Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
since July 1987 and is airing on the
Seven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television. The series originally screened on Sunday, 17 January as a 93-minute pilot episode, or a television film as it is known, and a day later aired at its usual time of 22 minutes. At the beginning, the show was screened on Seven at 6.30 pm and currently airs at 7.00 pm, five days a week.
Home and Away is set in the fictional town of
Summer BaySummer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
, a coastal town in
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and follows the personal and professional life of the people living in the area. The show initially focused on the Fletcher family,
PippaPhillipa "Pippa" Routledge OAM is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role from 1988 to 1990, then Debra Lawrance took over from 1990 to 1998. The character has made guest returns in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and...
(
Vanessa DowningVanessa Downing is an Australian actress. She was educated in Sydney and holds a Masters Degree in English Literature from Sydney University...
) (later played by
Debra LawranceDebra Lawrance is an Australian actress best known for her role as Pippa Ross on Home and Away, which she played from 1990 to 1998. She continues to guest star to this date- her last appearance was in 2009.-Biography:...
) and
Tom FletcherThomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...
(
Roger OakleyRoger Oakley is a New-Zealand-born character-actor noted for his performances on Australian television., but more recently active as a Theatre Performer....
) and their five foster children
Frank Morgan (
Alex PappsAlex Papps is an Australian actor and television host, who is best known for his role on soap opera Home and Away and as a host of The Factory...
), Carly Morris (
Sharyn HodgsonSharyn Hodgson is an Australian actress, best known for playing the role of Carly Lucini in the popular soap opera, Home and Away ....
),
Steven MathesonSteven "Stevo" Matheson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Adam Willits. Steven was created by Alan Bateman as one of the serial's original characters and he first appeared in the pilot episode. Willits received the role after being one of...
(
Adam WillitsAdam Willits is an Australian actor, best known for being an original cast member of the television soap opera Home and Away as Steven Matheson from 1988 to 1991...
),
Lynn Davenport (Helena Bozich) and most notably
Sally FletcherSally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
(
Kate RitchieKatherine "Kate" Ritchie is an Australian actress, best known for her long-running role as Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera Home and Away. She played the character for 20 years from 1988–2008...
). The show also originally and currently focuses on The Stewart Family. During the early 2000s, the central storylines focused on the Sutherlands and later the Hunters.
Home and Away had proved popular when it premiered in 1988 and had risen to become a hit in Australia, and only after a few weeks, the show tackled its first major and disturbing storyline, which was the rape of Carly Morris; it was one of the first shows to tackle such storylines during the early timeslot. The show has tackled many adult-themed and controversial storylines and breaking the rules of its restricted timeslot.
The show has seen much success in several countries. It is extremely popular in
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, being
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
's most popular drama series since the channel began airing the show just several months after its premiere in Australia. It is also popular in the UK, although it is the only country in which rival soap
NeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
is more popular than
Home and Away; it was regularly edited for content on
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and is occasionally edited on Channel 5. The show remains successful in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where it is titled as
Summer Bay. Seven's new digital channel
7Two7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
has begun airing episodes from the very beginning.
Home and Away has earned many
Logie AwardsThe TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
; it has picked up more than 30 Logies for
Most Popular Australian DramaThe Silver Logie for Most Popular Australian Drama is an award in the annual Australian Logie Awards. The award was previously known as Most Popular Drama Series , Most Popular Drama Program , Most Popular Drama , Most Popular Series , Most Popular Program and Most Popular Australian Program...
. The cast earned several awards including
Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian TelevisionThe Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960...
, Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actor, and
Most Popular ActressThe Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress is an award in the annual Australian Logie Awards.-2010s:2011The Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress is an award in the annual Australian Logie Awards.-2010s:2011...
.
