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Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and has been produced in Sydney, New South Wales since July 1987. It commenced broadcast on the Seven Network from 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running Australian drama and has endured worldwide success, becoming one of the most popular Australian soap operas to screen internationally and the most popular in its home country. The pilot episode was screened as a ninety-minute television film, with each subsequent episode airing at twenty-two minutes per episode. The series is broadcast Mondays through to Thursdays at 7:00 pm.
Home and Away is set in Summer Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales, and follows the personal and professional lives of the residents within the town. Initially, the series focused on the Fletcher family – Pippa and Tom, and their five foster children, Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Lynn Davenport, Steven Matheson and Sally Keating (later Fletcher) – who relocated from the city to live in the picturesque town of Summer Bay, following Tom's job retrenchment and move into the Summer Bay House, where they took on the new job of running the caravan park, and eventually took in a sixth foster child, Bobby Simpson. The series was not without controversy. During the first season alone, the show featured several adult-themed storylines, such as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction and drug overdose. A storyline, in particular concerning rape outraged the public and a protest erupted, as viewers deemed it an inappropriate subject to be covering in an early evening time slot. The series has dealt with similar storylines over the years which have often exceeded its restricted time slot.
The series currently remains Australia's highest-rated and most popular soap opera, and has been successful in several countries. It is popular in the UK and Ireland, being one of Channel 5's and RTÉ's most popular drama series, especially since the Irish broadcaster began airing the show just several months after its premiere in Australia. The show remains successful in New Zealand, and France, where it is titled as Summer Bay.
Home and Away is the most successful programme in the history of the Logies and has earned a total of 42 Logie Awards since premiering in 1988, including the award for Most Popular Drama Program. The cast has earned several awards including the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actor, and Most Popular Actress.