Roo and Celia? Original characters?

[Homeandawayfan.]

I know Alf is the only character around today who appeared in the very first episode, the pilot episode. Episode 1 was the episode after the pilot, so was technically the second ever episode, as the pilot is often seen as Episode 0, as it was a pilot hour and a half long telemovie.

Roo first appeared in Episode 3 and Celia in Episode 7, 20th and 26th Jan 1988 respectively.

However as the pilot was filmed several months before the show began filming of the regular series, it must be that Roo and Celia were invented after filming of the pilot began, so would you consider them original characters, or just very early days characters?

 

[homeandawayroxsomuch.]

Even though they weren't added to the opening credits until episode 94 (neither were Fisher, Lance and Martin though), I'd call them original characters.

I'd have to rewatch the pilot to see if there was any mention of Roo in the pilot episode (because Alf would probably have mentioned his family to Tom at some point while showing them around).

[CaptainHulk]

They were credited in the closing credits before their appearances in episodes 3 and 7, respectively.

 

2 hours ago, homeandawayroxsomuch. said:

Even though they weren't added to the opening credits until episode 94 (neither were Fisher, Lance and Martin though), I'd call them original characters.

I'd have to rewatch the pilot to see if there was any mention of Roo in the pilot episode (because Alf would probably have mentioned his family to Tom at some point while showing them around).

Alf talks about his "Ruthie" and her lack of attachment to the house during the scene where he's trying to sell to the Fletchers in the pilot.

[j.laur5]

Celia was not supposed be character on show  as she was  created as Doris Peters replacement as Gwen Plumb decided to do Richmond Hill. 

I know Celia was in background lot in her last year but she played important part in Roo baby storyline in being one between that got her away form  Morag and Getting Roo to face up to consequences and make up with her father. 

[Sally Keating]

Yeah I feel like Celia was a much more important character than people give her credit for. It's easy for people to just look at her character on a surface level and assume she's there to be the gossip and the comic relief character but she has a lot of depth and contributes an important role in the Stewart family stories in 1988. In 1989 she stands on her own two feet a bit more which is an interesting development for her. But by 1990 she's kinda sidelined, to the point we don't even see her set anymore.

[j.laur5]

14 minutes ago, Sally Keating said:

Yeah I feel like Celia was a much more important character than people give her credit for. It's easy for people to just look at her character on a surface level and assume she's there to be the gossip and the comic relief character but she has a lot of depth and contributes an important role in the Stewart family stories in 1988. In 1989 she stands on her own two feet a bit more which is an interesting development for her. But by 1990 she's kinda sidelined, to the point we don't even see her set anymore.

I think Fiona Space having decided to leave by then played part in it. 

I think Celia had potential left but since Fiona Space decision was to move back to Melbourne it was not to be . 

Fiona said interview once she thought  H&A was only going to last couple years and once it was going past that she decided to leave.

Celia left quite early in 1990 season didn’t she ?. 

[adam436]

On 22/04/2021 at 23:45, Homeandawayfan. said:

so would you consider them original characters, or just very early days characters

I consider them "originals". There is a famous cast photo from 1988 that is used all the time at anniversaries etc. Celia and Roo are the only ones that did not appear in the pilot and Lance, Martin and Don were not added to the credits for several months, but they are all "originals" to me. 

  

11 hours ago, Sally Keating said:

In 1989 she stands on her own two feet a bit more which is an interesting development for her. But by 1990 she's kinda sidelined, to the point we don't even see her set anymore.

Celia had a fairly lengthy absence in 1989 when she went to Europe. It was upon her return that Celia felt sidelined in my opinion. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

So today the show has 2 original characters, just one appeared in the pilot.

It is like Leonard Swindley in Corrie and Lofty Holloway in EE are originals even if Swindley did not appear until Episode 3 and Lofty episode 3.

[CaptainHulk]

Lofty was on the sheet of the original 23 for EE.

[dan]

On 06/05/2021 at 17:22, Homeandawayfan. said:

So today the show has 2 original characters, just one appeared in the pilot.

It is like Leonard Swindley in Corrie and Lofty Holloway in EE are originals even if Swindley did not appear until Episode 3 and Lofty episode 3.

I never thought about Leonard Swindley being in Corrie from that early on, but apparently he was. To me a better example is that of Emily Nugent/Bishop, whose character first appeared in episode 4, played by a non-speaking extra, but who was then played from episode 15, in January 1961, until the end of 2015 by Eileen Derbyshire. So much fuss has been made over the years about William Roache being with the soap for so long, but comparatively little was ever said about how Eileen had been with the soap for only about 5 weeks less than him, and the character of Emily for only about a fortnight less, so surely close enough to really be an 'original' character.