History
In 1985, the
Seven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
cancelled the poorly rating soap
NeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, but they were unaware that
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, a rival television network was in talks with the production team to air the soap on their network in 1986. When Neighbours returned to television on Network Ten in 1986, it initially attracted low ratings. The Network worked hard to publicise
Neighbours. The publicity helped increase the show's popularity and by the end of 1987, it was attracting high ratings in Australia.
In late 1986, Network Seven's head of drama, Alan Bateman, was tasked with creating a pilot for a new soap opera that was in no way a copy of Neighbours. Bateman soon found his inspiration when he stopped in
Kangaroo Point, New South WalesKangaroo Point is a tiny, picturesque suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kangaroo Point is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
on a family outing. Chatting to locals, Bateman discovered that the townspeople were angered over the construction of a home for foster children from the city. Seeing the degree of conflict the plan for the new youth centre had produced within the community, Bateman recognised the drama that could be generated by this situation and began to develop it as the basis for the new soap opera.
When the show began in 1988, it focused on
Tom FletcherThomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...
and his wife,
PippaThomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...
. They had four foster children, Frank Morgan, Carly Morris,
Steven MathesonSteven "Stevo" Matheson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Adam Willits. Steven was created by Alan Bateman as one of the serial's original characters and he first appeared in the pilot episode. Willits received the role after being one of...
, Lyn Davenport, and an adopted daughter,
Sally FletcherSally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
. They soon fostered Bobby Simpson, a local tearaway, much to the annoyance of
Donald FisherDonald Fisher is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away played by actor Norman Coburn as a regular character, from the soap's inception in 1988 to 2003. Coburn has since returned for brief appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2007...
. They bought the caravan park and quickly built strong friendships with the locals,
Ailsa StewartAilsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...
,
Alf StewartAlfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
, and Neville and
Floss McPheeFloss McPhee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by actress Sheila Kennelly. Floss first appeared in the pilot episode in 1988 until 1989. She has made sporadic returns in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2008.-Storylines:...
.
Home and Away celebrated its twenty-first year in production with a celebration in Sydney on 23 July 2009. The mayor of Sydney's
Pittwater CouncilPittwater Council is a Local Government Area on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs which comprise the Pittwater LGA were detached from the Warringah local government area in 1993...
presented cast members with the key to Palm Beach, the filming location for the show.
Characters
Former cast
Notable former cast members include
Heath LedgerHeath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
(Scott Irwin),
Isla FisherIsla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
(Shannon Reed),
Melissa GeorgeMelissa Suzanne George is an Australian film and television actress who has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Melissa is perhaps best known for her role as Angel Parrish on the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
(Angel Parrish),
Julian McMahonJulian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
(Ben Lucini),
Dannii MinogueDanielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
(Emma Jackson),
Chris HemsworthChris Hemsworth is an Australian actor most notable for portraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
(Kim)
Simon BakerSimon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
(James Healy),
Guy PearceGuy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
(David Croft),
Ryan KwantenRyan Christian Kwanten is an Australian actor. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 on the Australian soap-opera Home and Away...
(Vinnie Patterson), Sharni Vinson (Cassie Turner),
Ben SteelBen Steel is an Australian actor and director who is most known for his regular role of Jude Lawson in Australian soap Home & Away.-Early life and acting training:...
(Jude Lawson),
Beau BradyBeau Brady is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Noah Lawson on the drama Home and Away.-Biography:Brady was educated at Oakhill College in Castle Hill, Sydney....
(Noah Lawson) and
Naomi WattsNaomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
(Julie Gibson). According to
Kip Gamblin-Career:Gamblin trained as a ballet dancer at the The McDonald College of Performing Arts, Sydney and completed his training at the Australian Ballet School, Melbourne. He performed with the Australian Ballet, the West Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company between 1994 and 2002, and had...
(Scott Hunter, 2003–2005), "the acting apprenticeship so many had received on the set of Home and Away had paved the way for their success."
Production
All interiors for the show were taped at
Seven SydneyATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of Fairfax, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia...
