Home and Away first started aired in the UK back in 1989 and fans can soon relive the show from the first episod
Home and Away fans can watch the Australian soap opera from the very beginning later this month. 5 will celebrate its long-standing association with the Australian soap by airing the earliest series from the very first episode on 5Drama. Fans will be able to relive the show from the beginning, catching up with classic characters like Alf Stewart and Sally Fletcher in Summer Bay back in 1988, and following the storylines that have kept UK viewers hooked ever since.
5Drama launched last month with an exciting array of 5’s award-winning original drama, including All Creatures Great and Small, The Madame Blanc Mysteries and The Hardacres , and detective dramas, including Ellis and Dalgliesh.While also showcasing a range of boxsets from 5Streaming, including Gilmore Girls, A Million Little Things and Waterloo Road. Now 5 is happy to confirm Classic Home and Away episodes will air across 5Drama and 5Streaming from Monday, November 16.
The series will air Monday to Friday with double bills from 12pm, followed by a catch up stack on weekends. 30 episodes will also be available on 5Streaming from launch, followed by weekly drops of 10 episodes over the coming weeks so Home and Away fans can keep diving into classic Summer Bay.
Speaking to Radio Times, 5 boss Reemah Sakaan said: “Award winning drama is increasingly at the heart of what 5 offers viewers, so it’s the right time to give it a dedicated home.
“This, and the expansion of our portfolio across multiple platforms, is about sharpening our channels and giving viewers a clear offer wherever they’re watching – on linear, 5Streaming, Freely or YouTube.”
Original cast member Ray Meagher, who continues to appear in contemporary episodes, said of the repeats: “It’s fantastic to know that Home and Away is continuing to find new audiences in the UK, and now viewers can go right back to the beginning on 5Drama. There’s a lot of history in those early episodes – and a lot of memories for Alf and the whole Summer Bay community. I hope fans enjoy taking a trip back to where it all began.”
His co-star Emily Symons, who plays Marilyn Chambers, added: “It’s so special to think that UK fans can revisit the very beginning of Home and Away on 5Drama.
“Marilyn has been such a huge part of my life, and seeing those early episodes again is a wonderful reminder of where her story began.
“I know there are so many Home and Away fans in the UK who have grown up with these characters, so I hope they love going back to Summer Bay and rediscovering some of those early stories.”
Home and Away was created by Alan Bateman and started broadcast on the Seven Network in Australia on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, New South Wales, where he noticed locals were complaining about the construction of a foster home and against the idea of foster children from the city living in the area.
The soap opera was initially going to be called Refuge, but the name was changed to the “friendlier” title of Home and Away once production began.
