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

[nenehcherry2]

Many of the teens and 20something characters provided more in the sense of eye candy than big storylines or strong characterisation.

2 - 3 years of topless male torsos carrying surfboards or (for some of the girls / ladies) wearing a bikini was considered a significant contribution alone (and, from the little I've seen of the modern show, that's hardly changed for the better!). 

Whilst Nick was as dull as dishwater in the final half of his tenure, Bruce was still seen by many older teen, 20something and even older viewers as easy on the eye.

We're talking Home and Away here, after all and not Coro! 

Edited Wednesday at 21:10 by nenehcherry2

[cymbaline]

Even still, it was the teens who were given more interesting things to do. Nick was mostly one leg of that tiresome triangle with Lucinda and Ryan. Then Shane came along and we all know where that went. I'm pretty sure if you asked people to name characters from the early years of Home and Away, Nick and Matt and Rob and Luke won't be the first ones they think of. Were they really bigger stars than Bobby, Sophie, Blake, Shane, Angel, Jack or Shannon?

[Sb boy]

 Saying that. Jack wasn’t. The most. Memroble of the teen group. Was he really.  Compare him to. Shannon and selina. And jack is not the. First. Teen.  People think. Of

[CaptainHulk]

  On 03/04/2025 at 07:06, Sb boy said:

 Saying that. Jack wasn’t. The most. Memroble of the teen group. Was he really.  Compare him to. Shannon and selina. And jack is not the. First. Teen.  People think. Of

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He was a bit Marmite for some but provided some memorable moments for the Diehards

[cymbaline]

Jack wasn't the most likeable of the teens but I would never describe him as unmemorable. I'd forgotten about Selina but I would rate her above the early twentysomethings.

[Sb boy]

Perhaps. Unmemroble was the wrong. Word.   Perhaps.  Not too intreasting.   Personally that is.  I found. Shannon.  The most memorable.  Out of that. Group.  She was. In the same. Group as. Jack. But  he just seemed to me  to do. The same storyline week in week out. Until. He was involved in. That. Fire.   He wasn’t paticually likeable or dislikeable.  He just was. Kind off there if  you. Understand what I mean   These are all personal opinions. Mind you  other longterm. Fans. Might. Have adored. Him.  But  i found him. A bit blah  same with Chloe.  Like mentioned above he had more.  Point than. Nick Parrish. Or Luke.   But. I never liked or disliked him. He was. Just there 

[adam436]

  

  On 02/04/2025 at 17:12, cymbaline said:

The actors the producers didn't want to lose were the younger ones. It was the teens who became the show's breakout stars

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But the likes of Donald, Ailsa, Alf and to a lesser extent Pippa became the backbone of the show because they stuck around for so long, so it makes sense the producers wanted to keep them for continuity. 

The twenty-somethings were very hit-and-miss in that era. I started a separate thread about that a few months ago actually. 

 

  On 03/04/2025 at 07:06, Sb boy said:

 Saying that. Jack wasn’t. The most. Memroble of the teen group. Was he really.  Compare him to. Shannon and selina. And jack is not the. First. Teen.  People think. Of

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I actually found Curtis the least memorable from that group, perhaps because he felt the less likable than Jack. Jack seemed like the loveable cheeky rogue, whereas Curtis just felt like a whinger. 

Shannon and Selina had some massive storylines. Shannon had anorexia, her historical abuse and the Mandy stuff whereas Selina had her relationship with teacher Steven, a teenage pregnancy/miscarriage and the cult story. I imagine there's more I've forgotten too, but the writers certainly favoured them over Jack and Curtis. They didn't really have any massive/hard-hitting storylines at all other than Curtis watching his girlfriend die and the subsequent spiral. 

[nenehcherry2]

Soaps always tend to give stronger storylines to female characters. At least, especially in those days.

Jack was a true breath of fresh air in 1994 and (to a slightly lesser extent) earlier 1995 but he lost his spark as that year went on (and the show shifted back to high drama from comedy). In that first 12 months or so, he literally lights up the screen whenever he appears. I love watching his scenes from that time and it fits so well with the comedy tip H&A was on at that point. This is the Jack that people remember the most (pretending to wear Ailsa's dresses, three timing Selina, getting into bed with Don, the mice in the Diner etc) but, as with evil era Roo #1 or bad girl Karen, that only lasts for like 50% of his actual tenure. I actually think he (unlike Selina) started to suffer when Shannon and Curtis arrived. He was much more purposeful when he was being the younger, unwanted pest to Shane, Tug and Damo or crushing on Angel.

As the rest of the teen gang arrive, then really 1995 progresses into the darker side and Curtis is given the bigger storylines with Laura, the alcoholism, etc, Jack initially becomes pretty conventional really for a while (with a slight "bad boy" edge maybe), like during the racist storyline with Chloe & Max (and a spare part otherwise). But the bushfire arc, as great a story as it was, destroyed him for good and he becomes sullen and difficult right up until Michael dies.

Daniel Amalm's acting range seems to have also declined in parallel with the above. He just doesn't have the same energy as he did in his first 12 months. He's said in interviews that his gained weight during his time on the show which severely affected his self-confidence. 

Edited Thursday at 19:36 by nenehcherry2

[CaptainHulk]

Curtis when he started was a bit of a goody-two-shoes teaming him up with Jack put paid to that

[Sb boy]

 I agree that they gave him storylines.  But  they were  just quite repetitive as 1995  came along. Apart from the fire. I can’t really remember a single intreasting thing. He did  and I rewatched the episodes recently. In 1994 he had. Comedy storylines.  But by 1996  when he came to his end  he really had lost his point

 Curtis had a least the. Alchololic storyline. But jack  just did  the same bad boy. Storyline. Tug. Was a far more interesting character  as he  went. On a journey over 2 years from school bully into. Respected by Alf and most of the town