Home and Away
Home and Away is a weeknightly half-hour television soap opera produced in Australia. It is shown on the Seven Network in Australia and is exported to many countries, most notably the United Kingdom, where it briefly became the subject of a bidding war between ITV and Channel 5 (Channel 5 won). It has run since January 1988 and is still in production.
Synopsis
It features the travails of the inhabitants of a fictional small coastal town in New South Wales called Summer Bay. The soap originally revolved around one family, which was Pippa and her foster children, who included Sophie and Sally. But it now has many different families; The Sutherlands/Hunters; the Roberts; the Hydes and the Saunders'.
As of 2004, the program concentrates on the family occupying and running the local caravan park who typically foster several teenagers. Like Neighbours, Australia's other daily half-hour homegrown soap, it attracts a mainly teenage audience and features a constantly-rotating teenage cast with several older actors who tend to last considerably longer.
Cast
The current cast in Australia are: Tammin Sursok (as Dani Sutherland); Rebecca Cartwright (as Hayley Lawson); Jason Smith (as Robbie Hunter); Isabel Lucas (as Tasha Andrews); Kip Gamblin (as Scott Hunter); Chris Hemsworth (as Tim Hyde); Christie Hayes (as Kirsty Philips); Sam Atwell (as Kane Philips); Kate Ritchie (as Sally Fletcher); Ivar Kants (as Barry Hyde); Ben Unwin (as Jesse McGregor); Ada Nicodemou (as Leah Patterson); Lynne McGranger (as Irene Roberts); Joel McIlroy (as Flynn Saunders); Lyn Collingwood (as Colleen Smart); Ray Meagher (as Alf Stewart); Clarissa House (as Beth Hunter); Tim Campbell (as Dan Baker); Indiana Evans (as Matilda Hunter); Tobi Atkins (as Henry Hunter); Laurie Foell, whereas some cast members are different in different coutries.
Actors Kate Ritchie and Ray Meagher have been with the show continuously since the first episode, the longest such run in Australian television history. Ritchie was aged nine and playing a character a year younger when the show began filming in late 1987. Her character is now a teacher at the local high school, and temporarily became Principal when Norman Coburn's character, the previous principal and fellow original cast member left the show.
Successful former cast members include Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Dannii Minogue, Julian McMahon, Simon Baker, and Melissa George.
Episodes
The popular program has seen various cliffhangers to end seasons; The Mudslide; Alsa having a heart attack and dying; Gypsey and Leah both give birth, and Vinnie gets arrested; Shelley leaves the bay, Vinnie dies and Alsa returns from the dead; The Sutherlands are buried alive and Tasha mother is identified as Angela Russel; and most recently the hostage drama, where Noah dies and Leah finds out Vinnie isn't actually dead.
The show saw a resurgence in popularity following the successful storyline revolving around the character Angela Russell played by Laurie Foell The show is also the basis of a spin off that the Seven Network is producing called Campus.
Production and broadcast schedule
They film the show five days a week for forty six weeks of the year. And given a four week holiday at christmas and a two week break for recuperation mid-year. A normal shooting day is 7 am to 6 pm, but can go later if shooting goes over time. There are 8 weeks inbetween shooting and airing the program. Much of the shots are taken in Channel Seven's Sydney studio, as well as at Palm Beach in Sydney's Northern Beaches region.
As of 2004 Home and Away is broadcast in Australia Monday to Friday at 7pm and in the UK Monday to Friday at 6pm, (repeated 12.30 weekdays and omnibus on sat 7.55am - UK only). Other countries that broadcast Home and Away include: Belguim; Canada; Denamrk; Estonia; Ireland; Israel; Lithuania; New Zealand; Norway; Poland; and Sweden.