Home and Away legend Ray Meagher believes that the legendary soap that made him a star has strayed too far from its original concept.
The actor, who has played Alf Stewart since the first episode, was full of praise for the long-running serial in a new chat but admitted that it’s a very different show now in comparison to its early days.
‘There is still penchant for a River Boy,’ he said and he’s certainly not wrong. The River Boys, as fans will know, was a criminal organisation based in Mangrove River.
They often frequented Summer Bay, bringing trouble to residents’ doors and gave audiences some of the show’s most recognised characters over the past decade, including Dean Thompson, who left the Bay last year.
The River Boys were introduced in 2011 and were a regular presence on Home and Away for over a decade, with storylines shifting away from the regular character-driven stories in favour of more crime-led arcs.
‘I mean, that was just a great period,’ Ray told TV Tonight of the River Boys era. ‘But was it Summer Bay? Hmmm …. in my humble opinion, not to that extent.’
The Aussie soap legend was quick to add that while there’s nothing wrong with having ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ in the show, he reckons that Home and Away has dabbled too much in such things.
Ray signed a new contract last year to remain on Home and Away for five years so fans can rest assured that much-loved Alf won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
A storyline two years ago saw Alf contemplate the possibility of leaving Summer Bay for good. Like a lot of viewers, we couldn’t imagine Home and Away without Alf – and neither can Ray.
‘‘He’s sort of like the godfather of Summer Bay!’, the soap icon told Metro.co.uk at the time. ‘If there’s anything really important people usually say: “Oh, ask Alf”.
‘So, it’s a big deal for him to leave the bay, and not just for selfish reasons, he’d probably be naive enough to think: “Well, I don’t know how the bay’s gonna get on without me!”
Home and Away airs weekdays on Channel 5 at 1:45pm and on 5STAR at 6pm, with first look offering at 6:30pm on 5STAR
