Summary
"Home and Away" premiered on ITV in February 1989 and more than 5,000 episodes have been made. Created by Alan Bateman, the Australian soap opera initially focused on the characters of Pippa and Tom Fletcher, who ran the Summer Bay Caravan Park and lived there with numerous foster children, including their adopted daughter Sally, played by Kate Ritchie. It never eclipsed the popularity of Neighbours in the UK, but still attracted healthy viewing figures for ITV. The soap switched to Channel Five in July 2001 and regularly attracts one million viewers. Notable former cast members include Heath Ledger, Melissa George, Danni Minogue and Naomi Watts. Ray Meagher, as Alf Stewart, is the only actor to have been in the show since the first episode.
