jldraw Posted March 24, 2010 Report Posted March 24, 2010 Well if we are talking longevity which it seems like the other thread was tail-spinning into with Sally Fletcher being brought up then I think there is no contest...Alf Stewart wins hands down. Alf is Summer Bay, he defines it and Ray probably along with Kate are probably the two actors that people most associate with the show. In fact when it comes to Alf Stewart, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of non-Aussie viewers actually associate most of Australia with Alf Stewart. He is that much of an icon. I'll put it this way, despite the storyline earlier this year where Alf was sort of on the outs with Summer Bay, when it does come time for Ray to depart the series, the only way Alf is going to depart the series is that he passes away. Alf Stewart is far too connected with Summer Bay, for the writers to come up with a plausible storyline regarding him departing the bay other than his death.
Miranda Posted March 24, 2010 Report Posted March 24, 2010 People talking about Marilyn got me thinking about iconic characters. I don't know if this has been a thread before. I don't necessarily mean 'most popular character', as I know that has been done before. I mean characters who symbolise Home and Away. When I mentioned H&A to a friend, she said 'Oh I used to watch that years ago, its all about Bobby, isn't it?' So that was her idea of someone who symbolised H&A. I looked up icon as I wasn't sure what it meant: An important and enduring symbol Who is the most iconic character of Home and Away? Put your case here!
Skylover Posted March 24, 2010 Report Posted March 24, 2010 ^I agree, surely Alf Stewart is the most iconic Home and Away character. Rather tan longevity though, I would say his catchphrases are what has made him so iconic. Sally Fletcher is another character who is synonymous with the show but I think tere are other characters that are more iconic than her. Here is a list of characters who I would consider to be iconic from the show's history: Alf Sally Ailsa Donald Marilyn Shannon Angel Selina Pippa Irene Bobby And perhaps more recently, Kane and Kirsty. I'd like to say that Leah is iconic, but even though she's one of the long-standing cast members, I think the fact that she's been ignored for the majority of her tenure has tarnished the status of the character. Obviously she is popular, but I would argue not iconic. Who do you think is most iconic out of Alf Stewart and Harold Bishop?
alexx Posted March 24, 2010 Report Posted March 24, 2010 ^I pretty much agree with your list, they would definitely represent H&A though I'd add Shane in there too as they were both as big as each other resulting in that era being refereed to as the 'Shane and Angel days' as I've heard many times. And for the newer audience I'm sure Colleen would make the list. Interestingly I dont think there have been any H&A characters introduced over the last 10 years that could be considered 'An important and enduring symbol' of the show for years to come - of course there have been extreemly popular characters, but I wouldn't say any of them have become any sort of symbol for the show. I suppose it depends when you started watching though.
jldraw Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 ^I agree, surely Alf Stewart is the most iconic Home and Away character. Rather tan longevity though, I would say his catchphrases are what has made him so iconic. Alf Sally Ailsa Donald Marilyn Shannon Angel Selina Pippa Irene Bobby I agree but longevity is a key factor in what we are discussing. Take a look at your list for example. With the exception of Shannon, Angel and Selina all of those characters listed had pretty long runs on the show. I think another factor to consider in discussing this topic is "whether or not the show was able to replace a given character when they left the show". For example, Kate Ritchie left the show coming up on two years ago. In my opinion they still haven't been able to find a strong female lead to fill the void that Sally's departure left. FTR: Here are the characters listed in the "Hall Of Fame" in the 21st Anniversary Magazine. Sally Fletcher Donald Fisher Alf Stewart Irene Roberts Angel Brooks Shane Parrish Morag Bellingham Hayley Lawson Leah Patterson Rebecca Fisher Bobby Simpson Pippa Fletcher Dani Sutherland Jack Holden Martha MacKenzie Sophie Simpson Celia Stewart Frank Morgan Ailsa Stewart Kim Hyde Colleen Smart ========= I think if there is any fault with the "official list" is they included too many people. I think they fell into the trap of making sure they included someone from each era of the show. I mean honestly what did Kim Hyde do to differentiate himself from anyone else on the show?
ebrett84 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 ^I agree, surely Alf Stewart is the most iconic Home and Away character. Rather tan longevity though, I would say his catchphrases are what has made him so iconic. Sally Fletcher is another character who is synonymous with the show but I think tere are other characters that are more iconic than her. Here is a list of characters who I would consider to be iconic from the show's history: Alf Sally Ailsa Donald Marilyn Shannon Angel Selina Pippa Irene Bobby And perhaps more recently, Kane and Kirsty. I'd like to say that Leah is iconic, but even though she's one of the long-standing cast members, I think the fact that she's been ignored for the majority of her tenure has tarnished the status of the character. Obviously she is popular, but I would argue not iconic. Who do you think is most iconic out of Alf Stewart and Harold Bishop? That's a good list, but I disagree with a couple of names. First Shane belongs on there as much as Angel IMO. I think the reason Angel is remembered more than Shane is that Melissa George has made it in the States (to a degree) and Dieter Brummer...hasn't. Secondly, disagree on Shannon and Selina. Yes, they were popular in their time, but no more than say Gypsy Nash or Kirsty Sutherland (in her first stint) was. Kane and Kirsty...no. I love Kirsty, but that relationship just hasn't endured like Shane and Angel has. I seem to remember that relationship being quite a big ratings puller at the time due to the controversial nature of it, but a lot of KK fans weren't really Home and Away fans and so their fanbase has massively dwindled over time. Hope that makes sense. How about Vinnie Patterson? He was hugely popular in his day, and IMO, they've never managed to adequately replace him.
