Editing Home and Away (section)

==Cast and characters==
{{Main|List of Home and Away characters}}
<!-- Please do not add character tables here - use the existing articles listed above -->
[[File:Ray Meagher.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Ray Meagher]] ([[Alf Stewart]]) is currently the only remaining original cast member in ''Home and Away''.]]

When ''Home and Away'' began in January 1988, it initially focused on the "Fletcher" family – [[Tom Fletcher (Home and Away)|Tom]] ([[Roger Oakley]]) and his wife [[Pippa Ross|Pippa]] ([[Vanessa Downing]]), and their five foster children, [[Frank Morgan (Home and Away)|Frank Morgan]] ([[Alex Papps]]), [[Carly Morris]] ([[Sharyn Hodgson]]), [[Steven Matheson]] ([[Adam Willits]]), [[Lynn Davenport]]&nbsp;(Helena Bozich), and [[Sally Fletcher]] ([[Kate Ritchie]]) – who relocated from the city to live in the seaside town of Summer Bay.<ref name="TelevisionAu"/><ref name="25 Years">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/01/25-years-for-home-and-away.html|title=25 years for Home and Away|last=Knox|first=David|website=TV Tonight|date=17 January 2013|access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref> At the end of the first episode, Tom and Pippa take in their sixth foster child [[Bobby Simpson (Home and Away)|Bobby Simpson]] ([[Nicolle Dickson]]).<ref name="TelevisionAu"/><ref name="25 Years"/>

The Fletchers bought the Summer Bay Caravan Park and moved into the Summer Bay House.<ref name="Rand"/> They quickly built strong friendships with the locals, shopkeepers [[Alf Stewart]] ([[Ray Meagher]]) and [[Ailsa Stewart|Ailsa Hogan]] ([[Judy Nunn]]) and retired carnival workers [[Neville McPhee|Neville]] ([[Frank Lloyd (actor)|Frank Lloyd]]) and [[Floss McPhee]] ([[Sheila Kennelly]]), and town locals including surfer [[Matt Wilson (Home and Away)|Matt Wilson]] (Greg Benson) and local yobbos [[Lance Smart]] and [[Martin Dibble]], (Peter Vroom and Craig Thomson), whilst having a bitter rivalry with school headmaster [[Donald Fisher (Home and Away)|Donald Fisher]] ([[Norman Coburn]]).<ref name="TelevisionAu"/><ref name="25 Years"/>

They were joined in the third episode by Alf Stewart's rebellious daughter [[Roo Stewart]] ([[Justine Clarke]]) and within the first month by his sister [[Celia Stewart]] ([[Fiona Spence]]), who portrayed a similar busybody role to what [[Gwen Plumb]] played as [[Doris Peters]] in the pilot.<ref name="25 Years" /> 
 
