Have you seen any improvement over the last few weeks?

[Blaxland 89]

Agree. There's one thing keeping it modern, but it still needs to feel like its all been one show from start to present to keep old and new fans.

I here so many people say, "I used to watch Home and Away". And it seems that after a few years people just get bored of it as the show doesn't seem to develop on what it is, but completely change.

Corrie and Enders as they have been brought up in previous post, still have the same heart as when they started and rather and still gains younger viewers while keeping the old ones.

Also the street and the square are the same where as Summer Bay seems to have change so much it not recognisable. In the way that its written and that the sets have kept changing.

Better incidental music, Return of credits, more humour, and re-storing summerbay house! Would go part way to giving the show the warmth that it needs.

[ter06]

The credits are a big thing, its like it has lost part of its identity without them.

Touching on what you've mentioned, H&A is the only soap that isnt set around a square/village/street and I think it damages it as there is no consistency, no familiarity. I mean how many times have the stock shots of Leah and Irene's houses changed - they cant even keep that consistent!!

There was a time in the UK when more than 12 million people would watch H&A (a figure Corrie and Eastenders can only dream of now), with the combined showings now, H&A gets about 1.3-1.5 million. That's a phenonemal drop. In Australia, viewing figures went from 1.3 million 5 years ago (going to 1.4 or 1.5m for big episodes), to 900,000 on a good night now. And yes, I know digital TV and catch up services have a part to play in that but Packed to the Rafters still gets really good figures as do a lot of other Aussie shows.

I've been a loyal viewer for almost 25 years but this year has seen me really tire of the show. So many unlikeable characters and the characters I do like get very little sceentime. I tuned out but watched again for Colleen's departure and that was also a let down. I'll watch again when there is a story for one of my faves or something else catches my eye and I will always check on here because it wasnt just a TV show I watched, it was a big part of my life. But I feel very disappointed with what the show has become and judging by ratings and from reading other people's opinions on forums, I am part of a growing number of people who feel the same.

[Ryan]

Yeah, I often said that they've used so many locations over the years, that what was supposed to be a small coastal town appears to have changed into a bulging metropolis.

[baystar]

Yeah, I often said that they've used so many locations over the years, that what was supposed to be a small coastal town appears to have changed into a bulging metropolis.

What I quite like about Summer Bay is you barely have any concept of where houses are in relation to one another. I think all UK soaps have a 'street set' of some description. Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Brookside before it was axed - all of them have a very clear indication of where each house is in relation to the other. I like having to use my imagination a little bit to fill in the gaps in Home & Away. It can be as big or as small as you want really.

[alreetlike]

Yeah, I often said that they've used so many locations over the years, that what was supposed to be a small coastal town appears to have changed into a bulging metropolis.

What I quite like about Summer Bay is you barely have any concept of where houses are in relation to one another. I think all UK soaps have a 'street set' of some description. Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Brookside before it was axed - all of them have a very clear indication of where each house is in relation to the other. I like having to use my imagination a little bit to fill in the gaps in Home & Away. It can be as big or as small as you want really.

It annoys me sometimes when there's little continuity. Like sometimes people will turn up at the farm and just be passing by for a 5 minute visit as if it's just round the corner, yet other times it's talked about as if it's miiiiles away (which makes more sense) and a real effort to get there.

[James Martin]

I think the show began to lose its' way when Dan Bennett took over in 2005. It started off promising - a guy who knew the show inside out launching with the brilliant stalker storyline. The problem is, though, it got milked to death. Then every week it was "next week, someone will die" promos, every week someone was in hospital, then it was constant cop drama... then Zoe/Eve was alive, working with Tracey Thompson, not to mention the ridiculous barn explosion and helicopter crash - which for me was the real turning point as that was when we started to lose the credits, and with it the show's identity - and it's definitely had an identity crisis ever since.

Dan seemed to think that "More = Better" and whilst I'm sure he was doing what he thought was right for the show, I just don't think it worked. The 2005 season finale had about 6-7 different threads going on. Coral Droyn, his mentor, summed it up nicely I think when she was interviewed for BTTB a few years back: "I still have great faith and belief in Dan, but I was disappointed by the amount of "crime" stories and the use of guns. It's a sleepy little seaside town for God's sake and the storytelling should be at a human character driven level." I totally agree with that.

When Bevan Lee came back for the 20th it started to show some real promise. Sally leaving didn't help, but after that the show really took a downward spiral again after that, from which it just hasn't recovered. I drop into it now and it's basically The River Boys show. I remember people used to get pissed off because Kirsty & Kane took up too much screen-time, or there was too much of the Sutherlands, but it seems nothing compared to the stuff with The River Boys.

I think the Home & Away of today needs someone with an agenda that sits somewhere inbetween that of Coral Droyn or Bevan Lee's character-driven approach, and Dan Bennett or Cameron Welsh's more event-driven approach.

Oh well, we've got 5 weeks of classic episodes to watch in the UK starting today! The mid-00's onwards will lay bare I think just how much has changed for change's sake.

[Diner Burger Phone]

First post on here, so hopefully I'm doing it right (not that it can be that difficult!). I have to say I agree totally with James Martin's assessment of Home and Away. Without reiterating James' point too much, the show has struggled with it's identity every since 2005. Yes whilst the storylines may have been exciting at the time, the general theme and direction of the show was unsustainable.

