Home and Away 2023 Spoilers – Next year’s Summer Bay drama
This year’s final episode will see Tane (Ethan Browne) and Felicity’s (Jacqui Purvis) wedding day finally arrive, but things take a shock turn when someone sabotages the brakes of the ute which Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Justin (James Stewart) have spent weeks restoring.
When Felicity and Eden start the drive to the remote farm, they soon realise that they’re unable to brake, and speed uncontrollably through the country roads.
Justin and Leah (Ada Nicodemou) are in their path and their car flips as they try to avoid a crash. Eden (Stephanie Panozzo) and Felicity have no choice but to carry on driving, before crashing into a petrol station. The show now takes its annual summer break, returning to Australian screens in January next year.
We now take a look at what’s in store next year. Most of the spoilers have come from fans watching filming at Sydney’s Palm Beach, the real-life home of Summer Bay’s beach, as well as actors’ social media accounts and photos in the press.
While we think everything is accurate, very little has been officially confirmed by the show.
When is Home and Away back in 2023?
Home and Away will return to both UK and Australian screens in January 2023.
It will return to Channel 5 in the UK on Monday 2nd January 2023.
In Australia, the show is expected to return on Monday 9th January, just one week before the show’s 35th anniversary on Tuesday 17th January.
Does Felicity survive?
The final episode will see Felicity’s ute go up in flames with her inside it, after a mystery figure tampers with the brakes.
While the Seven Upfronts promised us “tragedy,” Jacqui Purvis has been seen at Palm Beach in recent months.
With Home and Away filmed many months in advance of episodes airing in Australia, it suggests she will survive the burning car and get to experience married life with Tane.
While the Seven Upfronts promised us “tragedy,” Jacqui Purvis has been seen at Palm Beach in recent months.
With Home and Away filmed many months in advance of episodes airing in Australia, it suggests she will survive the burning car and get to experience married life with Tane.
However, with the most likely hypothesis being that the brakes were tampered with by a member of the Death Adders motorcycle club, the bikie gang seeking revenge on the Parata family, it looks like our Summer Bay favourites will face further gang drama as the show returns in 2023.
Leah ends up injured
Photos from the shoot show actress Ada Nicodemou with fake blood on her dress, suggesting that she gets injured in the dramatic crash.
Thankfully she’s been spotted filming in recent weeks, so Leah’s not going anywhere either.
A formal event in Sydney
Whenever the cast don formal attire and head away from Summer Bay for some on-location filming, things don’t tend to end well.
In recent months, we’ve had Iandra Castle and Heather’s (Sofia Nolan) posh brunch, which saw her take Marilyn (Emily Symons) and friends hostage. Then, of course, there was Tane and Felicity’s disastrous wedding.
Hopefully next year’s formal event has a happier ending – though the fact that Cash is once again there in police attire doesn’t bode well.
Last time it was on Cash to rescue Alf (Ray Meagher), Irene (Lynne McGranger), Leah and Roo (Georgie Parker) from Heather’s clutches – will he be called upon to rescue his friends next year?
In early November, a number of the cast headed to central Sydney, filming scenes at a beautiful location with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
In attendance were Ada Nicodemou (Leah), James Stewart (Justin), Matt Evans (Theo), Nicholas Cartwright (Cash) and Georgie Parker (Roo).
It’s also possible that there were other cast members who didn’t make it into any of the photos the cast shared on social media.
With everyone in formal attire, and Justin and Theo suited and booted, could the shoot be a wedding, a celebration, a presentation, or the location of yet another emergency?
The possibilities are endless, and only time will tell…
Dean and Ziggy leave?
This hasn’t been confirmed, and likely won’t be made official until the scenes air in 2023, but filming in November has suggested that Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) have left Summer Bay with their newborn baby.
Fans saw the pair filming a goodbye from Summer Bay, driving off in Ziggy’s distinctive car with their boot packed full of their possessions.
While some have speculated that the new parents are simply heading off to visit family, the car was stacked full of their possessions, including their prized front cover of the Coastal News from when they won last year’s surf competition.
With such a packed car, and with many past characters having left the show shortly after having a baby, it seems safe to assume that we’ll be saying goodbye to Ziggy and Dean in 2023.
Shortly after filming the “goodbye” scenes, Patrick O’Connor and Sophie Dillman returned to Palm Beach to film something with the whole cast – likely a celebration for the 35th anniversary.
The pair – who are dating in real life – then jetted off on a trip to the middle east. Patrick O’Connor posted a photo of a new haircut soon after, showing him with bleach-blonde hair.
While a new hairstyle doesn’t definitely prove that Dean will be saying goodbye, and it’s always possible for a dramatic new look to be incorporated into a storyline, actors have been known to go for a radical change after leaving their roles.
Before they leave, we can expect the return of Dean’s mum Karen, played by Georgia Adamson.
Karen was last seen in March when Dean introduced her to his son Jai (River Jarvis). Now she’s about to meet her newest grandchild, with Ziggy expected to give birth early in the new year.
A photo from the set shows Georgia Adamson posing alongside Patrick O’Connor, Sophie Dillman, Lynne McGranger and Emily Symons, with a pram clearly visible at the bottom of the picture.
Bella returns
Bella Nixon is also rumoured to be returning for a short stint in 2023.
Courtney Miller bowed out of the role earlier this year after 3 1/2 years on the show, with her final episode airing in Australia in early June.
Her character Bella left for New York to help photographer Emmett Ellison (JR Reyne) on a 3-month project.
While she intended on returning to Summer Bay, Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) broke up with her for her own safety after the Paratas became embroiled in gang drama, and she opted to remain in New York.
Now, photos taken by a fan at Palm Beach – the real-life home of Summer Bay – appear to show that Bella is set to return.
Actress Courtney Miller was seen alongside Lynne McGranger (Irene) at the Coffee Cart.
There was no sign of Nikau actor Kawakawa Fox-Reo, but we imagine there’ll be a reunion between Bella and Nik – but just how positive it will be, remains to be seen.
That leads us on to the next potentially huge spoiler…
Nikau leaves?
Just like when Emmett’s return led to Bella’s exit, it seems that Bella returning may spell the end for Nikau Parata’s time in Summer Bay.
Shortly after Courtney Miller was spotted on set, Kawakawa Fox-Reo headed to LA, before taking to Instagram to post a dramatic hair transformation.
Just like Patrick O’Connor, he’s dyed his hair bleach blonde!
Assuming we can’t expect a flurry of bleach-blonde male characters on Home and Away next year, Kawa’s trip to LA and radical transformation suggests that he may also be departing next year.
It’s also approaching three years since Nikau made his debut appearance on 28th January 2020, and it’s not uncommon to see an actor exit after three years in their role.
Could Bella’s Summer Bay return be the catalyst for Nikau’s exit?
Ava returns
Justin’s daughter Ava Gilbert was last seen in 2020, when Justin had surgery to remove his spinal tumour. At that point she was played by Alice Roberts, having originally been played by Grace Thomas when she first arrived back in 2016.
Now, Ava is set to be recast a second time, with the character set to return in 2023.
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