AUSSIE SOAPS -HOME & AWAY
RECAPTURING THE NOSTALGIA
Palm Beach, New South Wales Australia
By Simbooker on the 25th June 2014
The link between the UK and Australia is quite emphatic. More than half of Australians are of British descent. The Australian flag is an embellished replica of the United Kingdom flag. Vegemite a close relative of Marmite from the UK, (I like neither) is one of Australia's most beloved condiments. And Brits have always been besotted with Australian Celebrities.
The link between the UK and Australia is quite emphatic. More than half of Australians are of British descent. The Australian flag is an embellished replica of the United Kingdom flag. Vegemite a close relative of Marmite from the UK, (I like neither) is one of Australia's most beloved condiments. And Brits have always been besotted with Australian Celebrities.
Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue back in the day
Kylie Minogue, an international pop star, will always be the most famous Australian celebrity in England. She is of Welsh and Irish descent. She captured the hearts of British teenagers and aspiring teen idols in her role in the Australian Soap Neighbours, and the United Kingdom has long been her home. The love for all things Australian here in the UK, begins and ends with Australian soaps operas.
Home and Away one of the most popular soaps in Australian history since 1988
Like BRITISH SOAPS. Australian Soaps last for decades. Unlike TV shows in Latin America, which only last a few months at a time, and TV shows in the US which may last no longer than a decade-at the very most. There are exceptions of course. ANOTHER WORLD, ran for about 35 years and was a favourite of my late grandmother. I, on the other hand, grew up on Australian Soaps. Back in the day when I was A kid going to school, the two popular soaps were Neighbours and Home and Away. Kylie as Charlene Robinson, was one of the earlier stars of the show. And as Kylie's popularity grew, it enabled her to launch a music career that still flourishes to this day. As a kid you just had to like Kylie. She was never a big star in the USA, but in the UK Kylie was the quintessential IT GIRL.
Like every other school kid, I watched Neighbours and enjoyed it. I watched the show for years even after Kylie departed. Neighbours and Home and Away, were shown one after the other. I remember on BBC 1, and on Channel 3 or 4? It was a looong time ago...since I stopped watching. But back in the early 90's they were my favourite soaps.
Like every other school kid, I watched Neighbours and enjoyed it. I watched the show for years even after Kylie departed. Neighbours and Home and Away, were shown one after the other. I remember on BBC 1, and on Channel 3 or 4? It was a looong time ago...since I stopped watching. But back in the early 90's they were my favourite soaps.
Sophie Simpson played by Rebekah Elmaloglou
But after a while. I got lured in by Home and Away and ceased watching Neighbours. I think it's all because of my favourite female soap character of all time. Sophie Simpson. Sophie was gorgeous, feisty, alluring, sexy, exotic; in comparison to the other Anglo-European characters on the show. Played by Rebekah Elmaloglou; her mother is English but her father is Greek. The Greek side attributes to her dark hair and eyes, and darker olive skin. She was more ethnic looking than her fair skinned blonde counterparts, and she was hotter!
Sophie Simpson on the right
For four straight years, or so. Sophie had the most captivating story lines, and all I cared about was Sophie and Sophie and Sophie. So after a while watching Neighbours did not really entice me. As in every good soap opera. There was drama in Sophie's life. There was her complicated love life of course, every soap opera has to have a damsel in distress. There was Blake, and then she fell in love with Hayden, causing friction with her and Blake. But then there was....da da da DAVID CROFT.
This story line was my favourite, and nothing since then, (the 90's) will ever compete with it, at least not for me. Sophie Simpson fell head over heels in love with David, and he fell for her. But she was only sixteen and he was twenty six. I pause for reflection. There is nothing quite like young love. I was only nine or ten when this storyline played out. And three years later, at the under-ripe green age of thirteen, I would experience something similar in my own life. Something I was way too young for.
One of the things that made their love affair so steamy and exciting was that everyone was opposed to it. Sophie was too young, and David had no business being with a sixteen year old. I look back on it now, and believe that it was love, I have no doubt. I enjoyed every pulsating second of their on-screen romance. They suited each other, they were both equally good looking, but there was more to these two; more than just their good looks and blissful, naive youth. David was afraid and tried to push her away ...
He was very indecisive, sometimes blowing hot and cold. One minute telling her they should just be friends, the next telling her he loved her and couldn't do the friendship thing. For Sophie there was never a hesitation. She was head over heels, and very forthright about her feelings. When Michael and Pippa; Sophie's foster parents realized she was going to be with David no matter what...they gave her an ultimatum. Well... Pippa did. Sophie would be sent away for two weeks, and if she still wanted to see him after that, then Pippa would agree to accept them as a couple.
THIS WOULD MEAN THE END OF AN ERA AND MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE SHOW ...
I AM SO GLAD THAT I NEVER EXPERIENCED THE PAIN THAT SOPHIE WOULD ENDURE AT 16. BECAUSE LOSING SOMEONE AS IRREPLACEABLE WOULD HAVE FINISHED ME OFF. DAVID WAS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT ON THE DAY OF SOPHIE'S SCHEDULED DEPARTURE.
BUT I wanted to see how their relationship would develop, how they would weather the storm, and resolve any dilemmas they would face together. I was angry, but as a ten year old I kept it inside. It's only now, so many years later that I revisit these episodes and get that FEELING OF NOSTALGIA; trying to recapture my youth VICARIOUSLY, DEALING WITH those conflicted feelings that I know all too well. Wishing David hadn't been killed. HOME AND AWAY was never as good again. But I continued to watch, until at least, Sophie had her baby. The last precious gift David had left her.
BUT I wanted to see how their relationship would develop, how they would weather the storm, and resolve any dilemmas they would face together. I was angry, but as a ten year old I kept it inside. It's only now, so many years later that I revisit these episodes and get that FEELING OF NOSTALGIA; trying to recapture my youth VICARIOUSLY, DEALING WITH those conflicted feelings that I know all too well. Wishing David hadn't been killed. HOME AND AWAY was never as good again. But I continued to watch, until at least, Sophie had her baby. The last precious gift David had left her.
BUT THEN SOPHIE LEFT. And The Home and Away of today is just not As Great as back in the 90's. The story lines were mostly good, up until just before David's death. After his death the the plots became mostly contrived, directionless, muddled, and sketchy. Recently I re-watched all of the great old episodes and the Nostalgia hit me hard. I always knew the show was a big part of my childhood, but I didn't realise how attached I would be once again to Sophie Simpson.
I no longer WATCH the show decades on. Although, I have stumbled across episodes intermittently over the last two decades. There have been only a few story lines, that have captured me. But nothing like the good old days. Sometimes I feel that the 90's were THE best times of all TIMES, for so many reasons. David's death and Sophie's subsequent departure left a hole in my heart, that can never be filled. And although the coastal town of Summer Bay, where I used to want to live is still as beautiful as ever; there is a void without the bright eyed youth of Sophie Simpson. And David's death still haunts me, and now, years on, deeply upsets me.
SUMMER BAY, HOME AND AWAY
Decades later and Rebekah is still as gorgeous as ever, and is now playing Terese Willis in Neighbours, but she'll always be Sophie for me
It's so Ironic. She was once Home and Away's biggest star, now she's on rival show Neighbours so many years later. Guy Pearce who played David Croft was also a character in Neighbours before switching to Home and Away. SO ART CAN IMITATE LIFE. Like so many other great on-screen couples, I wish they were together in real life. The chemistry between them was magical. And I want to believe that they were having a relationship off screen. They were just made for each other.