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Home and Away rife with “sex, drugs and rock and roll”

Ray Meagher says Seven's soap has strayed too far from its premise for a 7pm timeslot. Again.

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2015-02-21_0103Gold Logie winner Ray Meagher says there is too much “sex, drugs and rock and roll” in Home and Away for its 7pm timeslot.

Meagher, who plays iconic TV character Alf Stewart, told 2GB’s Ben Fordham the soap had strayed too far from its premise about foster families.

“You would never have seen a parental guidance recommended over a Home & Away episode,” he said referring to gentler seasons.

“The sex, drugs and rock’n’roll is 80 per cent of the show, if the bad things happening were 50 or below that’d be fine.

“It became a little unbalanced and I think now there’s a genuine effort to bring the balance back a little bit more.”

While Meagher also says that “For 27 seven years I didn’t ever have a word…” he must have forgotten speaking out on the content in 2009.

“We’ve had too many guns and balaclavas and bank robberies and that sort of thing,” he told the Daily Telegraph at the time.

“We’re going back to a family show.

Then in 2013 he told TV Tonight:

“I can remember coming home one night and having Seven on and before Home and Away started there was a thing saying ‘Parental Guidance recommended, violence,” he recalled.

“I thought ‘7:00? Home and Away?’ What’s that about?”

“But look there are a few stories being filmed now that are going to be fantastic and that get back to that very issue.

“I think you’ve got to have a bit of crime and drama in any community to keep things bubbling but the core of this show is foster families.”

The latest comments come at an unfortunate time when television networks are proposing to bring M classified content forward from 8:30pm to 7:30pm. Flamin’ hell….

Source: News Corp

22 Responses

  1. The changes in actors for some roles through the years are what troubles me – continuity! Justine Clarke played Roo Stewart in the early days, now it’s Georgie Parker, the boy who played V.J. up to mid-2014 or so, was the right age and stature for the role, a 14-to-15 year-old of about 5 foot(old measure, more meaningful) in height, far more believable in the role than the adult(21-year-old) actor trying to pass himself off as a 15-year-old….yeah, right! There was another actor change in the mid-1990s but I can’t remember the character name, only that the girl who originally played the role, went on to marry Lleyton Hewitt. Oh yes, a fourth, Lynne McGranger as Irene Roberts, the actor who first held the role only did so for about 4 or 5 episodes before Lynne McGranger made the role her own.

  2. We have been watching H&A for years … we never miss an episode. Crime and Natural disaster capital of Australia! 🙂
    We are annoyed that the teenagers seem to be unable to refrain from sleeping with everyone in town as it sets such an appauling example to young viewers.
    Johnny Ruffo is dull and annoying because they won’t let him sing and dance … and he is far better than the ones they have cast as singers … dreadful decision!
    We need more older classic characters back like Celia and Flathead and definitely Morag!!!!
    We love the Braxtons, but it good that they are going and there definately needs to be a bigger focus on the school
    And why the hell do they not have a regular gay character, Summer Bay is perfect for that, are the writers homophobic??? Days Of Our Lives are far ahead of the rest when it comes to gay storylines!

  3. if you look back on the older episodes that are currently on in the morning it is a different show. Back then there was more focus on the school and there were a lot more teachers and characters who are students.

    I mean the school needs to be the focus. They bought in a new principal last year and turned her into a pill popping psycho

    I still watch it but it does get boring when the same story lines keep popping up with Brax again being arrested.

    when brax does go it may give other characters a chance to shine.

    However I do like Johnny Ruffo’s character. I find him very funny.

  9. Ray is right.They have lost it in many ways.In the Nineties it was like watching one of those old school American or Canadian teen dramas and dealt in it’s own way more or less the same issues as them that face teens and young people today.Personally If It was allowed I would have told 7 to replace it with Family Guy at 7pm weeknights.

  10. Home and Away became “the braxtons” when it became all about them instead of them being one element of the show. I prefer the episodes that don’t feature the braxtons at all because they have been overdone whereas if the focus wasn’t completely on them all the time since their introduction I wouldn’t have been entirely bothered about it. I would’ve given up home and away but with Brax leaving I’ll wait and see if there is improvement but I’m wondering if they will divert the crime stuff to kyle, the barrats or ash?

    Next week is the third week in a row of only 4 episodes per week of home and away? Unfortunately looks like there will be some doubles or triples to make up for the missing eps.

  11. Ray is spot on. It’s the braxton/river boys that have ruined it. Thank god the last full braxton is leaving, perhaps then the show can concentrate on the other characters that haven’t got a look in since they have been in the show. And perhaps the promos will feature other characters too as 90% of the promos have all centred around the braxtons for example the latest bus crash, nothing on Leah who is still in hospital (due to Ada’s maternity leave) or Hannah who can’t walk but was about brax and how he can’t lose Kyle who has of course survived.
    Get the show back to the way it was. The storyline with maddy is a start, we need more of this.

    1. I agree the promos are all about the Braxton’s despite the fact there are other characters. You can watch a full episode that doesn’t involve the Braxton’s but to make sure you don’t forget they exist the promo will be all about them.

    2. Yep agreed! I’m not a Braxton fan at all. Although I love Ricky and I hope she stays on.

      Also they need a new principal real fast. Giving the responsibility to Zac is terrible when he has so much happening personally

  13. Home and Away is in PG slot. They can show violence as long as it isn’t too explicit and is essential to the story.
    It’s not like the current restrictions are ridiculously strict and don’t allow the networks to provide decent entertainment.

    But if he thinks they have violated the code he can complain to Seven, and if not happy with their response appeal to the ACMA.

    1. Pretty sure he won’t be complaining about a code violation… think his point was the premise of the show has been lost and it’s now just CSI: Summer Bay with a yearly earthquake/cyclone/tornado/flood/landslide/whatever is left thrown in for good measure.

      Strange for him to complain about a show he is still employed on and earns him a paycheque though, but good to see a cast member offer some constructive criticism.

  14. It’s been like this for over a decade now according to people who still watch the show. I stopped watching around 1999/2000 when it because a show full of natural disaster after natural disaster, teen pregnancy after teen pregnancy, etc. Totally missing the point of what the show was initially (which I loved).

    Summer Bay is the crime capital of the world, everything bad happens in that beachside town – who would want to live there!

    1. I thought the same after watching a few episodes of Desperate Housewives. With Wisteria Lane’s ridiculously high death toll and crime rate, they never seemed to have any shortage of new neighbours.

    3. I think I lost count of how many car crashes there have been in recent years.

      The writers have become too dependent on these big impact events to move the show along, rather than actually sitting own and creating a story for each of the characters.

      1. Oh yes I agree I’m sick of car crashes after Mel, Justin’s wife in House Husbands (Nicola?) and all the Home and Away related ones – wish they’d find another way to do a storyline

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