While ''Home and Away'' features a mix of young cast members and older, more experienced actors, the show has always had a definite youth focus, with the younger characters dominating much of the storylines.<ref name="TelevisionAu"/> Many of the cast have spent several years on ''Home and Away'', including original cast member Judy Nunn who left the series in 2000 after 12 years playing the co-owner of Summer Bay's diner. Other original cast members Norman Coburn played high school principal Donald Fisher until 2003, and Kate Ritchie departed in 2008 after 20 years playing Sally Fletcher.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/31/1072546585593.html?from=storyrhs|title=The year that was|work=The Age|date=1 January 2004|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=11 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211084921/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/31/1072546585593.html?from=storyrhs|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/tribute-to-dull-and-dependable-sally/2008/04/02/1206850985624.html|title=Tribute to dull and dependable Sally|last=Farouque|first=Farah|work=The Age|date=3 April 2008|access-date=4 August 2015}}</ref> Both Coburn and Ritchie along with Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart) entered the 2002 [[Guinness World Records]] as the longest-serving actors in an Australian drama series.<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness World Records 2002|year=2001|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|isbn=978-0-85112-124-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_1/page/34 34]|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_1/page/34}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2007/s2324551.htm|title=Looking For Kate – Transcript|work=Australian Story|date=4 August 2008|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222193410/http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2007/s2324551.htm|archive-date=22 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/stilettos-bullets-and-bags-of-cash-the-underbelly-women/story-e6freuy9-1111118716182|title=Stilettos, bullets and bags of cash: the Underbelly women|last=McWhirter|first=Erin|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=31 January 2009|access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref> Meagher now holds that record alone and he is the only remaining original cast member in the show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/9041490/Home-away-from-home|title=Home away from home|last=Holmes|first=Stephanie|work=Stuff.co.nz|date=18 August 2013|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145454/http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/9041490/Home-away-from-home|url-status=live}}</ref> Meagher along with [[Lynne McGranger]] ([[Irene Roberts (Home and Away)|Irene Roberts]]), [[Ada Nicodemou]] ([[Leah Patterson-Baker]]) and [[Emily Symons]] ([[Marilyn Chambers (Home and Away)|Marilyn Chambers]]) are the longest-serving cast members currently in ''Home and Away''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/home-and-away/news/ada-why-im-staying-in-summer-bay/5956|title=Ada: 'Why I'm staying in Summer Bay!'|work=What's on TV|date=17 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220083044/http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/home-and-away/news/ada-why-im-staying-in-summer-bay/5956|archive-date=20 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/features/2011/0620/430381-homeandaway/|title=Days by the Bay|last=Butler|first=Janice|publisher=Rte.ie|date=20 June 2011|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924163805/http://www.rte.ie/ten/features/2011/0620/430381-homeandaway/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, [[Georgie Parker]] joined the cast of ''Home and Away'' as Alf's daughter [[Roo Stewart]], originally played by [[Justine Clarke]] in 1988–89. Alf and Roo are currently the only two original characters in the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/08/georgie-parker-joins-home-and-away.html|title=Georgie Parker joins Home and Away|last=Knox|first=David|website=TV Tonight|date=9 August 2010|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222092136/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/08/georgie-parker-joins-home-and-away.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Celebrity guest appearances===
Throughout the years, ''Home and Away'' has featured several guest appearances from celebrities such as [[John Farnham]],<ref name="Cameos"/> [[Johanna Griggs]],<ref name="Cameos"/> [[Sia]],<ref name="Cameos"/> [[Michael Palin]],<ref name="Cameos"/> [[Ian Thorpe]],<ref name="TelevisionAu"/> [[Lleyton Hewitt]],<ref name="Serves Up"/> [[Paulini]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusic.com.au/news/details.do?newsId=20030829001334 |title=Catch Paulini on Home And Away |publisher=[[Sony BMG Australia]]|date=26 November 2004|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304140228/http://www.sonymusic.com.au/news/details.do?newsId=20030829001334 |archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> [[Nick Grimshaw]],<ref name="Radio 1"/> [[Eliza Doolittle (singer)|Eliza Doolittle]],<ref name="Eliza Cameo"/> [[Ed Sheeran]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/ed-sheeran-joins-cast-of-home-and-away/story-e6frfn09-1227276881556|title=Ed Sheeran joins cast of Home and Away|last=McCabe|first=Kathy|publisher=news.com.au|date=24 March 2015|access-date=14 August 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915004148/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/ed-sheeran-joins-cast-of-home-and-away/story-e6frfn09-1227276881556|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Jessica Mauboy]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/jessica-mauboy-revelling-on-the-small-screen-with-home-and-away-role/news-story/c3d562b8bb4f14ec6cfc9fda0cedec4c?nk=cfb429b18655ca0e93ccfee99540e4e4-1482255747|title=Jessica Mauboy revelling on the small screen with Home and Away role|last=Moran|first=Jonathon|date=11 December 2016|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> [[Atomic Kitten]],<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2001/0612/393795-atomickitten/| title=Atomic Kitten to appear in Home and Away| publisher=rte.ie| date=12 June 2001| access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> and ''[[Sunrise (Australian TV program)|Sunrise]]'' presenters [[Matt Shirvington]] and [[Natalie Barr]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/05/matt-shirvington-visits-summer-bay.html|title=Matt Shirvington visits Summer Bay|last=Knox|first=David|date=13 May 2024|publisher=[[TV Tonight]]|access-date=13 May 2024|archive-date=13 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513014639/https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/05/matt-shirvington-visits-summer-bay.html|url-status=live}}</ref>