Perri Hayes

''Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera, which was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that appear in 2024, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Lucy Addario. The 37th season of ''Home and Away'' began airing from 8 January 2024. Valerie Beaumont was introduced at the end of the month. Rory Templeton made his debut in June, followed by Perri Hayes in July. Abigail Fowler and Claudia Salini arrived in August.

Valerie Beaumont

Valerie Beaumont, played by Courtney Clarke, made her first appearance on 29 January 2024. The character and Clarke's casting details were announced on 15 January 2024. Tahlia Pritchard of Yahoo! Lifestyle reported that the actress would be appearing for a short guest stint. Of filming, Clarke commented "I remember having no idea how the ship ran because it's such a longstanding show, there are all sorts of things regarding how they shoot." Clarke also said that she thought her character would be "a great challenge to play". She praised Ada Nicodemou for helping her feel comfortable and relaxed on set. Details of Clarke's character were not immediately released, but it was confirmed that Clarke had been working closely with Nicodemou, James Stewart and Matt Evans, who play Leah Patterson, Justin Morgan and Theo Poulos respectively. Pritchard wrote that some fans had speculated that Valerie might be someone Leah met in the mental health clinic, where she recently stayed. In the 3–9 February 2024 issue of ''TV Week'', Tamara Cullen confirmed the theory was true, and Valerie was a friend Leah had made while she was staying at the clinic. Valerie wants to help Leah settle back into the Bay, having got to know her and her state of mind. Nicodemou stated "She was Leah's roommate and best friend in the clinic, so she really relies on her for support in a way others can't." Valerie encourages Leah to invite her partner Justin out to dinner when she returns home.

Clarke later explained that Valerie's friendship with Leah was "a big aspect" of the character's journey. She also confirmed that Valerie would make "a few unsuspecting waves in the community over some different issues", however, she does not have negative intentions. Clarke told Melenie Parkes of Stuff that she tried to play Valerie as empathetic as she could. She also told Parkes that Valerie has a "traumatic" backstory, which she undertook research into to understand it. She stated: "Her past experience is something that I would consider to be incredibly rare, which is kind of what makes it unique and very interesting to play. But definitely not anything that I have lived myself and so it was a great challenge to figure out how I would embody that." Clarke's blonde hair was dyed red for the character, as she knew the producers wanted Valerie to have a "dark" image. She also said Valerie dresses "in a very strong way and certainly isn't of the Summer Bay mentality". Clarke added that Valerie would also have a romance with an existing character. Valerie and Theo (Evans) establish a relationship, but Valerie soon gets him addicted to drugs. She eventually leaves town, after Theo and his band are arrested for possession when the police find Valerie's stash in their van.

Rory Templeton

Rory Templeton, played by Joshua Orpin, made his first appearance on 27 June 2024. Orpin's casting was announced on 3 March 2024, while his character's details were confirmed on 24 June. Orpin, who had been based in North America, called the role "the perfect opportunity" as he was keen to work in Australian productions. He explained: "One of the reasons I was keen to do this gig was because of that, I have worked internationally and I have been quite homesick, especially over Covid where I wasn't able to come back to Australia even when I wasn't working." Orpin had to get used to the serial's fast filming pace, which he described as "incredibly fun" and "an adjustment for someone who hasn't worked in this style of TV before". He also felt that the pace improved his acting skills. Details about Orpin's character were initially withheld, but Jonathon Moran of ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Orpin would be playing a new "bad boy". Orpin told him that his character "stirs up some trouble among the Summer Bay locals. He is seemingly one thing on the surface but he has a great depth to him that I’ve had a lot of fun exploring."

Shortly before his debut, it was confirmed that Orpin's character Rory was a member of the show's River Boys surf gang. Along with Dingo (JK Kazzi), Rory comes to the aid of Mali Hudson (Kyle Shilling), whose brother Iluka Hudson (Dion Williams) is in trouble with the Allen gang. Orpin, who is from Melbourne, admitted that unlike his character, he was not "a surfer who frequents the beach", and joked that there was "some fake tan going on." Orpin told ''TV Weeks Wade Sellers that being part of the River Boys came with a "preconceived notion" about who Rory is because of the gang's reputation, but his character's story would explore "love and loyalty and how far that loyalty extends." The character was later confirmed to be a new love interest for Felicity Newman (Jacqui Purvis). During the episode broadcast on 31 July 2024, Rory is arrested for murdering a Mangrove River police officer. Orpin then confirmed on social media that his guest stint had ended, stating: "Tonight we say goodbye to Rory as he departs Summer Bay for greener pastures... And by greener pastures, I mean the oppressive concrete pastures of a tiny prison cell. I'd be lying if I said he doesn't entirely deserve it! Nonetheless, I hope you've enjoyed having him around these past few weeks."

