Dion

Oh Lisa Elliot, yeah she was a teacher at Erinsborough High and flatted with half-sisters Sarah and Catherine (and later Ben after Catherine left). She was only on for about six months in 1997. Lisa and Harold were actually on briefly together (in the latter part of Madge and Harold's initial post resurrection stint - they briefly left and then returned in the latter half of '97 after Lisa had gone). She wasn't very memorable so it's plausible Harold doesn't remember her either lol. Her exit storyline involved her quitting teaching after Billy wrote "Lisa is a numb-nut" in one of his assignments in order to prove that she wasn't bothering to read them when marking them!

It'd have to be next to the elevator to Helena's lab...the lab was 30 storeys (so like 90 - 120 metres or 300 - 400 feet) deep lol

I could definitely see Liz friends with Mary - with Mary always getting carried away concerning Paul, and Liz trying to be her voice of reason. Liz also would have made a good ally for Nina.

Well if Helena can have a secret lab (which is still there btw - it's where Finn and Liz hid Peter) built under GH without anyone noticing, I suppose at the very least Sonny can get either a gym or a secret entrance for his minions lol

Don't forget Camryn Grimes as Cassie on Y&R at that time too lol

20 years ago it was Neighbours that was completely ignoring their history with no Robinsons left (I think it was the Perfect Blend website who sometime in either 2003 or 04 bemoaned that Helen Daniels hadn't been mentioned in years) and Harold Bishop being the last "Ramsay". Whereas Home and Away was still having visits from Pippa or her original foster children every 1 - 2 years. Of course this began to change in 2003 when they brought Teenage Sky Mangel on and Harold's son David, followed of course by Paul Robinson's return at the end of 2004 and the exceptional 20th anniversary celebrations. Meanwhile Home and Away seems to have pretty much cut ties after Sally left, except for Marilyn and Roo returning and the use of Alf's long lost daughter Quinn (originally a brief storyline from 1995) to provide him with another grandson - Ryder.

I think Patricia Breslin had that too, since she had a bit of star power from her TV work

I'm just grateful that her mother does not appear to be Felicia.

Luke actually arrived in November 1978 but other than that your point still stands. He arrived nearly a year after Monty and didn't become a lead until the fall of 79.

Yeah, I think most of us would agree that Scott and Liz becoming family was the best thing to come out of Liz and Franco.

I know right. I feel a lot of Imran's potential that was evident back in 2019 was basically squandered.

I have heard that

Apparently it's going to be a month long celebration

And 40 years later they still passing that ugly rock around lol

Not surprised that 2000 is ranked as the lowest, although the blurb gets it a little wrong here as both the 14 characters exiting and the hospital becoming public happened in 2001 (I think the clinic becoming a public hospital is often conflated with the clinic shifting premises after the liquefaction of the old clinic which did happen in 2000). Not surprised 2007 is ranked the highest, that set off a ratings renaissance that lasted for about 5 - 6 years. I thought 1994 was better than 95 or 96 so surprised to see them ranked so highly

Not this time around I don't think, but there were a couple of complaints during Te Rongopai's first stint on the show back in 2018 https://thespinoff.co.nz/tv/24-05-2022/rude-well-show-you-rude-30-years-of-shortland-street-viewer-complaints (scroll down)

Yeah, particularly since the Maori Health Authority is actually a real thing due to become live on July 1 and Te Rongopai seems to embody all the fears and negative stereotypes about it.

Hayden was pregnant when she left in 2017 and brought her daughter back with her in her 2019 stint.

Happy 30th anniversary Shortland Street! https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cd-QMiDhUnB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/128741914/shortland-street-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-the-last-30-years https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/shortland-street-turns-30-30-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-show/QLTTN4Y2Q3O45ZHZQE5MWZ7BFM/

I think mostly post Twist of Fate in December 96 up until Guza returned in late 97. Much of that was Culliton's writing and then he got replaced by some others before Guza returned. And I think Riche stretched herself too thinly with setting up Port Charles. During that period Miranda fizzled out as a character and was quickly jettisoned; The Spencer/Cassadine feud lost all momentum as GF went on maternity leave; Stefan and Bobbie were split up in favour of Stefan and Katherine; KMC was at college which affected Jason's storyline; Sonny and Brenda went on the run from the Tin Man; Kevin and Lucy were spun off to Port Charles; Ned had nothing to do post Lois except chat to Alexis and deal with Q squabbles; Felicia and Tom fizzled out, as did Mac and Katherine so they were both left adrift for a while before it was decided to pair them up again; and Maxie had a mysterious doll. There were a few highlights too like AJ and Carly's ONS but the resulting Michael storyline didn't fully take off until Carly named Jason as the father.

Cheers! This has actually made me realise that I mixed up a bit of Rachel Blake's story with Princess Gina's story in my earlier post. So to clarify: The 1996 explanation was that Stefano had brainwashed John because Rachel had told him about the Blakes, 1999 was that Stefano had gotten to Forrest very early and turned him into his Pawn and Forrest/John was never a priest. It was literally during. John found Carrie and Lawrence in bed together about to do the deed and in the ensuing confrontation John pulled a gun on Lawrence and Lawrence was like "You wouldn't kill your own brother!"

Yeah that's the current explanation but I think AbcNbc247 is asking how they explained it in the 90s? During the Princess Gina storyline I think they just said that after Philomena faked his death in the pool and John ended up a priest, Princess Gina would confess her sins (the art thefts and forgeries with Stefano) to him and they also became lovers. Stefano was so incensed that he took John away and brainwashed him to become Roman. And Gina was so heartbroken that she eventually had a mental breakdown necessitating Stefano to use Hope to take her place.

Maybe they needed something to use up some of Kristina's episode guarantee.

The only thing I can remember is Helena poisoning Lucas during Endgame in order to get Tony to do her bidding. Tony's arc during the Carly/Michael story just goes to show that while deconstruction was a good idea in theory, and drove a lot of story for years, without the required reconstruction it ultimately failed and left the show in a much darker place.