Home and Away fans call for cast change as two characters exit again

 "It can't be over already!"

Home and Away fans have called for Ziggy Astoni and Dean Thompson to make a permanent return after their guest stint came to an end.

The popular characters – played by real-life couple Sophie Dillman and Patrick O'Connor – made a comeback on Australian screens this month. Sadly, though, their exciting return story has now ended after a handful of episodes.

Ziggy and Dean reappeared as Mackenzie Booth and Levi Fowler paid them a visit in North Queensland.

As always, drama wasn't far away for Ziggy and Dean. The tense episodes culminated in Ziggy and Mackenzie both being kidnapped by escaped criminals, forcing Dean and Levi to stage a risky rescue attempt.

After the high-stakes storyline ended in Wednesday's Australian pace episode (March 19), Sophie took to Instagram to mark the occasion.

Teasing the possibility of more appearances in the future, she commented: "Until next time on @homeandaway. We love you all, miss you more – can't wait to be back next time."

Fans flooded the comments section to express their hopes of seeing more from Ziggy and Dean.

One viewer wrote: "It can't be over already! We need you back for good."

A second added: "So great seeing you both back on our screens again! Please come back to the Bay for good, we have missed you guys."

Another said: "It's been great having you both back!! I wish you were staying!!"

Sophie recently announced that she'd returned to live in Australia after travelling around Europe and relocating to the UK. Patrick has opted to stay in the UK for work reasons, which has led to the couple going long-distance for the first time

One fan pointed out: "We need Ziggy + Dean back permanently love your work Paddy + Soph! Considering your back Sophie in Aus now, would love to see a few appearances here and there."

Speaking recently about the possibility of a permanent return, Sophie told Woman's Day: "I've always said that I wanna be Emily Symons [Marilyn Chambers] when I grow up, so it’s definitely something that I would love to do.

"The writers do such a great job creating character storylines that do well in the Bay, but it's not easy to flick a switch and get characters to dip in and out."

Home and Away fans in the UK will see Ziggy and Dean's return on Channel 5 in May.