Perri Hayes

Perri Hayes, played by Cantona Stewart, made his first appearance on 10 July 2024. The character and Stewart's casting was announced on 1 July 2024. Iona Rowan of Digital Spy confirmed Stewart had wrapped his six month guest stint shortly before his casting announcement. Perri was initially billed as a "troubled teen" who comes to Summer Bay to join Tane Parata's (Ethan Browne) new youth programme aimed at helping teenagers "who have been in trouble with the law." Kellie Balaam of ''The Sunday Times'' reported that Tane would take Perri, described as a "vulnerable but confident street-wise kid", under his wing. Like Browne, Stewart is of Māori descent and he hoped that Māori viewers would be able to relate to his character, especially as he missed out on being immersed in the Māori culture due to being born in the UK and raised on the Gold Coast in Queensland. He explained: "Growing up playing rugby league, and going to school, there are so many people from NZ and Pacific Islands who grew up here. They're in a sense like myself, they missed out on the day ins and day outs of what our culture provides at school, in a household, in sporting arenas and for me to be able to bring that to the screen and present that week to week in a storyline, I think has so much power." He added that Tane helps guide his character, as Perri has the culture from his mother, but has been unable to experience it first-hand.

Abigail Fowler

Abigail "Abby" Fowler, played by Hailey Pinto, made her first appearance on 8 August 2024. The character had previously been mentioned on-screen, but Pinto's casting was confirmed in June 2024 when she was seen filming at Palm Beach, the serial's exterior filming location. Abigail is the fourth member of the Fowler family to be introduced since her older sister Eden Fowler (Stephanie Panozzo) debuted in 2022. Further details about the character and Pinto's casting were released on 24 July. Georgia Clelland of ''The Courier-Mail'' reported that Abigail was Pinto's "first major acting role". She secured the role in 2023, three months after she signed to an acting agency, explaining "It's all happened really quickly, I got my agent in late November, then the audition came through in February. I then got a callback, and just two days later, I got a call saying that I booked it."

Clelland said Abigail would bring "plenty of drama" to the show, and Pinto described her as "very energetic, sassy, headstrong and a bit stubborn." She also said that Abigail would arrive with "a lot of her own kind of personal demons". Pinto undertook "a lot of research" before filming in order to portray Abigail with care and honesty. The character is introduced during Eden and Cash Newman's (Nicholas Cartwright) surprise engagement party. Eden is happy to see her sister, but soon notices that all is not well with Abigail, who is agitated, has a darkness around her eyes, and receives constant messages on her phone. For her portrayal of Abigail, Pinto received a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent in 2025.

Claudia Salini

Claudia Salini, played by Rachael Carpani, made her first appearance on 29 August 2024. Carpani's casting and character details were confirmed on 18 August. She was attracted to the role after learning the character was created by the show's script executive Louise Bowes, who previously worked as a scriptwriter on ''McLeod's Daughters'' which Carpani starred in from 2001 until 2007. Carpani commented: "she makes it far more real. I know we're talking about a fun soap here where people get kidnapped and people blow things up and crazy things happen, but there was a realness to this character." Claudia was billed as "a newcomer to Summer Bay who makes waves in the Morgan household." Later details released in ''TV Week'' described Claudia as "a no-nonsense businesswoman" who becomes stuck in Summer Bay following a car accident. Claudia blames Justin Morgan (James Stewart) and Theo Poulos (Matt Evans) for the crash as they recently serviced the car. She claims that the brakes were faulty, so she is going to sue Justin for negligence. Carpani stated "Claudia's anger towards Justin and Theo isn't personal. I'd say it's quite justified given her arm is broken and stuck in a cast for six weeks."

Others

References

External links

Characters and cast
at 7plus

{{Home and Away characters, year

#, 2024
*, Home and Away
Home and Away