Jake Speer

Michael Blanco

Follows a young man working a failing farm amidst the most severe drought on record and a devastating global economic collapse. After his father committed suicide, Matthew has had to take on the responsibilities of managing the faltering sheep station, as well as caring for his younger brother and grandmother. Set against the backdrop of the harsh and unforgiving Australian bush, Matthew must protect his family and his most precious resource, water, from a rising and relentless threat.

Home and Away is set in the fictional town of Summer Bay, a coastal town in New South Wales, and follows the personal and professional lives of the people living in the area. The show initially focused on the Fletcher family, Pippa and Tom Fletcher and their five foster children Frank Morgan, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Lynn Davenport and Sally Keating, who would go on to become one of the show's longest-running characters. The show also originally and currently focuses on the Stewart family. During the early 2000s, the central storylines focused on the Sutherlands and later, the Hunters. Home and Away had proved popular when it premiered in 1988 and had risen to become a hit in Australia, and after only a few weeks, the show tackled its first major and disturbing storyline, the rape of Carly Morris; it was one of the first shows to feature such storylines during the early timeslot. H&A has tackled many adult-themed and controversial storylines; something rarely found in its restricted timeslot.