Who thinks Beth Hunter should still be on the show?

[.Amy.]

I enjoy the character when she was on the show but at the end of the day, she wanted to leave. As much as I did like Beth, I prefer Tony with Rachel and I think Beth would be lacking in storylines without any of her children.

[martha-jack]

I liked Beth but i do think her character served her purpose if not then i would have wanted her to leave when Matilda did because i thought she was starting to nag quite a lot before she left so i did like her but she has served her purpose and im not bothered she isn't here now.

and as for the other characters you mentioned how have they served there purpose ? i actually like some old characters and they still have something to offer

Alf - what would Summer Bay be like without him?

Irene - hello!! without her where would Annie, Geoff and Belle go, Irene is a loving guardian without whom most people wouldn't have a home in the bay.

Colleen - Colleen is possibly the only person who has served her purpose but i think many people just love her saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

Leah - i think Leah still has a lot to offer, if she was given the right storyline then it would be great and i think she still has quite a few years left in the bay.

Martha - is battling cancer and is grieving for her husband at the minute so she still has quite a lot to do so and i think the cancer storyilne has recently won her over many more fans.

Tony - has loads to offer the show, grieving for his son will be a spectacular thing to watch i think and on top of thathe has to accept he is having another baby to Rachel.

Rachel - i think Rachel has served most of her purpose but i think she still has a bit more to do, she needs to be there for Tony and go through her pregnancy at the moment but i don't think she has long left on the show.

Belle - well honestly since she got with Aden, Belle has won over loads of fans and i think she has quite a lot more to offer, personally i think she could do so much more if Aden wasn't there but thats just my honest opinion.

so all in all i think most of them do have a purpose

Also it would be really stupid and boring if they got rid of all them and revamped the cast, its great to see people who can stick around for a while.

[Red Ranger 1]

As someone said, at the end of the day the actress wanted to leave and if that happens the best thing to do is get rid of the character.It's a shame but that's the nature of television.

Having said that, I do wonder what Beth would be like if she was on the show now.Someone said about how nice it would have been if Beth had been the one to stand up to Christine and help Melody.And they're right.Except people were saying that about Irene and instead they wrote her as this uncaring person who was pretty dismissive of Melody.I do worry that if Beth had stayed around, with the way the show's gone recently, they'd have ended up ruining her too.

[Ryan]

I think an interesting question to ask though, especially regarding the elder characters and actors, is if they actually gave them more acting to do, would they be more likely to stay. People like Beth and Barry, both played from what I can gather as well respected Australian actors, had about two storylines a year, and were then playing what could really only be described as guest roles outwith. Dan as well. When we at Baycast spoke with Tim Campbell spoke in 2006, though perhaps he was just trying to do the fan-friendly thing, spoke about a future on the show. I don't think he got another storyline. I would put Roman in the same boat of the recent people who have joined the show and Alf, Leah, Irene and Colleen, though outwith Coral's stint, Colleen has always been a rather secondary character.

If these established actors were been giving good stuff to get their teeth into month it, month out, rather than just sitting in the diner serving coffee, would they actually be more likely to stay.

[martha-jack]

^^ i absolutely agree, i think they would be willing to stay if they were getting more storylines and as you said Colleen has really just been a background character or the gossip of the bay, the only storyline she really got last year was when Johnny held her hostage to get to Sally wernt it? but so far i think Leah has been getting good storylines and hopefully the others will too

[DinerLandlord]

This is why dreadful characters like Xavier don't deserve to be on the show, they do nothing but create a horrible viewing experience for the fans of the show, but they get lots of storylines because the producers think we as viewers are idiots who only want to see "hot" young characters. I use the word "hot" very loosely in Xavier's case.

[martha-jack]

I KNOW!!! can't Xavier please get lost, i just can't stand him give the screen time to some interesting characters or to some of the cast who deserve the time to show how much potential they have!!

[Oipoodle]

This is why dreadful characters like Xavier don't deserve to be on the show, they do nothing but create a horrible viewing experience for the fans of the show, but they get lots of storylines because the producers think we as viewers are idiots who only want to see "hot" young characters. I use the word "hot" very loosely in Xavier's case.

Exactly my opinion lol!

I do miss Beth and I miss h+a having a mother figure, I also miss the old Irene.

[.Amy.]

If these established actors were been giving good stuff to get their teeth into month it, month out, rather than just sitting in the diner serving coffee, would they actually be more likely to stay.

I could agree more to be honest, like:

Alf - what would Summer Bay be like without him?

Even though he had a storyline with Bridget, he just doesn't stick out anymore through lack of storylines and to be perfectly honest and to answer the question, I don't think Summer Bay would be any different. Ray is a great actor but I feel like he (and many others) are going unnoticed because they have no storylines.

[martha-jack]

I agree that he doesn't get any storylines or nothing and he really should but I just think the bay would be really weird without alf Stewart there although I'm sure tv day will come when ray has to leave