For more than 32 years on Aussie screens, the glossy Summer Bay shores on Home And Away have been knocking around. That’s 32 years of laughter, tears, and drama, with a D-capital! And it seems like just as much was happening off-screen as it was on the show.
Yep, even the most famous Aussie TV shows have their ups and downs and some of their biggest twists and turns have happened not in front, but behind the camera over the years.
So, if you don’t have enough suspense in the lives and loves of the Summer Bay resident, maybe you might have a curiosity in the following.
From on-set mysteries and unfinished storylines, to forgotten facts from the early days of the show, we have everything you need to brush up on your H&A trivia.
1/20
More than any other Aussie film, Home And Away has won 46 TV WEEK Logie Awards!
2/20
Originally, H&A was supposed to be named Refuge, but for a family show it wasn’t considered “friendly” enough. When development began, the name was changed.
3/20
watch the secne below!
In the 1988 H&A pilot episode, a backlash in 1978 was the first scene. A cop chased eight-year-old Frank (Bradley Pilato) down a rainy street, yelling, “Frankie! ”
4/20
Bruce Venables, the husband of Judy Nunn, who played Ailsa Stewart, played the officer. Frank was played by Alex Papps at the moment (right).
5/20
In the pilot, when they moved to Summer Bay, Bobby (Nicolle Dickson) was already going to be part of the Fletcher family. At the last minute, however, the script was rewritten, delaying shooting by three weeks.
6/20
Remember when Ailsa (right), Alf’s (Ray Meagher, left) late wife, came back as a ghost? Really, she was a figment of Alf’s imagination, as he had a brain tumour. According to Judy, the scenes were hilarious to shoot. She told WEEK on TV, “It was the funniest thing I have ever done.”
7/20
What do they all have in common, Raechelle Banno (Olivia), Scott Lee (Hunter) and James Stewart (Justin)? Well, each one has a twin sibling, apart from all the H&A stars.
8/20
Ray Meagher had initially been given a two-year deal for the show, but he thought it was too long and agreed to sign up for just six months. More than 30 years later, Ray still plays Summer Bay’s Alf Stewart, the stalwart. Now he’s Australia’s longest-serving actor in a drama series.
9/20
After just six weeks on air, H&A was nearly axed.However, the manufacturers called for an additional three weeks, which was just adequate time for the scores to grow. The rest is history…
10/20
Debra Lawrance auditioned in 1987 to play the foster mum of Pippa, but she missed out. Carol Willesee went into the role, who then pulled out. Vanessa Downing ended up like Pippa for the first three years. And Debra, when she left in 1990, was finally cast as Pippa!
11/20
In real life, too, Debra Lawrance and Dennis Coard, who played Pippa and Michael Ross as married couples, are married.
12/20
Since 2000, Ada Nicodemou has been playing Leah, but she actually auditioned years earlier for the show. Ada was in the running to play adolescent Sarah Thompson in 1992, but Laura Vazquez won the part.
13/20
Laura Vazquez, who played schoolgirl Sarah in the ’90s (pictured here with co-star Emily Symons), is now one of the hair and make-up artists of the group.
14/20
Initially, Kyle Pryor, who played Dr. Nate Cooper in the film, auditioned for the role of Andy Barrett, the wild kid. The part went to Tai Hara, however.
15/20
Who would forget about Kyle’s abduction (Nic Westaway) of Casey (Lincoln Younes) and the desert death? Nic recalls that Lincoln wouldn’t speak to him while he was filming. Nic elaborated, “He felt that the animosity between the characters would grow,”
16/20
In 2011, the programme was filmed on location in Hawaii.For their scenes, Samara Weaving (Indi) and Luke Mitchell (Romeo) went to Honolulu with Georgie Parker (Roo) and Robert Mammone (Sid).
17/20
Simon Baker, then known for his E Street work, had a brief James Hudson stint on the programme. He was a teacher with a heart-throb that stole Roxy’s heart.
18/20
Fans lapped up the 1993-1996 love story of Shane and Angel.However, it was another story outside the lights.Co-stars Melissa George and Dieter Brummer did not get along. The actors have not spoken to each other ever since they left the show.
19/20
As they sauntered into singles’ night at Angelo’s (Luke Jacobz) pub, the River Boys debuted in 2011.Brax”Brax“Oi, a face of familiarity! “A familiar face, Oi!
20/20
Before Bec Cartwright knew she was pregnant, Hayley’s pregnancy was written for H&A. Ella Scott Lynch, who played the role for the remainder of 2005, replaced Bec.