's
EppingEpping is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Epping is located 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde, the City of Parramatta and Hornsby Shire and is located in the Northern...
studios until 2010. Following the closure of these studios in early 2010, episodes are taped at the Australian Technology Park in
RedfernRedfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. Exterior scenes are taped on location, mainly at
Palm BeachPalm Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Palm Beach is located 41 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, in the Northern Beaches region. Palm Beach sits on a peninsula at...
, and at Fisherman's Beach, Collaroy in Sydney's
Northern BeachesThe Northern Beaches is an informal term used to describe the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean...
region.
Home and Away was filmed in
videoA video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
(
PALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
) from the pilot episode up until mid 2003 when it was changed to
high-definition videoHigh-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
, this now gives the show a
film lookFilmizing is a process that makes video productions seem to have been shot on film. The term is generic and informal. The process is usually electronic, although filmizing can sometimes occur as an un-intentional by-product of some optical techniques, such as telerecording.-Differences between...
even while watching in standard-definition. In 2007,
Seven HDSeven HD was an Australian television channel, owned by the Seven Media Group, that launched on 15 October 2007. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers in metropolitan areas, Tasmania and Regional Queensland through a number of owned-and-operated stations, as well...
launched and the show is now available to watch in full HD (
1080i1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
).
Storylines
Home and Away has tackled many controversial issues over the years, while some storylines are comical and humorous, others deal with more serious matters which are mainly adult themed, such as, marital problems, domestic violence, bullying, gambling, cancer, teen pregnancy, abortion, surrogacy, racism, rape, drug addiction and drug dealing, alcoholism, adultery, kidnapping, arson, imprisonment, sexuality, suicide, homophobia, murder, incest, child abduction, and child abuse both physical and sexual, mental illness and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Australia
Home and Away is broadcast in Australia on weeknights at 19:00 on 7.
The show rates well and is often the highest rating programme in its time slot, usually receiving between 1 and 1.4 million viewers per episode (nightly).
Home and Away airs for 46 weeks each year (except for occasions where worldwide events take priority such as the Olympic Games). Each new season usually begins on the second Monday in January and the season finale usually airs on the last Friday of November.
Between 1996 and 1998, Foxtel aired Home and Away from the beginning on their now-defunct channels Fox Kids, and later on Fox Soap.
In November 2009,
Channel SevenThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
utilised their new Digital TV channel
7Two7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
to start showing repeat episodes of the show from the start, beginning with the pilot episode. These episodes were originally shown weekdays at 09:30 but from 28 June 2010 will be moving to its new timeslot of 09:00. All five shows from the past week are shown Sundays at 06:00 on 7Two. The series had previously been repeated from 1999 to 2001 on Prime.
International
The digital network
NT1NT1 is a French television network. It is available through digital terrestrial television in France. It is a subsidiary of TF1 Group....
commenced airing episodes on Monday, 4 September 2006. The series is titled
Summer Bay in France. The show is currently on the 2007 season (season 20).
The show has been showing in
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
(northern Belgium, with
Dutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
subtitles) since
Kanaal Twee-Flemish productions, currently off-air:*Big Brother & its BV version*Dennis *De Heren Maken de Man *De Raf & Ronny Show...
(
VTMThe abbreviation VTM may refer to::* Vampire: The Masquerade, a popular role-playing game* Virginia Tech massacre* vtm, the main commercial television station in Flanders, Belgium...
's commercial sister channel, renamed 2BE in 2008) opened in 1995. Episodes currently being shown aired in Australia in January 2010. The show originally aired once a day at 18:30 but since January 2008 airs twice a day; currently, each 25 minute episode first shows at 17:55 and is repeated the next day about 13:30.
In the
Republic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, the national state broadcaster,
RTÉRTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
, has shown the programme since its inception – 1988.
