Summer Bay’s Alf — aka Ray Meagher — revelling in show’s new storyline for Gallipoli anniversary
HE’S the great Australian larrikin, loved by audiences as the battler of Summer Bay.
HOME and Away’s Ray Meagher is set to deliver some of his most dramatic performances as Alf Stewart in a powerful new plot line marking the Seven soap’s tribute to the Anzac centenary.
Meagher is the great Australian larrikin, loved by audiences as the battler of Summer Bay.
In the serious story arc — to play out next month in the lead up to the Gallipoli anniversary — Alf challenges the students of Summer Bay High to show more respect for our military legacy, while he struggles with the painful memories of his own war service in Vietnam.
The elder statesman of the top-rating series said the upcoming scenes — driven by the show’s resident director Geoffrey Nottage — will stand as some of his best work in the 70-year-old’s long career.
“It’s the best storyline I’ve had in a while and I felt humbled to be tackling such important material. I only hope we do it justice ... as a way to honour all our service men and women.”
While Alf carries the mental scars of his time in the trenches, Meagher was one of the lucky ones who missed out on being conscripted, simply because his birthdate wasn’t drawn in the national ballot.
In his early twenties, Meagher was living carefree and playing rugby in Queensland but remembers — with a heavy heart — farewelling “half a dozen good mates. One that didn’t come back was an absolutely amazing young man,” he said, choking up.
“The Lest We Forget message is so important and it was great for (the show) to do our bit to recognise that,” the former Gold Logie winner added.
The production was initially set to film on the Western Front in Europe, Meagher said, “but there weren’t enough bikkies (money) in the tin”.
Instead, the focus became the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, as well as a makeshift trench set up in Sydney’s south west.
On a lighter note, the TV veteran sent his best wishes to rival soap Neighbours, as they continue to celebrate 30 years on air.
“I don’t see them as rivals, just another wonderful show keeping great local people in employment. It’s been around just a bit longer than I have in this business, so I know what that takes ... congratulations to them all.”
In the words of Alf: “Flamin’ heck, it’s a good innings, but dig in fellas and don’t stop now. Keep up the good work.”
DARYL HANNAH MAKES SPLASH
WE welcome Daryl Hannah to our shores this morning, with the Splash star jetting in for the Netflix launch party in Sydney on Tuesday night.
Hannah, who stars in a Netflix original drama production Sense 8, will join other streaming service stablemates including Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt stars Ellie Kemper and Lorenzo Richelmy on the international guest list for the cocktail soiree at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
TV WEDDING RATES FOR SUNRISE
SCOTT and Charlene, Des and Daphne, Sunrise in Hawaii — it seems we still love a TV wedding, with Seven’s breakfast show rating through the roof with its walk down the aisle last week.
This column gave the “Battle of the breakfast TV roadtrips” to Nine’s Today, but we stand corrected and hand the bouquet instead to Sam and Kochie, after they pulled big numbers for Friday’s live-to-air wedding — pulling a high of 121,000 viewers to Today’s 92,000 (giving Seven the weekly win in Sydney by just a few hundred people, while maintaining the national lead for the calendar year-to-date).
Meanwhile, a postcard from the breakfast show’s former helmsman, Adam Boland and his partner Kenny Ang who have taken up the can for the victims of Tropical Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu.
While the couple’s apartment on Iririki Island off Port Vila is inaccessible after the jetty terminals were destroyed in the super storm, they were luckier than most locals who have been left stricken and in desperate need of financial and medical support. They directed donations to ProMedical, Vanuatu’s sole emergency service.
“I’ve seen them doing work in the outlying villages where they need the most help,” said Boland.
Please give what you can to gofundme.com/promedical.
ELMO SAYS GET WELL TO OUR HUGH
GET Elmo talking about his love of Australia and the conversation starts with the Sesame Street star’s “man crush” on Nine’s Karl Stefanovic.
Promoting the iconic show’s 45th season (on ABCKids weekdays, from 9am tomorrow) the Muppet admitted he “loved (Karl’s) accent” and thinks “he’s a very funny guy.”
His co-star Abby Cadabby also bonds with designer Peter Alexander in a new episode and he is making her a custom pair of his pyjamas (“to fit my fairy wings).”
The show boasts more A-list cameos this season, including One Direction but the furry pair sent a get well message to our Hugh Jackman, who suffered a vocal haemorrhage last week.
ONE TO WATCH: Shark Andrew circles new role
MOVE over James Packer, there’s a new Aussie movie mogul throwing his cash around.
Shark Tank entrepreneur Andrew Banks has acting in his blood, having trod the boards at the Old Tote Theatre (now NIDA) in his younger days.
Now he’s circling a new role as investor, with his production company Lila 9th the talk of Tinseltown.
One of his first films, Kumiko The Treasure Hunter (described as a Japanese-American Amelie), opened in more than 100 theatres across the US last week to rave reviews.
TV GOSSIP: Kylie ogles her Gogglebox fan
IT’S hard to say who was more excited to meet who — Gogglebox star and Kylie Minoguedevotee Tom Walsh or the pop princess herself — but it was a match made in backstage heaven for the pair when they posed up for happy snaps behind the scenes of her Perth concert last week.
Kylie counts herself among the A-listers who have fallen for the local series, which pulled 154,853 viewers on LifeStyle (9.30pm, Wed), then backed up with 376,000 people on Ten the next night (close to its combined ratings season high).
DON’T MISS: Million and one ways to win?
WATCHING your husband gamble $750,000-plus on Million Dollar Minute was almost too much for Andrew Skarbek’s wife Jenny to handle last Friday.
So can we suggest she pops a tablet under the tongue when he plays for the biggest prize in Australian game show history on tomorrow’s show.
The 47-year-old has come close to losing it in his 18-night run at the elusive jackpot, but his confidence could pay off to the tune of $1.016m if he wins one more time.
MONDAY, 5.30PM, SEVEN
Originally published as Summer Bay’s Alf — aka Ray Meagher — revelling in show’s new storyline for Gallipoli anniversary
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