nenehcherry2

Wasn't keen on Peter's portrayal, personally. There was something about his performance which I've always found creepy, especially in his romantic scenes with Sharyn or Sandie. An over-actor in general. This affected my ability to like the character, to the point that I am cheering whenever I re-watch his cringy departure hugs with Ailsa and Tom (and another cringe moment: that bizarre "handing over of Carly" scene he had with Ben which was like something written in the 14th century)!

Not sure what the case was with Andrew Hill's sudden 91 departure but I do recall an Inside Soap interview with Belinda Jarrett from 1993 where she confirmed that was asked to leave in 91 due to her on-set behaviour and was surprised that she was then asked to return. Clearly hers was more planned in advance given the Revhead / David story. Who knows what the case with Andrew was? Interesting how the timing matches. Like so many characters from that period, Haydn appears in EXACTLY 200 episodes (well, not 200 individual episodes but in an assortment of eps from the 657 - 857 range). So, whether it was Andrew's own choice or not, it would suggest that a full contract period wasn't renewed. Other examples of 200 ep tenures include Morag (Cornelia confirmed in a 1990 interview that she was axed), Viv, Grant and (not far off) Emma. Simon and Fin were 100% instant replacements for Haydn and Karen. Perhaps a bit rushed in the writing too. Liked Simon a lot, especially his friendship with Blake, but I fully agree with Stewart's Point that Haydn had that "something". He's almost a mix of a watered down 88 Steven (bratty, pompous with a cause, an intellectual snob) and 88 Roo (deeply loyal to Michael and scheming to break Pippa and him up) when he first arrives - with perhaps a little 88 Carly thrown in for good measure (self-centred, snobbish, saying unpleasant things just for fun). And then we see those layers quickly explored and realise he's a genuinely nice, sensitive kid deep down. Also loved his dynamic with Michael. I felt that Haydn's presence bought out an interesting, pushy parent side of Michael, especially tested in the Lois Crawford story. He prioritises Haydn's educational potential above all else and, at times, somewhat shares Lois' dismay of the "clannish" nature of Summer Bay. I feel that we never saw that in Michael again, not even with the later male foster kids. Once Haydn's gone, he's just an often moody, over-spending Mr Nice Guy in the community!

The only way that one would be able to decipher that reasoning now would be to contact Bevan Lee and hope that he even remembers (after 35 years) why he wrote a "secret wedding" for Alf and "Alsa". The life choices that fictional characters make are at the sole mercy of Producers and Scriptwriting teams.

I've always rather thought of Ailsa as the Marge Simpson of Summer Bay...

You're not wrong about other characters with long tenures changing singificantly over time. And I am not suggesting that Ailsa was any less consistent than Irene. I just wanted to use this page to focus on THE Ails alone ? So how do you see Ailsa's evolution over time, J?