The show airs Monday to Friday at 1.25 pm on
RTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
, repeating at 6.30 pm on
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
. A repeat of the weeks episodes airs on Saturday and Sunday on
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
. The show has consistently been RTÉ Two's most popular televised drama, regularly topping the ratings. Average ratings for the 6.30 pm screening on
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
are in the region of 250,000 viewers, with 130,000 for the
RTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
1.25 pm screening. Due to the UK's Channel 5 having the rights to premiere the show in Europe,
RTÉRTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
cannot screen episodes ahead of Channel 5.
RTÉRTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
are currently 36 episodes behind the Australian broadcast. Previous episodes of the show are available for Irish viewers to re-watch on the
RTÉ PlayerRTÉ player is an on demand video service provided by RTÉ for programmes broadcast on RTÉ Television. RTÉ player is available in two formats; one for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and another format for international audiences...
.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 17:30 on
TV3TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
. The previous day's episode airs the following afternoon at 12:30, with the exception of Friday's episode, which airs the following Monday afternoon. That week's episodes are re-screened as an omnibus on Sunday mornings at 10:00. New Zealand was the first country outside of Australia to broadcast Home and Away, beginning six months after the show first aired in 1988
Home and Away debuted on British television on Saturday, 11 February 1989 in most regions, however, some showed the pilot episode a day later on Sunday, 12 February. It was broadcast on
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
for 11 and a half years, episodes 1–2840. The last episode on ITV aired on Thursday, 8 June 2000. At the time, ITV were nine episodes behind Australia, therefore there were regular breaks at Christmas and Easter. During the period from 2000–2001 when new episodes of Home and Away were not being shown in the UK, Satellite and Cable Channel
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
began airing some repeats of episodes from the 1996 season (season 9).
After a delay in screening, Home and Away made its début on Channel 5 on Monday, 16 July 2001. At this point, there were still 24 weeks worth of episodes from 2000 to air. In addition to this, the programme's end credits returned. The night before the first episode premiered on Channel 5 on Sunday, 15 July 2001, a new hour-long special recapped events from when screenings stopped, and previewed upcoming stories. Episodes screened on Channel 5 at 18:00. weeknights with a re-run at 12:30 (until 30 December 2005) and then noon (from 3 January 2006 – 8 February 2008). When Channel 5 picked up
NeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, the re-run slot was moved to the 18:00 slot and the episodes now have their first airing on the channel on weekdays at 14:15. In the event of a football match, Home and Away will air one of its slots (the 14:15 one normally) and then do two repeats the following night from 18:00 – 19:00. Channel 5 originally showed a Saturday omnibus edition repeating all 5 episodes from the previous week. This originally aired in an afternoon slot but in March 2004 was moved to a morning slot. At the end of 2005, the omnibus edition was dropped from the main station but when Five Life was launched in October 2006, the omnibus was reinstated on that channel comprising the 5 episodes that had been shown on that channel during the week (so one episode ahead of Channel 5). Home and Away was first shown on Five Life (now Fiver) on Monday, 16 October 2006, the day after the channel's launch. In May 2007, Five Life (Later Fiver) began repeating episodes from the 2000 season (season 13) starting with the first episode that Channel 5 had shown. These were dubbed "The Early Years" and two episodes were shown daily in a mid morning slot. However, at the end of 2007, these episodes were taken off the channel during the Christmas period and although it was initially stated that they would return in the new year, they have not returned at the present time. Channel 5 are currently 35 episodes (7 weeks) behind Australia's transmission
Satellite and Cable channel Living began a repeat run of the series in April 1999. However, they did not start with the pilot episode but started a little way into the 1988 season. However, in April 2001 when Living were showing the 1990 season, the repeats skipped ahead 6 years to 1996 due to low ratings. At this point, a Catch-Up episode was aired to bring viewers up to date. During 2002, the repeats moved to Trouble who carried on from the same episode as where Living stopped. Trouble stopped screening the repeats at the end of 2002 and from January 2003 they returned to Living in a late night slot. However, in March 2003, Living took the show off the air completely.
