adam436

I agree - 2000 is definitely the end of "early years" Home and Away: Two long-serving characters departed the show: Ailsa, an original character, and Sam, who had been around for 9 of the 12 years. A number of "classic" characters also departed in late 1999 and 2000 such as Mariyln, Rebecca, Travis and Chloe. The loss of two long-standing sets: the original Diner and the Stewart house. The arrival of the Sutherlands. While 2000 was sort of their "ease them in" period, 2001-2004 was basically "the Sutherland show", so at times, it felt like an entirely different show, especially when coupled with the other points I made. A number of other characters departed in 2000/early 2001 (the Nashes, Peta, Edward, Judith, Ken, Harry, Mitch) but I don't count their exits as "the end of the era" like I do with those mentioned above as they aren't iconic to most fans, nor were they long-serving. It will be interesting to see when/if the 7two repeats ever lose the "Early Years" tag, but for me, it would come in the final episode of 2000.

My mother felt that exact same way about Beth Hunter

I never liked Pippa #2. I just found her rather dull and insipid, whereas Vanessa made Pippa more lively and fun. I don't know what the age difference between Debra and Vanessa is (if any!), but Debra made it seem like Pippa had aged about 20 years with her new personality. It's nothing against Debra, as I really liked her in Blue Heelers, but it felt like a whole new character. Michael was just as dull, and I really can't imagine him and Pippa#1 as a convincing couple. I think it would have been good, instead of recasting Pippa, for her to ask Alf and Ailsa to take over the caravan park in the same way that Pippa#2 asked Travis and Rebecca to do it. At that point, Sally could have stayed on with Carly and Ben or Bobby, if they felt that Pippa wouldn't have left Sally with them.

Do you think that is why Norman Corbun has never returned since? Because of what they did to Don in 2007? He could always visit Alf and Roo, and bump into his ex-wife Marilyn. The position of Summer High Principal is now a joke. It is hard to believe that Donald Fisher held the same position as Bianca and Sophie.

He started off as the villian and was very one-dimensional. I think once he became a regular around episode 100, when he was added to the credits, he became more three dimensional. Alan's death and finding out Bobby was his daughter really started this process. There are times when you feel sorry for Fisher: the deaths of his children, the breakdown of his marriage, losing his home in the bushfires, Judith choosing Joel over him (does anyone remember that bizarre dream sequence?) and Pippa rejecting him when he developed feelings for her after Tom died and then getting involved with Michael a few months later. I haven't seen his 2007 return, but I've heard that is very tragic too. By the mid-late 90s, he did, as you say, became the mug in a few situations. While Marilyn and Fisher were good as individual characters, their relationship really weakened both characters and I don't think he really recovered from that. Although Fisher is one of my all-time favourite characters, I really am struggling to remember anything he did after late 2000, other than writing "A Letter to Byron" with Hayley and his relationship with Rowena Wallace's character. I can't even really recall him having that many scenes with Seb.