Haydn Ross - Andrew (Charlton) Hill

[cymbaline]

I couldn't find a thread for Haydn so I thought I'd start one for anybody who might remember him. He was one of the shorter lived teenagers in the main cast (October 1990-May 1991) and was one quarter of the Blake, Karen and Sophie group. He returned as a guest in 1994 and 1996. Even though he wasn't somebody you'd tag as a Bad Boy, he wasn't a good guy either. During his first run in 1990-1991 he evolved from being a spoiled brat to a nice enough teenage lad. His relationship with his father Michael was more complex and they managed to go from being estranged to being good mates to being estranged again. His return in 1994 was darker and had a lasting effect on his father's life. He had a gambling problem and lied to Michael about his plans to set up a surf shop. He stole the money Michael borrowed to get his imaginary business started. He eventually skipped town, struggling with his gambling. He resurfaced in 1996 for Michael's funeral. He seemingly had sorted his life out by now and had a fling with Marilyn (a nice lookback to 1991 when the pair of them seemed to fancy each other). 

 

 

[atrus]

I quite liked Haydn, but he wasn't around long enough to really make the biggest impression - which is a shame because as Michael's son he had the potential for a lot of longevity. He definitely had a massive chip on his shoulder when he first arrived as the preppy rich kid, but the inevitable transformation into generally nice guy was perhaps a bit too fast and could have been better paced. His friendship with Blake was nice enough, and they appeared to be setting up Haydn and Sophie as a bit of a supercouple but then it totally fizzled out when Pippa and Michael married and they ended up living together. Which felt awfully unfair on Karen, because she had liked Haydn and he'd treated her poorly and eventually chosen Sophie over her, only for the second relationship to go nowhere - which left Karen feeling like dirt and arguably led to the chain of events that culminated in her downfall.

I don't know what the behind-the-scenes story was, if there was one, but I wondered whether Haydn and Karen were both supposed to be in the show for much longer than they were. Their replacement in that group by Simon and Finlay felt pretty seamless, and Haydn and Simon in particular felt quite similar in some ways.

[Stewarts Point]

Within the scope of the show as it was, I think the 10 or so months that Haydn appeared in 90-91, was handled well and realistically. It showed a handsome, intelligent and cultured young man who had lost his bearings, presumed class position, parents, and was trying to hold it all together behind a shield of polished coldness. He could have been an Oscar Wilde character.

But ultimately his complexity was wasted on his immature running mates in Blake, Karen and Sophie (who despite her obvious attraction seemed out of her comfort zone with Haydn). They seemed to bore him rather. 

Aside from the gambling issues which would effect his father in 1994, Fin was another who seemed to bore him. It was a pity Marilyn wasn't around at that time.

Where he worked as a character, and rather like Steven with his intelligence and relative sophistication impressing an older woman, was his relationship with Marilyn. It was this which brought him alive. 

Did Marilyn make the better decision in choosing Donald over Haydn in 1996? That's a good question.

[nenehcherry2]

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! 

Edited February 20, 2023 by nenehcherry2

[cymbaline]

I'm pretty sure I read that Andrew Hill asked to leave because the filming schedule on Home and Away was interfering with his studies. It doesn't look like he left on bad terms, seeing as they brought him back twice over the next few years. His 1994 return was well done, though the romance with Fin felt a bit unnecessary. I guess that got tacked on because Andrew Hill and Tina Thomsen were a couple at the time. @nenehcherry2's point about the Michael/Haydn dynamic still stood in 1994 I thought. Michael still felt guilty about the sort of father he'd been over the years and desperately wanted to make things right between them. Interestingly they touched on the difference between parental love and foster parental love during this.