Homeandawayfan.

I updated my profile pic with a closer up of Don Fisher in his finest moment, dressed as a punk in 1989.

Although imagine a man who is laid back being on the receiving end of a nagging girlfriend/wife. Frank Morgan and Scott Robinson grew up in a different era where feminism was still virtually non existent. As did I as well. I once dated a feminist and I once told her she need to go to Middle Eastern countries to see what chauvinism really means.

I used to lurk on BTTB in 2004 and occasionally afterwards, then joined BTTB in 2012, 8 years later.

"Lartin" was a great bromance anyway, Lance and Martin.

Tom Fletcher could be impulsive at the best of times. I agree about Martin, he did often like to make a fool of Lance, I guess with Martin being the more dominant of the duo.

EastEnders has changed a lot, it used to be quite accurate in the 1980s and early 1990s when it came to modern urban London. Now it seems to be as far from London as it can be. And increased location filming around the Elstree studios kind of gives the game away as it looks too green and suburban instead of densely built like the real East End. And the rooftop scenes on the Vic show lots of countryside instead of the many high rise blocks and skyscrapers peppering the London skyline. Emmerdale was never all about farming before the airliner crashed on the village that dark December night in late 1993. The change was happening years before that. And Neighbours has changed a lot too but not like H&A. H&A could have kept its original format to a good degree while evolving but decided to totally abandon it.

In regards to soaps straying from the original format, well can we think of a soap that hasn't done this over time? I think all long running soaps have changed to a degree. Someone once said on another forum years ago how they think H&A has survived because it did change, whereas he says Neighbours never seemed to move on and evolve, such as the teens always acted like pre teens etc.

This was also the shows early years where it stuck to its original premise. In Australia now it is the 17th January but here in the UK it is still the 16th Jan for another 2 hours and 20 minutes. 17 Jan 2024 is H&A's 36th birthday. But it is hard to say that the current H&A is actually 36. More like 19 if you go by the 2005 change, or 13 going by the 2011 change, like it is basically a new show using an old shows name.

Don had been working 25 years by the time he was made principal in May 1988 when Walter Bertram finally retired. In April 1988 Bertram tore Don off a strip by saying how he is so keen to get his claws into the school and take it over. Walter should have been made a regular character. He was about Neville's age and he was the only regular character over 60 in the show.

I always feel Neighbours is closer to its original premise than H&A is but not sure if many will agree or if some will disagree.

Very true, Michael and Pippa ruled the roost by 1991. I say the late 1990s was when the show started to take a proper turn away from its original premise when Pippa left in 1998 (of course Michael was long gone by then, died 1996) and the Sutherland's were introduced in 2000 and had the drop in centre.

H&A did often hire big name Australian stars in the very late 1980s and early 1990s such as Craig McLachlan, Dannii Minogue, Guy Pearce, Julian McMahon and Terence Donovan. I found Terry's brief role in H&A was quite brilliant. H&A always was a soap for younger people such as the foster kids but Des Monaghan did seem to not always understand what H&A was about. 1990 was probably the first transitional year for H&A even though it stuck to its original premise. Then again H&A has always been a show that has reinvented itself, like Madonna.

Loved the Lance and Martin duo, and the banter between them, like Damo and Shane and more recently Jett and VJ. Lance and martin were always taking the mickey out of one another and enjoyed it. It also shows though that there is a fine line between banter and bullying, as if one of them did not like it but the other did then it is not banter if one sided. Lance liked it, as did Martin but if say lance did not like it and Martin liked tacking the mick, then it would be one sided and not banter but more like bullying.

Yes that bunyip hunter Scottish man in 1989 was Des Clarke's father. ?

I hope one day that H&A does return somewhat to its roots more with more focus on wayward foster teens but sadly I think that ship has well and truly sailed, the show is too far focused on crime/tragedy after tragedy and music to go back. In regards to the guest characters taking centre stage in the first year, all of them were gone by March 1989. Narelle, Alison, Gary, Jeff, Sam and Brett. Only Stacey remained further into 1989.