Several other fans and I have commented on how Ailsa's personality changed over time. What do you all think? Is Ailsa consistently written and /or portrayed from your perspective? And what "eras of Ailsa" (if any) exist in your viewership of the series? Eras of Ailsa for me (not exactly night into day seachanges, more umbrella categories): 88 - mid 89: 80s Ailsa is politically conscious in a left-of-centre of way with strong opposition to commercial enterprises which impact the environment (such as the Macklin development). She is generally a warm, extroverted, community-focused woman with clearly defined morals and a real passion in helping underdogs like Bobby. Ailsa relates to teens very well, almost an Aunt figure, and seems to look for their company. But she isn't used as a "Mum" at this point, that is very much reserved for Pippa. She doesn't suffer fools like Roo very gladly. Judy portrays Ailsa with a lot of self-confidence and delivers her lines in a General Australian accent. And she is down to earth, examplified by her chewing gum and throwing bags at Lance and Martin. A difficult to offend type. Streetwise and suspicious but sees the good in everyone. And, most important, has central storylines of her own. Bevan Lee and co clearly liked Ailsa! I am convinced that had they stayed (who knows? Perhaps they'd intended to bring back Graham as Duncan's real father!). Late 89ish - late 94/early 95: What I define as "Middle Ailsa". Nice and mumsy. Neither introverted or extroverted. Something changed when Bevan Lee left and the next lot took over (though her leaving the store and switching to the diner started the shift). The new leadership team progressively saw Ailsa as a foster Mum of sorts (the scenarios for bringing the kids in became progressively more forced over time) but, with the "mothering focus" on Pippa, Ailsa just seems to have 1-2 (not truly fostered) kid with her at any one time, so most of her contribution to episodes at this point seems really to be serving coffees in the diner. She is characterised as nice and ordinary (with the occassional snooty side) but isn't as "out there" with her views as the first year or so although still has that mistrust with the likes of Dodge, Nathan and Morag. Gets on fairly well with the teens but definitely more "controlled" interactions than cooler 80s Ailsa. Community focused but that really gets lost in focus once Pippa is recasted (they make Debra's Pip the character everyone goes to with problems with Ailsa as backup). No big storylines between 89-95, more a mere supporting type. As this era progresses, Judy changes the physical mannerisms in her delivery to reflect this lesser focused Ailsa and her accent becomes slightly more cultivated. Lots of "Oh Alf, really Love!" sort of lines and moaning about being busy (especially when Alf goes away every year so Ray can do panto!) Late 94/Early 95 - 00: Ailsa in this period is very inconsistent and all over the place in characterisation! She can be downright cold and nasty at times and very aloof, with the kids especially (I see the start of the shift here being not wanting to take Curtis in at first and full-on by the time Laura arrives). Introverted to the point of avoiding interacting with many characters and often socially awkward. Quite the opposite of mumsy. The accent becomes even more cultivated and she becomes more conservatively dressed and centre right in ideology, often approaching Celia level Right! But in the next episode, she can be just like "Middle Ailsa" again, serving coffees with a smile. However, starting with the breakdown, she does start to get central storylines again. However, these stories make her seem like a victim or deranged. It felt like Russell Webb and his team were aiming to bring back darker, tougher 80s Ailsa to a degree but got it all wrong. To the point that she very often comes across as a judgemental, prickly old witch. She does have kids living with her like in the previous era but her chemistry with them (Curtis especially) is nothing near as warm as what she had with say Blake or Sarah. So what are the consistencies between these periods? For me, there are few. Perhaps the main one is Ailsa's sixth sense with "baddies" (though by the time Quinn comes along, she takes that way too far) as well as being anti-violence given her history. What does everyone else here think? Is Ailsa one woman for you? Or several women?

Awesome, thank you!

Can't remember but you've just opened up a burning question of my own.... in which episode did an average white guy tell Angel that he would make her his house servant?

If Leah is the Helen Daniels of H&A then Peggy Patch was the Helen Daniels of Playdays and Panda Soo was the Helen of Sooty & Co!!! Sorry but I fail to see any analogy between Leah and Helen (nor between Ailsa and Helen, whom you have previously compared). I will admit it... I personally disliked Helen's characterisation immensely; an old school, colonial Tory type disguising herself as a do-gooder lovey-dovey. My Trinidadian grandmother used to remark that Helen reminded her of "them old English ladies in their big (i.e. plantation) houses". Snobbish, uptight, contradictory and judgmental. As my Mother used to say of her whenever she came on the screen "Och! It's that boring old moo! She thinks she's it, that one!". A purely subjective perception, I know, but I have never at all understood the sheer love for Helen that many fans seem to have. Just saying. Interviews given by some more... candid former co-stars suggest that Anne Haddy was far from a delight to work with ("sometimes I come to work and don't recognise a soul"; "Anne was the mascot and expected excellence in everyone"; "there was a real atmosphere on set once Alan filmed his final scenes and the Willises were the next-longest serving cast members").

Fair comment. Thanks for entertaining my curiosity, William. Kudos to you! You do realise that the 1995 character taking the **** out of Shannon wasn't "Jesse" but the same actor playing a different role , right? Or maybe your third point just a bit of wit from your part ?

Is the meaning of........ supposed to be somehow implied, Mr MacDonald? ? Disgusting is a very subjective perception. What disgusted you exactly? Ben Unwin was a very sexually attractive man to many people, me included. That's also a subjective view, granted. But I'm genuinely curious over the cause of your personal disgust (a strong word) to others acting on their perfectly natural instincts in "drooling" as a response to a sexually attractive man's poster?

