Classic episodes of Home and Away will begin airing on 5Drama and 5Streaming from Monday, November 16, starting with the earliest series from the very first episode.
Channel 5 will celebrate its long-standing association with the Australian soap by broadcasting the show's beginnings, allowing fans to relive storylines from Summer Bay in 1988 and catch up with classic characters such as Alf Stewart and Sally Fletcher.
Launch Details and Scheduling
5Drama launched last month with a lineup of Channel 5's original dramas, including All Creatures Great and Small, The Madame Blanc Mysteries and The Hardacres, as well as detective dramas Ellis and Dalgliesh. The channel also features boxsets from 5Streaming, such as Gilmore Girls, A Million Little Things and Waterloo Road.
The classic episodes will air Monday to Friday with double bills from 12pm, followed by a catch-up stack on weekends. Thirty episodes will be available on 5Streaming from launch, with weekly drops of 10 episodes in the following weeks.
Cast and Executives React
Speaking to Radio Times, Channel 5 boss Reemah Sakaan said: "Award winning drama is increasingly at the heart of what 5 offers viewers, so it's the right time to give it a dedicated home."
Original cast member Ray Meagher, who continues to appear in contemporary episodes as Alf Stewart, said of the repeats: "It's fantastic to know that Home and Away is continuing to find new audiences in the UK, and now viewers can go right back to the beginning on 5Drama. There's a lot of history in those early episodes - and a lot of memories for Alf and the whole Summer Bay community. I hope fans enjoy taking a trip back to where it all began."
His co-star Emily Symons, who plays Marilyn Chambers, added: "It's so special to think that UK fans can revisit the very beginning of Home and Away on 5Drama. Marilyn has been such a huge part of my life, and seeing those early episodes again is a wonderful reminder of where her story began. I know there are so many Home and Away fans in the UK who have grown up with these characters, so I hope they love going back to Summer Bay and rediscovering some of those early stories."
Home and Away continues to air new episodes on weekdays at 6am on 5's streaming service, with a 6.30pm screening on 5STAR.