Oh yes, H&A is 100% deviated from its roots. The fostering element which the entire original show was based on has been totally abandoned for crime/medical or music.

It does feel a shame when you watch 1988 H&A and think how it bears virtually no resemblance to today's show. The fostering element which was the shows basis has now been abandoned and it went from a show about fostering and fixing wayward teens and children to a crime/disaster/medical/music show just using the Home And Away name. Emmerdale is another show that was founded on farming and a farming family, and that has also been totally eradicated now. They seemed to have changed their formats because they felt like it.

On occasions at night when waiting to fall asleep I have thought about the Sally and Milco storyline and how it turned out it was a twin brother and it has sent chills down my body, but I have to remember it is just a fictional TV programme. But my cousin once had an imaginary friend Peter, and she said she got images of him at night when laying in bed. Again i think it is the brain making you see things not there. At least Milco was based on a real person. My cousin never had a secret long lost twin brother ?.

The pilot in mid January 1988 began with Tom Fletcher's 40th birthday. He said it is pretty much the end of his youth. I agree with Tom, and and now over 40 myself. At 40 you are old enough to be a grandparent, albeit a young grandparent. Yes, back then H&A had over half of its characters under 25, in the 15-20 age range. Only Neville was the "old codger" (hides) of the Bay.

Current H&A just feels like a new show using an old show, Home And Away's, name. Technically it is the same TV programme but not the same show. Although I'd rather have H&A more of a Top of The Pops with Lyrik than CIS Summer Bay with River Boys.

I admit I am a bit picky with character ages and backstories. Although in EastEnders Nick Cotton was said to be 33 in 1985 and 36 in 2000. And in Midsomer Murders, Tom Barnaby, who looked mid 60s in 2010 said in two 2010 episodes that 17 years earlier he was a "keen junior officer in 1993 and no one took much notice as he was a junior officer", hinting he was a young man and a young copper in 1993, yet he looked like he would be at least late 40s or 50 in 1993. Ena Sharples in Corrie was about 70 in 1960 but aged down and said she was 67 in 1966. So I guess the same happened with Don in H&A, perhaps to make him a bit closer to Marilyn's age. In Neighbours Helen Daniels and her late husband were said to be born 1929, but had their eldest in 1943. Anne, mother of Paul, Scott, Julie, Lucy. In regards to Milco, did Sally know all along he was based on a real person, or someone she thought was real but was not 100% sure, as she had not seen Miles since she was 3. By 1988 she was about 8 or 9.

Alf was 45 in 1988 and 47 in 1995. Also in May 1988 Alf said Don and Barbara were Frank's age 19 years ago, thus meaning that in 1968/1969 Don and Barbara were about 19, so born 1948/1949. Another huge continuity error, this means Don was only about 39 in 1988 if you go by that May 1988 ref, yet he said he was teaching for 25 years by then. H&A has always been shockingly bad with continuity and backhistory, just the general characterisation and storylines was more well written in the 1980s and 1990s and early to mid Noughties.

Maybe the past refs were forgotten about and it was unintentional. H&A has always been shaky when it comes to characters ages I guess.

Donald Fisher was supposed to be about 50 in 1988, as he said he had been teaching for 25 years in March 1988. And several other refs point to him being around the same age as the actor born 1937, and in 1991 Don said he was retiring in a few years anyway, but in a Feb 1995 episode he had his 50th birthday, so was aged down, and it went against previous established facts. This made him 42 in January 1988, nearly 43 yet looked 50. In 1995 he looked closer to 60 than 50. He looked almost old enough to be Marilyn's grandfather.

1988 was a very rollercoaster year, and was like 1986 Neighbours, very uneven in places. But both years of the 2 shows had something buzzing about them. 1988 H&A seemed to be more brighter and fun than 1988 Neighbours.