Bobby's characterisation in early / mid 1990 is a bit all over the place, going from one extreme to another. I agree RE that silly, filler Carly skirt story, she's very 88 Bobby like in behaviour (and her hair had just been cut a bit 88 like, strange). Just a week or two before when Grant started teaching at the school, she had acted far more grown up (in fact, identical to how she was when Luke started working for Don, a blatant copycat story). As in, she still stirs but in a more clever way. By the time of her pregnancy, she's pretty much what I'd call "middle Bobby" - generally settled but still more than ready to flare up reactively and enjoys a little stir with say Adam or Carly. That then lasts I'd say until around just after she marries Greg and Maz leaves. In her final 12 months, she seems bored and vacant a lot of the time, as if Nicolle battling with the producers about staying is spilling over.

No, never perceived a sudden change in 92 but can see a slight (but gradual) difference over her tenure. Nicolle was 18 when she started and 24 when she finished. Women's voices do "mature" a little during their late teens - mid 20s, so I'm guessing that was probably it (e.g. Isla's also changed a lot between 94 and 97). Her line delivery did change a lot though (probably to reflect Bobby's maturing character development). In 1988 - mid 89, when Bobby's a much angrier character, she has a tone of aggression when needed (especially in emotionally charged scenes, like finding out Don was her Dad, threatening Roo, etc). This phased out but would still appear at full force in context (like when she says to Fiona "you'd better get out of here before I do something I'll regret"); one of the many ways Bobby stayed very consistent (whilst changing a LOT). What I have noticed is how different Nicolle sounds in more recent interviews compared to Bobby. Her voice is far huskier and her accent even sounds very different (pronouncing her Rs at the end of words, very unusual in Australian English). Apparently she smokes, so this could be the reason why.

This was from Nicolle's guest appearance in GP back in 1995. She actually appeared in two eps as a tough teenager (Nicolle was 26 by this point!). Aussies on the forum will know more about it but GP looks a bit like the Doctors of today shown here in the UK. Nicolle looks much better with long, naturally coloured hair (hated that awful blonde do she had in her final year as Bob)! She must have worn a wig for the ghost episode (where her hair looks a lot like Bobby's early 1990 style), as in all pics I've seen of her from 1994 - 96 she has very long hair!

She did panto that Xmas in my county - I met her, one of the best moments of my life (some things you never forget ;)).... We've now just reached the first eps that were recorded after the 92 - 3 xmas break (I think), so she'll probably be back next block. In fact, I'm sure there's a storyline coming up very soon when she misses her birthday party because of her attitude to Tug.

Is it just me, or has Bobby's hair just been getting blonder and blonder over the last few months?

Yeah, I remember hearing that too! I'm pretty sure the Birdie Song of all things was played in a late 89 episode!

Whilst watching some early years today, thought I'd start a new topic (since it's been about five years since I last did that on here!). Just for fun, let's note tracks that we know playing in the diner background. Obviously, I generally only know the international hits (i.e. of UK and US origin). Such tracks were quite popular in the diner around mid-1990 but some still get airplay in the current 91 shows. Generally, these are all loops of instrumental parts of tracks (copyright I assume) but I've noticed the following - Kylie - Better the Devil you Know Black Box - I don't know anybody else (just a loop of the piano) Guru Josh - Infinity Neneh Cherry - Heart Madonna - Vogue Pacific State - 808 State MC Hammer - Can't Touch This Some early Todd Terry house tune (cant remember the name) Any of you noticed any others? Particuarly interested in the Aussie songs that I would not know the names of....

The legacy of Narelle lived on for quite some time though. She's mentioned in 1991 when Bobby runs away with Sam as a possible place she could be and also Bobby thought about having her as a bridesmaid for her wedding to Greg.

Actually, it was 127. She made a very brief, rather pointless, comeback for Christopher's birth in 156-159 (I think).

Yes, I had noticed that too. Also, in Jan 1989 Ailsa is "42" yet doesn't celebrate her 50th until 2000.

I thought Floss and Neville's reactions to Scotty turning up in Episode 51 were a little theatrical and flawed, even in the language constraints of Home and Away. You wouldn't say "Oh Lord" and roll your eyes when you anticipate a serious family barney brewing. And Pippa pretending to be crying when chopping onions for a joke was hillarious. Now, can you honestly imagine Debra pulling that one off?

Lynne's first ever scene was with Bobby and Greg in the diner! It is on Summer Bay Journal and is from Episode 1147 I believe.

Happy birthday Nicolle Dickson, 38 on New Years Day just gone!