Home and Away star Nicholas Cartwright recently slammed a former producer of the show with a rude rant on social media.
But not all experiences with the show’s stars have been negative – fans have recently flocked to the Home and Away Facebook page to discuss their best (and worst) encounters with cast members over the years.
Summer Bay stalwart Ray Meagher, 80, who plays Alf Stewart in the long-running soap, was one cast member who fans seemed particularly fond of.
One poster depicted a casual breakfast in Canberra with the Home and Away icon, and revealed the actor was a sweetheart.
“Meeting Alf was amazing,” the fan said.
‘He was sitting right behind me at breakfast at the Park Hyatt Canberra. I still remember my wife saying, “I want you to be very quiet, but turn around please.”
‘We had a great talk.’
Lynne McGranger, 71, Emily Symons, 54, and the late Johnny Ruffo were other stars who fans were more than willing to sing praises to.
Fans flocked to the Home and Away Facebook page to discuss their best and worst encounters with cast members and the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Pictured: Ray Meagher in 2023
‘Johnny Ruffo and Lynne McGranger at a DMD fundraiser many years ago, loved them both,’ one fan recalled.
Ruffo, who played Chris Harrington on the show from 2013 to 2016, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and went into remission after treatment.
In 2020, he announced that the cancer had returned before revealing in 2022 that it was terminal. He passed away on November 10, 2023 at the age of 35.
While they didn’t want to reveal any names, one fan revealed that they spent a night on the town with 20 cast members.
“I met 20 of the Home and Away cast members and I have to say they are pretty fun to spend a night with,” they said.
However, it wasn’t all positive, as one fan admitted that a run-in with Darryl and Casey Braxton left them a little cold.
Lynne McGranger, 71 (pictured), Emily Symons, 54, and the late Johnny Ruffo were other stars fans were more than willing to sing praises to.
‘Johnny Ruffo (pictured with Tahnee Sims) and Lynne McGranger at a DMD fundraiser many years ago, I loved them both,’ one fan recalled
“I really enjoyed getting to know Lynne, Emily and Dan Ewing,” the fan said. “I didn’t like Stephen Peacocke (Darryl Braxton on the show) or Lincoln Younes (Casey).”
The praise comes after Home and Away heartthrob Nicholas Cartwright hit out at the show’s former boss after he sent “rude” messages about a crude new storyline involving his character.
Dan Bennett, who ran the Seven series as a scripted executive for the network between 2016 and 2017, says he unexpectedly drew the ire of the Summer Bay star on Friday after responding to one of her social media posts.
However, it wasn’t all positive, as one fan admitted that a run-in with Darryl and Casey Braxton left them a little cold.
“I’d seen him promoting an upcoming story (Home and Away) about the return of the River Boys,” Bennett told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The show is trying to re-energize the whole crime vibe – the drugs and the evil – and all I’ve done is text him saying ‘zzz’, as in ‘that’s a bit boring, we’ve seen it all before’.
‘Of course, that’s just my opinion; I’m just a fan these days. But the next thing I knew, Nicholas Cartwright, one of the supposed stars of the show, was DMing me and calling me a ‘wanker.’
“I don’t know Nicholas, I’ve never met him… so to think that this is how he speaks to fans is deeply troubling.”
The praise comes after Home and Away heartthrob Nicholas Cartwright hit out at the show’s former boss after he sent “rude” messages about a crude new storyline involving his character.
In excerpts of the heated exchange seen by Daily Mail Australia, Bennett ignites the feud with a series of “zzz” messages.
Cartwright, who plays Summer Bay’s resident cop Cash Newman, responds: “Rude response from someone in the industry.”
Bennett then responds by saying, “Or maybe an informed response from someone who knows that show better than anyone on the planet and is heartbroken to see it revert back to River Boy nonsense.”
‘The idea that we should support productions simply because we are in the ‘industry’ rather than supporting them because the quality is A+ is nonsense.
‘How can anyone be fair in applauding mediocrity instead of excellence?’
Cartwright responds: “Okay, buddy, try not to act like a fool next time.”
Bennett said he had since raised the issue with Cartwright’s bosses at Home and Away and considered the matter closed.
“I don’t want to ruin anyone’s career or get anyone in trouble, but I sent a message to his superiors and they said it had been resolved and I’m happy with that,” he said.
“He was probably having a bad day and was upset about something else. But it wasn’t a pleasant experience and I’d hate to think he’d text someone else something like that.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seven for comment.
