Surprise twins and THAT very first scene: Here’s 20 facts you didn’t know about Home And Away

Home And Away has won 46 TV WEEK Logie Awards – more than any other Aussie series!

H&A was originally going to be called Refuge, but it wasn’t deemed “friendly” enough for a family show. The name was changed once production started.

The first scene of the 1988 pilot episode of H&A was a flashback to 1978. A policeman chased an eight-year-old Frank (Bradley Pilato) down a rainy street, shouting, “Frankie!”

Watch the opening scene below!

The cop was played by Bruce Venables, the husband of Judy Nunn, who played Ailsa Stewart. In the present, Frank was played by Alex Papps (right).

In the pilot, Bobby (Nicolle Dickson) was already going to be part of the Fletcher family when they moved to Summer Bay. However, the script was rewritten at the last minute, delaying filming by three weeks.

Remember when Alf’s (Ray Meagher, left) late wife, Ailsa (right), came back as a ghost? She was actually a figment of Alf’s imagination, as he was suffering a brain tumour. The scenes were hilarious to shoot, according to Judy. “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever done,” she tells TV WEEK.

What do Raechelle Banno (Olivia), Scott Lee (Hunter) and James Stewart (Justin) all have in common? Well, apart from all starring in H&A, they each have a twin sibling.

Ray Meagher was initially offered a two-year contract on the show, but he thought that was too long and agreed to only sign up for six months. More than 30 years later, Ray is still playing Summer Bay stalwart Alf Stewart. He’s now the longest-serving actor on an Australian drama series.

H&A was almost axed after just six weeks on air. However, the producers begged for an extra three weeks, which was just enough time for the ratings to improve. The rest is history…

Debra Lawrance auditioned to play foster mum Pippa in 1987, but she missed out. The role went to Carol Willesee, who then pulled out. Vanessa Downing ended up as Pippa for the first three years. And when she left in 1990, Debra was finally cast as Pippa!

Debra Lawrance and Dennis Coard, who played married couple Pippa and Michael Ross, are also married in real life.

Ada Nicodemou has been playing Leah since 2000, but she actually auditioned for the show years earlier. In 1992, Ada was in the running to play teenager Sarah Thompson, but Laura Vazquez won the role.

Laura Vazquez (pictured here with co-star Emily Symons), who played schoolgirl Sarah in the ’90s, is now one of the show’s hair and make-up artists.

Kyle Pryor, who played Dr Nate Cooper in the show, initially auditioned for the role of wild boy Andy Barrett. However, that part went to Tai Hara.

Who could forget when Kyle (Nic Westaway) kidnapped Casey (Lincoln Younes) and left him to die in the desert? Nic recalls Lincoln wouldn’t speak to him while filming. “He thought it would add to the hostility between the characters,” Nic explains.

In 2011, the show filmed on location in Hawaii. Samara Weaving (Indi) and Luke Mitchell (Romeo) flew to Honolulu for the scenes, along with Georgie Parker (Roo) and Robert Mammone (Sid).

Simon Baker, then known for his work in E Street, had a brief stint on the show as James Hudson. He was a heart-throb teacher who stole Roxy’s heart.

From 1993-1996, fans lapped up Shane and Angel’s love story. But away from the cameras, it was a different story. Co-stars Melissa George and Dieter Brummer didn’t get along. The actors haven’t spoken to each other since they left the show.

The River Boys debuted in 2011 when they sauntered into singles’ night at Angelo’s (Luke Jacobz) restaurant. Recognising Angelo, Darryl “Brax” Braxton’s first words in the series were: “Oi, a familiar face!”

Hayley’s pregnancy was written for H&A before Bec Cartwright discovered she was pregnant. Bec was replaced by Ella Scott Lynch, who played the part for the remainder of 2005.