ebrett84 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 ^I agree, surely Alf Stewart is the most iconic Home and Away character. Rather tan longevity though, I would say his catchphrases are what has made him so iconic. Alf Sally Ailsa Donald Marilyn Shannon Angel Selina Pippa Irene Bobby I agree but longevity is a key factor in what we are discussing. Take a look at your list for example. With the exception of Shannon, Angel and Selina all of those characters listed had pretty long runs on the show. I think another factor to consider in discussing this topic is "whether or not the show was able to replace a given character when they left the show". For example, Kate Ritchie left the show coming up on two years ago. In my opinion they still haven't been able to find a strong female lead to fill the void that Sally's departure left. FTR: Here are the characters listed in the "Hall Of Fame" in the 21st Anniversary Magazine. Sally Fletcher Donald Fisher Alf Stewart Irene Roberts Angel Brooks Shane Parrish Morag Bellingham Hayley Lawson Leah Patterson Rebecca Fisher Bobby Simpson Pippa Fletcher Dani Sutherland Jack Holden Martha MacKenzie Sophie Simpson Celia Stewart Frank Morgan Ailsa Stewart Kim Hyde Colleen Smart ========= I think if there is any fault with the "official list" is they included too many people. I think they fell into the trap of making sure they included someone from each era of the show. I mean honestly what did Kim Hyde do to differentiate himself from anyone else on the show? That Hall of Fame is an absolute joke. Kim Hyde? The plank? His most famous storyline (paternitygate) was one of the least fondly remembered storylines in the shows history. Ditto for Hayley. Dani? Yeah she was quite loved (and hated in equal measure), but no more than her on screen sister Kirsty, in fact probably less. Rebecca Fisher??? Jackass Holden??? Martha? Ugh. Celia and Frank are hardly hall of fame caliber either.
j.laur5 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 ^I agree, surely Alf Stewart is the most iconic Home and Away character. Rather tan longevity though, I would say his catchphrases are what has made him so iconic. Alf Sally Ailsa Donald Marilyn Shannon Angel Selina Pippa Irene Bobby I agree but longevity is a key factor in what we are discussing. Take a look at your list for example. With the exception of Shannon, Angel and Selina all of those characters listed had pretty long runs on the show. I think another factor to consider in discussing this topic is "whether or not the show was able to replace a given character when they left the show". For example, Kate Ritchie left the show coming up on two years ago. In my opinion they still haven't been able to find a strong female lead to fill the void that Sally's departure left. FTR: Here are the characters listed in the "Hall Of Fame" in the 21st Anniversary Magazine. Sally Fletcher Donald Fisher Alf Stewart Irene Roberts Angel Brooks Shane Parrish Morag Bellingham Hayley Lawson Leah Patterson Rebecca Fisher Bobby Simpson Pippa Fletcher Dani Sutherland Jack Holden Martha MacKenzie Sophie Simpson Celia Stewart Frank Morgan Ailsa Stewart Kim Hyde Colleen Smart ========= I think if there is any fault with the "official list" is they included too many people. I think they fell into the trap of making sure they included someone from each era of the show. I mean honestly what did Kim Hyde do to differentiate himself from anyone else on the show? They got there because they were either long time characters, popular characters, a Golden couple or they pity them. Long term characters Alf Stewart Ailsa Stewart Donald Fisher Sally Fletcher Pippa Fletcher Bobby Simpson Colleen Smart Morag Bellingham(Though only Recurring in last decade.) Irene Roberts Hayley Lawson Leah Patterson Golden couples Angel Brooks Shane Parrish Jack Holden Martha MacKenzie Popular characters Sophie Simpson Celia Stewart Frank Morgan Danni Sutherland Pity Characters or actors Rebecca Fisher(Not being nasty or anything but the only reason why Rebecca made it was due to the actress dieing. You have to admit she was hardly there a long time and wasn't a very popular character.) I think Tom and Marilyn should have been there instead of Rebecca and Kim. Kim Hyde
emmasi Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 I mean honestly what did Kim Hyde do to differentiate himself from anyone else on the show? I might be one of Kim's biggest fans but even I raised an eyebrow at that. He doesn't deserve to be on that list. Neither do Jack or Martha, but the obsession with them was so powerful at the time that magazine came out that I understand completely why they were included.
Julez Posted March 25, 2010 Report Posted March 25, 2010 If I had to pick one, I'd say Bobby. She was the first mysterious, troubled teen that the Fletcher family took in. I think this set the scene of what Summer Bay House is all about. Even though Sally went on to be a great character too, she grew up to fill a role that was already established by Pippa before her.
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