The new SKY channel Sofa Stars is rumoured to air early episodes of Home and Away from the very beginning. It hasn't yet been confirmed.
In Norway, the show airs on weekdays on
TV2TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
at 16:00 and the episode from the day before is repeated at 14:30. The channel is currently airing episodes from 2009.
In Lithuania, the show airs every work day the best time before news on
LNKLNK TV, also known as Laisvas ir Nepriklausomas Kanalas , is one of the major commercial TV channels in Lithuania. It was founded in 1995. It has a sister channels TV1, Info TV and Liuks!.- External links :**...
until 2007. Later in TV1. 2011 started on
BTVBTV is a Lithuanian television station. BTV broadcast 24 hours a day. The program include entertainment, information and educational programs, films and productions.From 2002 to 2004, the name was called TV4.-External links:*...
(2005 years season).
In Greece, the show is entitled 'Το σπίτι της καρδιάς μας' (The Home of our Hearts) and airs Monday to Friday at 16:00 on
Skai TVSkai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens. It is part of the Skai Group one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air transmission, it is...
. The show broadcasts in English with Greek subtitles. The first Greek episode was Australia's 3761–3762 episodes. It got cancelled due to low ratings four months after its premiere.c
In Estonia the show is called "Kodus ja võõrsil" and it airs on weekdays on
Kanal 2Kanal 2 is a privately owned Estonian television channel. Its literal name in English is "Channel 2".First broadcasts were aired on October 1, 1993.- Television series :Daytime* Victoria * Julia – Wege zum Glück ...
.The channel is currently airing episodes from 2010.
Theme song
The theme's lyrics have remained the same since the pilot episode, but have been gradually reduced in length to keep newer versions of the song at a shorter length. The theme was
released as a single"Home and Away" is a song composed by Mike Perjanik in 1987 for the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. It was performed by Karen Boddington and Mark Williams and released as a single in 1989...
in the UK in 1989 and peaked at No.73 on the UK single charts.
The single track includes the opening and closing themes and an additional saxophone section. Since the launch of the 1995 version of the theme tune, extracts from the second verse of the full-length soundtrack have been used to close the show, as opposed to an edited version of the opening song which was used until this point. The theme was shortened in 1996, and again in 2004. John Holmes, executive producer of Home and Away, explained the erosion of theme music in 2007. He said: "That's been a casualty of the accelerated flow which is the abolition of opening credits and having our closing credits condensed to such an extent that they are put on the screen at the same time as we are promoting the next episode."
The 2007–2008 theme was recorded by 20-year-old actor and musician Luke Dolahenty. Originally, Israel Cannan sang the theme in early 2007, but due to complaints from fans, Network Seven decided to re-record it, making it the shortest running theme song in the programme's history.
The Home and Away theme is also used as an instrumental underscore on special occasions. It was last used during Sally's final scene and was heard several times throughout the storyline (most notably Sally and Flynn's wedding). In the early years, it was used for commercial break bumpers.
In 2009, the show debuted with a revamped opening and closing theme; however, for timing reasons the lyrics have been shortened slightly and the tune now runs at 15 seconds. The theme has returned to a male/female duet, after eight years of male group/solo singers. As it is much shorter, the theme will once again play at the start of every episode. From June 2006 to November 2008, the opening titles were played occasionally, depending on the episodes' length. The theme is accompanied by the show's first set of cast-less opening titles. The design of the titles is that of a collage, made up from many pictures of Palm Beach, the location used as Summer Bay. The opening theme was not played at all during 2010 or 2011.
