First Home and Away 2023 Spoilers revealed
Seven, the network which airs Home and Away in Australia, has given an early glimpse of what’s in store in 2023 as part of its annual Upfronts event.
Tuesday evening saw Seven’s annual ‘Upfronts’, an event where the network gives advertisers and partners a preview of what’s in store in the year ahead, take place in Sydney..
The event was hosted at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter in Sydney, and several members of the Home and Away cast, including Luke Van Os (Xander), Kirsty Marillier (Rose), Ethan Browne (Tane), Jacqui Purvis (Felicity), and Shane Withington (John), walked the red carpet outside.
As usual, Seven devoted a brief portion of its event to Home and Away, giving participants a little preview of what to expect in the latter half of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
In a statement, the network promised an unforgettable year filled with tragedy and both new and old characters:
Next year promises to be another unmissable year in Summer Bay, with the lives and loves of Australia’s most iconic beachside community thrown into turmoil in the wake of a tragedy that will send shockwaves throughout the Bay.
The high-octane season return will see new arrivals and surprise faces from the past set to shake things up.
About one million Australians watch every episode of this iconic television series on broadcast and digital, a testament to its enduring appeal.
Don’t miss a second of the sizzling hot drama when Home and Away returns to Channel 7 and 7plus in 2023. Home and Away is a Seven Production.
Thanks to eagle-eyed fans who’ve been lucky enough to catch filming take place at Sydney’s Palm Beach, we already have a good idea about a number of these spoilers.
A tragedy sends shockwaves through the Bay
Tane Parata and Felicity Newman will get married in this year’s season finale, but their special day will be ruined by catastrophe, as we’ve already mentioned in previous spoiler pieces.
The emotional sequences were shot at Blayney, a town in Central West NSW, around 240 kilometres west of Sydney, by members of the Home and Away cast in August.
Photos taken from the shoot show Leah Patterson’s (Ada Nicodemou) crashed car resting underneath a tree, surrounded by crew members.
Another fan was fortunate enough to take a shot with James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou (Leah) (Justin).
Leah appeared to have injuries to her face and belly in the shot, indicating that she was in the automobile at the time, possibly as the driver or a passenger.
There is currently no information regarding whether Justin (James Stewart), who was there during the filming, was in the car with Leah or if there were any other passengers.
However, it appears that Theo’s nephew is safe because Matt Evans was seen filming sequences at Palm Beach that same week while the other filming crew was in Blayney.
Although the reason of the crash has not been determined, Back to the Bay has a notion that it might not have been an accident.
Recently, it was revealed that Cash Newman had been targeted for murder by the Death Adders motorcycle club, a biker gang seeking retribution against the Parata family (Nicholas Cartwright).
Cash and the Paratas, on the other hand, recently resumed their regular lives after concluding that the gang conflict was over. We have a sneaking suspicion that the group will show up for Tane and Felicity’s wedding, probably with Leah as collateral damage.
The crash will undoubtedly have an impact on Summer Bay when the show returns in 2023 and gets ready to mark its 35th birthday because it will probably be shown in the season finale.
New arrivals
While nothing has been officially confirmed, there are rumours of some new characters arriving in Summer Bay in the coming months.
Romance for Mackenzie with a newcomer?
In early October, fan Esther Mackenzie witnessed a number of scenes being filmed at Palm Beach, in which Mackenzie (Emily Weir) got close to a new character.
The pair cosied up, with the male putting his hands on Mac’s face before they embraced.
Since she first arrived in Summer Bay in 2019, Mackenzie hasn’t exactly had the best luck finding love. Before passing away earlier this year, her previous boyfriend Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) dumped her for his ex Mia (Anna Samson).
Will the newcomer offer her happiness at last, or will she experience more heartache?
Since these scenes were shot in early October, they will probably appear on screen in 4-5 months.
Actor Kyle Shilling joins Home and Away
Since August, the show has been filming with actor Kyle Shilling. Nothing about his character has yet been revealed, however Kirsty Marillier, who plays Rose, and he have lately been seen filming together.
Since arriving to Summer Bay, Rose hasn’t had much luck finding love either. Rose later arrested Tex Wheeler (Lukas Linehan), the only man she had ever dated, when it emerged out he belonged to a biker gang.
Will she fall in love with Kyle’s character when he debuts in the first few months of 2019?
Peter Phelps to feature in Tane and Felicity’s wedding
Australian actor Peter Phelps, best known for his roles in Sons and Daughters, Stingers and Baywatch, is set to make an appearance later this year as part of Tane and Felicity’s wedding scenes.
Fans noticed him during the on-location filming last month, and in late July, he attended dinner with the cast and crew at the Royal Hotel Wyong.
