Home and Away gives first look at new character Heather

A new Home and Away promo has given us our first look at new character Heather, whilst adding to the mystery surrounding Marilyn’s big secret.

Scroll down to watch the promo in full.

A recent promo for the show, aired during the Commonwealth Games break, saw Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons) receive a mystery letter containing a photo of a newborn baby, with the words “Guess who?” written on the back.

Our previous article speculated on what this could mean – is Marilyn’s baby Byron still alive, or could Maz have conceived a baby during one of her many overseas trips over the past few decades? Or could there be a more unusual storyline in store, with someone trying to scam her?

Now, the new promo, which aired after Wednesday’s episode down under, has given us another clue to Marilyn’s mystery.

It give us our first look at Heather, played by Sofia Nolan.

Sofia has previously starred in Drop Dead Weird, Kiki and Kitty, and most recently as Taylor Emerson in RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service, and is set to turn more than one world upside down as she arrives in Summer Bay.

It looks like Heather knows exactly who Marilyn is, and, while Maz may play innocent, it seems she has a pretty good idea who Heather is too.

We see the pair interact at the diner, as Heather and Roo (Georgie Parker) sit together. It seems a safe assumption that Heather is Roo’s first pupil in her new career as a private tutor, but has she really hired Roo for her skills as a teacher, or simply as a way to get close to Marilyn?

Heather asks Marilyn, “have we met before?” to which a slightly nervous-looking Maz replies, “I don’t think so, no.”

Then, Heather makes it clear that there’s more to this story.

“How strange,” she comments with a wry smile. “You’re just so familiar, I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

We then see Marilyn in the diner kitchen, a panicked look on her face. Has her past finally caught up with her?

The promo doesn’t make it clear whether these events happen before or after Marilyn’s cryptic letter, but it’s almost certain the two events are related. Could Heather be Marilyn’s secret child, or is something else going on?

Sofia had been seen filming regularly with Kawakawa Fox-Reo, who plays Nikau, leading some fans to speculate that Heather and Nikau could end up in a relationship after Bella’s departure.

It seems fans were right, with the promo showing the pair meeting at the beach, growing close, before finally sharing a kiss.

Their first interaction comes on the beach, as Heather walks up to Nik, who’s on life guard duty.

In another scene, she introduces herself by name.

It doesn’t take long for them to grow close.

We see the pair under a blanket at the caravan park, sitting and chatting in front of a campfire.

“That’s new,” quips Roo, surprised to see Nik with another girl so soon after his breakup with Bella (Courtney Miller).

Again, Marilyn appears to have a concerned look on her face – she’s not happy to be bumping into this new arrival all over town.

Later in the promo, the young pair share a kiss. It seems Nikau is finally ready to move on with somebody new.

With romance on the cards, it looks like Heather may be sticking around. Exactly how much trouble she’ll cause for Maz remains to be seen!

Newcomer Heather is also set to have a big storyline with Cash near the end of the year.

In a chat with CelebTime earlier this year, Nicholas Cartwright first revealed Sofia’s character name as Heather, whilst also confirming that “[Cash is] going to film a big storyline with her soon.”

The “Home is where love is” promo also features happiness for a bunch of other characters.

We see Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) finally embark on a road trip together, after multiple stalled attempts.

“Run away with me,” Dean propsitions, with a surf board strapped to the roof of his car. We see the excited pair strap on their seatbelts, as Ziggy woops, “let’s go!”

We know the pair have a huge storyline on the way as Ziggy falls pregnant – could their trip be what prompts them to take the next step in their relationship?

The promo also shows Justin (James Stewart) grow close to the Lyrik band members, as he joins them for a party at their new pad.

Justin is set to bank roll the band later this week, after band member Remi (Adam Rowlands) lost all of their savings buying a dodgy van.

The gesture will see Justin become part of their extended family, as he joins Felicity (Jacqui Purvis), Tane (Ethan Browne), Nikau, Theo (Matt Evans) and the established band members – Remi, Kirby (Angelina Thomson) and Eden (Stephanie Panozzo) – for drinks and a jam session on the veranda.

He even gets the chance to show off his own guitar skills, as he plays along, watched on by doting girlfriend Leah (Ada Nicodemou).

Leah has some major drama coming up, as her car is involved in a dramatic crash later this year.

The promo also shows longing glances between Theo and Kirby.

The two recently kissed, but fellow band members Remi and Eden quickly shut things down, banning interpersonal relationships among band members after things between Kirby and former band mate Bob (Rob Mallett) turned sour.

Will they give into temptation once again in the weeks to come?

We also see Cash’s struggle after he learns that he shot and killed gang member Marty (Ben Wood).

In the latest Australian episode, he confessed to new doctor Bree (Juliet Godwin) that he’s struggling to come to terms with what he did. “A man is dead because of me. How am I meant to live with that?”

“My brother is disappearing in front of my eyes,” says Flick, concerned for her brother’s worsening mental health.

“Remember, I love you,” she reassures him. Will her love be enough to help him through?

Rose (Kirsty Marillier) is also struggling after the recent drama, as it was her plan which caused Cash to get shot.

We see her hug half-brother Xander (Luke Van Os) on the beach, and upcoming episodes see Rose think about leaving Summer Bay behind.

The promo also gives us our first glimpse of Dr Bree Cameron outside of Northern Districts Hospital, as she enjoys a surf back at Summer Bay.

Like all fresh faces in the Bay, there’s more to Bree than meets the eye, and she has her own story and past which viewers will see play out over the coming months.

Talking to TV Week about her debut, Juliet Godwin described her character as a “laidback, compassionate doctor who loves a laugh,” but hinted at her past as she explained that Bree was “in need of a fresh start” and that she jumped at the job vacancy at Northern Districts Hospital’s emergency department.

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Here’s the full spoilers for upcoming Home and Away episodes in Australia:

Thursday 18th August (Episods 7860-7862)

Justin bankrolls the band. Rose is crippled by guilt. Can Theo and Kirby be just friends?

Justin lives his dreams through Theo. Roo gets her mojo back.

Rose punches away her guilt. Tane has an unlikely ally in Dean. Can Felicity be the stronger sibling?

Monday 22nd August (Episode 7863)

Justin solves Lyrik’s transport problem. Theo and Kirby give in to temptation. Could Tane lose the gym? Nikau chases love.

Tuesday 23rd August (Episode 7864)

Dean shows Nikau the harsh truth. A guilty Ziggy can’t avoid Remi. Theo longs to break band rules.

Wednesday 24th August (Episode 7865)

Eden and John attempt neighbourly harmony. Dean revives the spark with Ziggy. Roo takes on a new student.

Thursday 25th August (Episods 7866-7868)

Felicity’s plate gets overloaded. Nikau gets lucky with a lady.

Felicity discovers what Cash lost. Nikau enjoys no-strings dating. Marilyn uncovers an omen.

Cash cuts off the past. Rose can’t stay in Summer Bay. Marilyn and Roo agree to disagree.