I think the producers realised this and tried to tone it down but had to appease both sets of fans (i.e. those who wanted the dramatic sensationalist storylines and those who want character driven storylines) the identity of the show has suffered as they have been stuck between a rock and a hard place so to speak.

I think the only way the show can regain some identity is to bring back some characters from the golden era of Home & Away. The success of the show was built on characters that people liked and could relate to. Far more attention has to be given to characterisation, not only has the show lost it's identity, but so have the characters to a certain extent. They need far more depth and the writing has to reflect this, the actual dialogue of the characters is so bland now, with only Alf and perhaps Dex really having any unique dialogue.

Another thing that really annoys me is the constant music in every scene now and the type of music. Sometimes less is more (and whilst I prefer the show having music unlike British soaps, the music has to be right), and a scene can be far more powerful with no music. And they need to bring back the old themed music, I can still hear the music that symbolised a sad scene, or danger scene etc. The same music used in my opinion is far more powerful as we recognised it and we knew what the scene was going to entail and again it all added to the identity of the show.

And finally, yes, bring back the credits at the beginning showing the characters of the show.

Yes I know a show has to stay fresh and evolve, but it also has to stay true to its roots, which has definitely been lost over recent years. The success of the show was built of good character driven drama and that has to be recaptured.

[alexx]

I agree with both of you^ And I've said that the change and downward spiral started in 2005 since... 2005 too. It's clear to me, that year completely changed the tone of the show and the producers from then on haven't ever been able to re-capture the tone and flow of Home and Away as it was up until 2004. Bevan Lee's stint in 2008 brought H&A back for those first few months, but when he left and the 2007 producer continued, he sort of continued from where he left off in 2007 rather than taking on what Bevan Lee had reinstated.

They have tried in interviews to tell us that they are going to make the show character driven, warm and light hearted along with the drama, but have so far failed each time to re-create that Summer Bay magic and 'feel'. I particularly agree with you that all of the current characters are very similar to each other, very little character in the way of dialogue or traits. Marilyn is a prime example, unfortunately - they have completely neglected to write specifically for her, instead they just give her any old lines that any other member of the cast could say. They just think because Emily Symons does the voice and the walk, they don't need to try any more.

The more I think about how rubbish the current writers and producers are, the more I get irritated, so I'd prefer just to not bother any more, which is why I've stopped watching. They finally succeeded in alienating me and turning the show into something I never would have predicted back even 10 years ago.

[baystar]

As somebody who has only watched Home & Away for about two years now (apart from a briefly in 2000ish) I'm surprised everybody finds the show so poor.

I think the show is streets ahead of the UK soaps.

The sets are airy and really feel like they're next to the beach; I love the way it's shot on long lenses in HD, it feels sunny and crisp; the classy opening shot with the logo in the water is great too. It's so much more aspirational and beautiful than British soaps. Compared to when I watched it in 2000 it's also a lot less trashy.

In terms of character based humour, I think there are quite a lot of well rounded characters and brilliant actors. Marilyn, Leah, Dex, Brax, Bianca, Roo... I feel there's a real threshold of quality. There's a handful of shaky actors (Lottie, Jett, Indie) but if you look at Coronation Street and EastEnders you could name 20 bad ones in each.

I don't think bringing back the opening titles with characters in is the way forward. It's incredibly cheesy, almost parody-worthy - and doesn't add anything to the show. I wouldn't mind a slightly longer opening sting at the beginning and the horrific new 'travel channel' music they've introduced has to go.

[alexx]

As somebody who has only watched Home & Away for about two years now (apart from a briefly in 2000ish) I'm surprised everybody finds the show so poor.

I think the show is streets ahead of the UK soaps.

The sets are airy and really feel like they're next to the beach; I love the way it's shot on long lenses in HD, it feels sunny and crisp; the classy opening shot with the logo in the water is great too. It's so much more aspirational and beautiful than British soaps. Compared to when I watched it in 2000 it's also a lot less trashy.

In terms of character based humour, I think there are quite a lot of well rounded characters and brilliant actors. Marilyn, Leah, Dex, Brax, Bianca, Roo... I feel there's a real threshold of quality. There's a handful of shaky actors (Lottie, Jett, Indie) but if you look at Coronation Street and EastEnders you could name 20 bad ones in each.

I don't think bringing back the opening titles with characters in is the way forward. It's incredibly cheesy, almost parody-worthy - and doesn't add anything to the show. I wouldn't mind a slightly longer opening sting at the beginning and the horrific new 'travel channel' music they've introduced has to go.

Since you know Marilyn as she is now, I'd be interested to know what it is about her that you would say is 'well rounded'? Have you ever seen what she used to be like back in her first two stints? I'm always interested in view points of people who are relatively new to the show because they don't have it's past to compare it to so to speak.

I completely agree with you in regards to the way it looks. I don't think anyone has a problem with the production values, they are absolutely spot on. It's more an overall 'feel' and 'tone' that longer time viewers dislike, as well as how inconsistent all of the characters are I.e something bad happens to them and then a couple of weeks later, sometimes episodes later, its as if it didn't ever happen and it is all forgotten about. H&A used to be pretty spot on at being really consistent and showing decent follow through. Irene and Bianca prime examples of the bad writing (cancer, rape).

In regards to 'trashy'. See I think all the over hyped sex, romance and lust the show focuses on these days as trashy TV because it takes minimal effort to write that sort of thing, is more often than not story focused and yet it takes up 80% of screen time. What would you consider 'trashy' about the show in 2000?