Although Peter has previously served as the show’s director on a number of occasions, the fan photo shot in Blayney showed the actor dressed in a blue suit, suggesting that he was more likely there to take part in Tane and Felicity’s wedding scenes than to serve as the show’s director.
Could he be a face from Tane or Felicity’s past?
Surprise faces from the past
As things stand, we’re aware of three existing characters set to make a return in 2023.
Ava Gilbert returns
Justin Morgan’s (James Stewart) daughter Ava Gilbert is set to return to Summer Bay next year.
She made her first appearance in 2016, played by Grace Thomas, and returned in 2018, having been recast and played by Alice Roberts.
When Justin underwent surgery to remove his spine tumour in 2020, Ava was last observed. He had first declined surgery after realising that it might leave him paralysed, so Tori brought Ava to see him to apply pressure, which eventually resulted in his consenting to the procedure.
Justin spent one final day with Ava before sending her back to the city since he decided he didn’t want her nearby in case something went wrong.
Ava has now undergone a second recast. As Maz works behind the counter and Kirby (Angelina Thomson) and Theo pass by, Justin and an older Ava can be seen at the Coffee Cart in a film from CelebTime, the company that organised the Home and Away Tour.
Although the reason for Ava’s return to Summer Bay is unknown, we are confident that Justin will be happy to see his daughter again.
Theo and Kirby’s continued relationship is also confirmed by the shot. Recently, former lead singer of Lyrik Bob Forsyth (Rob Mallett) returned to the harbour with the intention of winning Kirby back for Australian fans.
Bella’s back as Nikau leaves?
Courtney Miller has also been back on set filming as Bella Nixon.
After Emmett Ellison (JR Reyne) returned to Summer Bay, he immediately gave Bella the chance of a lifetime: three months working as his assistant on a significant project in New York. Bella left for New York earlier this year.
Since their trip was only going to last three months, they decided to try long-distance dating after her lover Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) opted not to travel with her.
Nikau found their long-distance relationship challenging, made more challenging by the different time zones that made it impossible for them to communicate.
Nevertheless, despite their communication problems, the Paratas’ gang problems were what ultimately caused them to split up.
Tane chose to send Chloe (Sam Barrett) to New Zealand for protection since Tex, Marty, and their allies were out to get the family, while Nik ended his relationship with Bella to prevent her from returning to Summer Bay and becoming involved in their conflict.
Nik decided to fly to New York after things had finally subsided so that he could tell Bella what had happened and ask for her forgiveness. Nikau didn’t decide to forsake his plans and let Bella go until Dean (Patrick O’Connor) showed him pictures of how much fun she was having in New York.
Photos from Palm Beach, where Summer Bay actually resides, now indicate that Bella will be making a comeback.
Although Kawakawa Fox-Reo was not there, actress Courtney Miller was spotted filming at the Coffee Cart with Lynne McGranger, who plays Irene. We are confident that Bella and Nik will reunite despite the absence of Kawakawa Fox-Reo. But it’s still unclear how optimistic it will actually be.
There is yet another potential possibility, though. Kawa, who has been Nikau since 2020, just shared a radical hair makeover on Instagram.
He recently uploaded pictures of his new bleach-blonde hair from his vacation in Los Angeles.
Returning to Australia, he then posted another picture alongside co-stars Matt Evans (Theo) and Luke Van Os (Xander).
Even while it’s feasible to weave a hair change into a plot and it’s not a clear sign of an exit, actors have been known to make extreme changes after leaving their roles.
As Nikau makes his debut on January 28, 2020, we’re also getting close to the character’s three-year mark. After three years, it’s not unusual for an actor to leave a job.
Could Bella’s return to Summer Bay spark an exit for Nikau?
Karen Thompson is back!
Fans have also reported seeing Dean’s (Patrick O’Connor) mother Karen (Georgia Adamson) while filming at Sydney’s Palm Beach.
The last time Dean allowed Karen to see his son Jai was in March (River Jarvis). Now that Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) is due to give birth early in the new year, it is likely that she will get to meet her newest grandson.
Dean and Ziggy recently discovered that Ziggy is 18 weeks pregnant, 6 weeks further along than she thought.
New photos from the set show Ziggy and Dean with a buggy, suggesting that Ziggy successfully gives birth, and that she and Dean are about to become parents.
However, during recent filming, the couple left town with Ziggy’s distinctive automobile packed to the brim with their possessions. The new parents appear to be getting ready to leave Summer Bay for good.
Will there be any other characters returning to Home and Away in 2023? With producers remaining tight-lipped as always, we’ll likely have to wait until next year to find out.
The date of Home and Away’s season finale hasn’t yet been announced, but based on previous years, it’s likely to be mid to late-November. The show will then break for the Australian summer, returning early 2023.
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