. said:

I never knew Ross Higgins auditioned for the role of Alf.

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I was reading it on IMDB recently. I can certainly see the similarities between Ross' Ted Bullpitt and early years Alf. They were both prejudice, chauvinistic, hot-headed and authoritarian father figures. Both characters also their own unique catch phrases too. 

Perhaps too similar to be played by the same actor. 

  

  On 24/03/2025 at 18:56, cymbaline said:

Would he? We don't know why Roger Oakley left in 1990 but it's possible they decided that Tom was surplus to requirements. We know for definite that they were happy to axe Michael a few years later even though he was a direct replacement for Tom. Unlike Tom (or Michael), being a foster parent isn't the first thing anyone thinks of when Alf's name is mentioned. He's an erstwhile businessman and a backbone of the community. His family have longstanding roots in the area and I think that still counts, even in today's H&A. Tom would always be a blow-in .

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We also don't know if Ray would not have stayed as long by choice had he been playing Tom either. Tom was more of a cookie-cutter father figure compared to Alf so Ray may not have enjoyed playing Tom as much, or maybe he preferred playing a supporting character over the main one. I recall somewhere (possibly the This is Your Life special?) that Ray initially only intended to stay short-term, so maybe playing Tom would have cemented that intention. 

[hapitoby]

  On 24/03/2025 at 19:42, adam436 said:

I was reading it on IMDB recently. I can certainly see the similarities between Ross' Ted Bullpitt and early years Alf. They were both prejudice, chauvinistic, hot-headed and authoritarian father figures. Both characters also their own unique catch phrases too. 

Perhaps too similar to be played by the same actor. 

  

We also don't know if Ray would not have stayed as long by choice had he been playing Tom either. Tom was more of a cookie-cutter father figure compared to Alf so Ray may not have enjoyed playing Tom as much, or maybe he preferred playing a supporting character over the main one. I recall somewhere (possibly the This is Your Life special?) that Ray initially only intended to stay short-term, so maybe playing Tom would have cemented that intention. 

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Yes Ray has mentioned it in a few interviews. I think they wanted him to commit to two years and he agreed to one or something like that. But he also mentioned he thought it'll go for about six months. 

[cymbaline]

Some of the original actors have said that they didn't think Home and Away would last very long. It was just another gig for them and a nice steady paycheque for a few months. I didn't know anything about Ray's pre-Alf acting career until I watched the This Is Your Life. I can understand why he was initially slow to commit to the role for too long. In the end, giving up the chance of doing lots of other acting work in favour of the convenience of being Alf won out. Ben Mendelsohn once said that Ray had the best career in Australia and he wasn't trying to be hip or ironic. He pointed out that he has been working steadily for decades on a TV show that's watched by millions worldwide. 

I love the alleged story of how Ray and some of the other original H&A actors came to be so well paid. When some of the younger stars started leaving (i.e. Frank and original Roo), a memo went around the production office saying "Don't let the old bastards go". Someone got their hands on the memo and next thing, everyone in the cast had a copy. Ray, Judy Nunn, Norman Coburn and others did a group negotiation with Seven and got a very nice deal from them. 

[hapitoby]

  On 24/03/2025 at 23:48, cymbaline said:

Some of the original actors have said that they didn't think Home and Away would last very long. It was just another gig for them and a nice steady paycheque for a few months. I didn't know anything about Ray's pre-Alf acting career until I watched the This Is Your Life. I can understand why he was initially slow to commit to the role for too long. In the end, giving up the chance of doing lots of other acting work in favour of the convenience of being Alf won out. Ben Mendelsohn once said that Ray had the best career in Australia and he wasn't trying to be hip or ironic. He pointed out that he has been working steadily for decades on a TV show that's watched by millions worldwide. 

I love the alleged story of how Ray and some of the other original H&A actors came to be so well paid. When some of the younger stars started leaving (i.e. Frank and original Roo), a memo went around the production office saying "Don't let the old bastards go". Someone got their hands on the memo and next thing, everyone in the cast had a copy. Ray, Judy Nunn, Norman Coburn and others did a group negotiation with Seven and got a very nice deal from them. 

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Yeah exactly. I think it was Ray that said "oh great, I'll have steady work for the next six months" of something along those lines. It's interesting a Home and Away was very, very close to being axed early on.

"H&A was almost axed after just six weeks on air. However, the producers begged for an extra three weeks, which was just enough time for the ratings to improve. The rest is history…"

I do love that story about the negotiation. Sounds like Seven were very keen to keep them considering they axed a lot of the older actors (and younger ones too).

[Sunny Girl]

  On 24/03/2025 at 23:48, cymbaline said:

Some of the original actors have said that they didn't think Home and Away would last very long. It was just another gig for them and a nice steady paycheque for a few months. I didn't know anything about Ray's pre-Alf acting career until I watched the This Is Your Life. I can understand why he was initially slow to commit to the role for too long. In the end, giving up the chance of doing lots of other acting work in favour of the convenience of being Alf won out. Ben Mendelsohn once said that Ray had the best career in Australia and he wasn't trying to be hip or ironic. He pointed out that he has been working steadily for decades on a TV show that's watched by millions worldwide. 

I love the alleged story of how Ray and some of the other original H&A actors came to be so well paid. When some of the younger stars started leaving (i.e. Frank and original Roo), a memo went around the production office saying "Don't let the old bastards go". Someone got their hands on the memo and next thing, everyone in the cast had a copy. Ray, Judy Nunn, Norman Coburn and others did a group negotiation with Seven and got a very nice deal from them. 

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I had also heard that @Cymbaline - The quote about 'Not letting the bastards go' and it has stuck in my memory bank. 

I also remember what Ben Mendelssohn said as well about Ray having the best job. 

 

Both of them are very noteworthy and valuable contributions to Summer Bay folklore. 

[adam436]

  On 24/03/2025 at 23:48, cymbaline said:

I love the alleged story of how Ray and some of the other original H&A actors came to be so well paid. When some of the younger stars started leaving (i.e. Frank and original Roo), a memo went around the production office saying "Don't let the old bastards go". Someone got their hands on the memo and next thing, everyone in the cast had a copy. Ray, Judy Nunn, Norman Coburn and others did a group negotiation with Seven and got a very nice deal from them. 

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Do you know when that was? We had Tom and OG Pippa exit in 1990, so I assume it must have been after that.