Home and Away: The beginning

The Beginning
Ever since I was a child I have watched Home And Away. My mother and grandmother would watch it from time to time and it's the only soap I ever watched as a child. During my teen years I would watch it, usually after The Den was over on RTE when they'd have 'young adult' programs which for some unknown reason included H&A.It is the only soap, the only program actually that I have stuck with over the years. I'm not a tv person, I do not really remain faithful to shows. I love television, don't get me wrong but I usually just watch whatever happens to be on when I'm watching. Now of course, we have the internet which is very good. This is also where I watch Home and Away. Not just because I can watch it whenever I want without worrying about missing it, but also they are about 2 weeks ahead in Australia and I need to know what is happening, okay? I NEED TO KNOW.
Why Home and Away?
Although I will watch other soaps if they happen to be on or if I'm at my grandmothers house, I wouldn't go out of my way. Although I wouldn't call Eastenders or Coronation st. 'real life' they just don't have the same fantastical element that H&A has. There have been more than a few ghosts make an appearance in some form in H&A. From Bobby's ghost coming out of the fridge (one that everyone seems to remember) to Sally's foster dad Tom's ghost showing her the future and most recently of course, Gina Palmer's ghost appearing to her before she died. It is absolutely mental and doesn't even try and explain itself. I love how unapologetic it is. H&A also stars the most good looking people you've ever seen in your life and there are few exceptions to this rule. I like watching a show where I fancy basically all the men and women.
It's not all light fluff though, the show has never shied away from serious issues. One of the first major storylines was the rape of Carly Morris. And again when I was a teenager there was Danni who claimed Cain had raped her and most recently Rosie, who was raped by a classmate. It has always sparked controversy, especially in the case of Carly Morris in 1988 (the word 'rape' was never even used). It was a very risky move but I think the writers have always been brave and should be congratulated for how they've always dealt with the issue of sexual abuse and raising awareness for the issue.

The Challenge
So in a fit of infinite madness I have decided to watch every episode of Home and Away from the pilot episode which aired January 17th 1988. There are so many storylines that happened before I properly started watching and lots I have forgotten. With  the return of characters like Ru and Celia who hadn't appeared since the start, I wanted to see their origin. I will also be using the blog to talk about the current run of H&A aswell as any news/gossip/info that is in any way Home and Away related.