It was confirmed by Cameron Welsh that they would concider bringing the opening titles back for 2012.
| Version |
Artist |
Duration |
| 1 |
Karen Boddington & Mark Williams |
January 1988 – June 1995 |
| 2 |
Doug Williams & Erana Clark |
June 1995 – November 1999 |
| 3 |
The Robertson BrothersThe Robertson Brothers is an Australian band of brothers who are probably most famous for their song that was the theme song for Home and Away from 2000 to 2006.-Home and Away:...
|
January 2000 – November 2003 |
| 4 |
The Robertson BrothersThe Robertson Brothers is an Australian band of brothers who are probably most famous for their song that was the theme song for Home and Away from 2000 to 2006.-Home and Away:...
|
January 2004 – December 2006 |
| 5 |
Israel Cannan |
January – April 2007 |
| 6 |
Luke Dolahenty |
April 2007 – November 2008 |
| 7 |
Luke Dolahenty & Tarryn Stokes |
January – November 2009 |
Controversies
Home and Away is one of the most complained about shows on Australian television. From 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, there were 23 written complaints about the show as viewers thought it was inappropriate for it to be shown in its 7 pm timeslot.
Home and Away was the 8th most complained about show on Australian television and was the only drama in the top ten complaint list.
In March 2009, it was alleged that the Seven Network agreed to censor a scene with a lesbian kiss, after pressure from religious groups. This action was publicly condemned by several parties, including media commentator David Knox. Bevan Lee, Seven Network's Head of Creative Drama, later denied the censorship allegations, calling it a media beat up.
In July 2009, a former
Home and Away actor, Bryan Wiseman, wrote in
The Sunday Telegraph alleging a culture of drug and alcohol abuse among the younger members of the cast. The allegations followed incidents involving cast-members
Lincoln LewisLincoln Clay Lewis is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing the role of Geoff Campbell in the Australian television series, Home and Away from 2007 to 2010, and Kevin Holmes in the film Tomorrow, When the War Began....
and
Jodi GordonJodi Lee Gordon is an Australian actress and model.-Early life:Gordon was born in Mackay to Bronwyn and Ray. She has an older brother, Ben. Her father was born in New Zealand and is of Māori descent. From the age of 8, Gordon's family moved to various locations along the coast from Mackay,...
. Lewis was "disciplined" by Channel Seven after it became public that he had filmed himself and a "starlet" engaged in a sexual act and then shown the film to
Home and Away colleagues. Gordon and a male friend reported to police that they had seen, on a security camera, men armed with guns in the backyard of the friend's home. No men were found and the pair later admitted to police that they had consumed drugs during the day. No charges were laid.
Books and magazines
| Name | Release Date/Year | Publisher | Author | ISBN |
| Home and Away Annual |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Special |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Annual |
1990 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Special |
1990 |
|
|
|
| The Official Home and Away Annual |
1992 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Annual Authorized Edition |
1992 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: Behind the Scenes |
1989 |
|
|
|
| The Frank Morgan Story |
1989 |
|
|
|
| The Carly Morris & Steven Matheson Stories |
1989 |
|
|
|
| The Bobby Simpson Story |
1989 |
|
|
|
| The Matt Wilson Matthew "Matt" Wilson is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Greg Benson. He appeared in the pilot with one line of dialogue, credited as "Surfer", but the decision was taken to make him a recurring character, with him eventually being added to the show's...
