For a very long time, Home and Away has been on television. So it’s only natural that among the automobile wrecks, blown up weddings, and folks becoming lost in the jungle, production would throw in a renegade celebrity or two.
Celebrities have visited Summer Bay in the past for an intimate performance in the town’s most happening venue, the restaurant, or simply to surf with regular Joes.
Here are the most bizarre celebrity appearances that have appeared on everyone’s favourite soap opera about attractive people and their issues.
Ed Sheeran
When Ed Sheeran debuted on Home and Away in 2015, he was already a bonafide A+ popstar, which makes this more stranger. What did they pay this guy???
Ed portrayed himself in the programme, although he’s referred to as ‘Teddy’ for whatever reason. It didn’t go down well.
Rather than just portraying a worldwide superstar who came to town for some sun (and hopefully a lot of SPF), they gave him a full-fledged plot: he was meant to be one of the kids who Marilyn Chambers babysat while she was living in the UK, and he’d returned to Summer Bay for a reunion.
Marilyn, bless her heart, has no idea he’s Ed Sheeran, King of the Wedding Song. Of course, she brings him to the diner, where diners stare at him and ask him for autographs, and it is then that she learns who he is.
Ed then performs an impromptu rendition of ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ while Leah and Zac lock eyes and sprint across the floor to kiss in front of everyone. Ed appears to be thrilled.
Also, Ed appears to enjoy making cameo appearances. In 2014, he made a guest appearance on the New Zealand soap Shortland Street (basically Home and Away, but set in a hospital instead of a perpetually warm beach town), where he gave advice to Riverdale’s KJ Apa.
In 2017, he starred in Game of Thrones, and in 2019, he starred in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He also appeared in Bridget Jones’s Baby and Yesterday as himself.
Why? I haven’t the foggiest notion. Residents of Australia’s most hazardous beach town, on the other hand, must have been ecstatic.
Atomic Kitten
Ok.
THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST OUT OF THEM ALL.
In a special episode of the programme from 2001, poor tiny Nick Smith got lost on a bustling London street.
Fortunately, British girl group Atomic Kitten were on hand to… offer him instructions. Yes, the women who sang “the tiiiide is high, but I’m hollllding on” roughly 30 times a day in 2002.
Literally. All they do is that. But they do it brilliantly.
A once-in-a-lifetime appearance.
Lleyton Hewitt
It’s 2005, and Australia is gearing up for its own Jen and Brad moment à la Friends. Hayley Smith was our Rachel Green, but with a few more sad love tales under her belt.
Bec Cartwright, who portrayed Hayley before she turned red, was engaged to tennis great Lleyton Hewitt at the time, and they felt that a TV appearance would be a nice date night idea.
Lleyton featured in two episodes of the programme, both of which took place in the restaurant. In the first, he just observes Hayley as she is with her friends and love interest, Kim (a.k.a. Chris Hemsworth…), and in the second, he gets a little speaking part with Hayley and absolute legend Irene.
Kochie
In 2007, Kochie exchanged the Sunrise sofa for a two-line appearance at the Summer Bay surf club for a very brief period. What a great spot to do it!
Kochie is chatting at the pub when he hears two important pieces of dialogue: “Yeah, yeah.”
Iconic.
John Farnham
Sally got tickets to see John Farnham (goals!) in the early days of the show, but she was unable to attend due to chicken pox.
Instead, Bobby and Frank walked over to Farnsey and informed him of Sally’s very contagious sickness, and he came over to say hello.
Paulini
Paulini had a fantastic year in 2003. She won Australia’s first ever series of Australian Idol and then went on to feature in Home and Away.
Josie, a contentious character on the program, utilized her connections to persuade Paulini to play at the opening of Noah’s, the town’s new bar. It appears to be genuine.
Paulini sings ‘We Can Try’ in the start before being taken around the surf club by Colleen, the series’ best ever character (come at me!) who introduces her to all of the town’s attractive people.
Another subplot in the same episode follows Sally and Flynn as they struggle to locate a new site for their daughter Pippa’s baptism after the local church burns down, in the most Home and Away twist imaginable. OH YES, OF COURSE IT DID.
It’s transferred to Summer Bay House, which is also where half of the town resides, and Paulini joins in, singing an acappella rendition of ‘Silent Night.’ Yes, it’s a Christmas carol. In November, the episode aired. Never tell me that Home and Away doesn’t push the envelope.
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Mauboy dressed up as herself in 2016 to play at the appropriately called ‘Summer Grooves music festival,’ which went off without a hitch until an arsonist set a massive blaze. Home and Away is a classic move.
I believe Jess avoided harm since several other characters were reported missing in the turmoil, and we never heard anything about her again.
However, it’s a fantastic collection.
Michael Palin
In 1997, Monty Python’s Michael Palin was in Australia filming his travel show Full Circle, so a visit to the strangely lethal village of Summer Bay was a must.
In the series, he played an English surfer who interrupts Fisher and Marilyn’s talk to inquire about sharks in the ocean.
Because… Monty Python and… truly fantastic comic timing, it’s a lot of fun.