Story |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: Carly's Crisis |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: Bobby & Frank |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: 2 in 1 |
1990 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: Dangerous Ride |
1989 |
|
|
|
| Family Matters |
1990 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Volume 1: Summer Bay Blues |
1990 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away Volume 2: Scandal at Summer Bay |
1990 |
|
|
|
| Home and Away: Hearts Divided |
2003 |
Pan Australia |
Leon F Saunders |
ISBN 9780330364614 |
| Home and Away: Dani on Trial |
2004 |
|
Leon F Saunders |
ISBN 0330364952 |
| Home and Away: Prisoner No. 2549971 |
2004 |
Pan Macmillan |
Leon F Saunders |
ISBN 978-0-330-36496-6 |
| A Place in the Bay |
October 2004 |
|
|
|
| The Long Goodbye |
November 2004 |
|
|
|
| Mayday |
June 2005 |
|
|
|
| Second Chances |
September 2005 |
|
|
|
Home and Away: Celebrating 21 Years
(Official collector's edition) |
January 2009 |
Pacific Magazines |
|
|
DVD, VHS & soundtracks
| Name | Release Date/Year | Type of Annual/Book |
| Home and Away: The Movie (Original Pilot Episode) |
1989 |
VHS |
| Classic Home and Away |
1993 |
VHS |
Home and Away: The Official Summer Bay Special
(Includes Episode 1) |
1996 |
VHS |
| Home and Away: Secrets and the City Home and Away: Secrets and the City is an exclusive-to-video and DVD special of Australia's most popular soap opera Home and Away. In 2002 it was only released on video and a year later it received a DVD release. It is hosted by Home and Away star Tammin Sursok...
|
2002 |
VHS/DVD |
| Home and Away: Hearts Divided Home and Away: Hearts Divided is an exclusive-to-video and DVD special of Australia's most popular soap Home and Away. It was released on 29 October 2003 and is hosted by Home and Away star Rebecca Cartwright. It contains two episodes that aired on TV: Turn Back the Night and Fallout plus the...
|
2003 |
VHS/DVD |
| Home and Away: Romances Home and Away: Romances is an exclusive-to-DVD special of Australia's most popular soap Home and Away. It was released on 2 November 2005 and unlike it previous two DVD releases, Secrets and the City and Hearts Divided which only contained three episodes each, this release is completely different,...
(Includes Pilot Episode) |
2005 |
DVD |
| Home and Away: Weddings Home and Away: Weddings is an exclusive-to-DVD special of Australia's most popular soap Home and Away. It was released on 1 March 2006 and is a continuation to its previous DVD Home and Away: Romances, which is in a similar style...
|
2006 |
DVD |
| Home and Away: The Sounds of Summer Bay Home and Away:The Sounds of Summer Bay is the first soundtrack to Australian soap Opera, Home and Away, released in 1996 in Australia, and 1997 in the United Kingdom.-Australian Version:# Home and Away Opening theme tune# Swoop - Apple Eyes...
|
1996 |
Soundtrack |
| Home and Away: Songs from and Inspired by the Television Series Home and Away: The Sounds of Summer Bay is the second soundtrack to Australian soap Opera, Home and Away, released in 2000 in Australia.# The Robertson Brothers – Home and Away Theme# Kate Ceberano – The Romantic# Kylie Minogue – Did it Again...
|
2000 |
Soundtrack |
| Home and Away Hits Home and Away Hits is the fourth soundtrack album to Australian soap opera Home and Away, released in late 2002. # Taxiride - Creepin' Up Slowly# Waikiki - Here Comes September# Disco Montego - Beautiful...
|
2002 |
Soundtrack |
| Home and Away Hits 2 Home and Away Hits 2 is the fourth soundtrack album to Australian soap opera Home and Away, released in 2003. # Butterfly 9 - Hey Girl# Motor Ace - Own Way Home# Emmanuel Carella - Don't Say a Word# Taxiride - Saffron# Salmonella Dub - Dancehall Girl...
|
2003 |
Soundtrack |
Other
| Name | Release Date/Year | Type of Annual/Book |
| Fan Cards |
1988–present |
Cards |
| The Game of Home and Away |
1989 |
Board Game |
| Home and Away the Magazine: Issue 1 |
1993–1994 |
Magazine |
| Home and Away Calendar |
2005 |
Calendar |
External links
- Official Website
- Home and Away at RTÉ
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
(Ireland)
- Home and Away at Channel 5 (UK)
- Home and Away at TV3
TV3 is a New Zealand commercial television network, owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. Launched on 26 November 1989, the first private television network in New Zealand...
(New Zealand)
- Home and Away – Back to the Bay