It has been revealed that a prior fan-favorite character from Home and Away was almost brought back a few years ago.
Summer Bay’s former principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) was a regular from the show’s inception in 1988 until the early 2000s, with his last appearance in 2007.
Donald – also known as Flathead – was set to return in 2015 as part of former wife Marilyn Chambers’ amnesia narrative, according to former screenplay executive Dan Bennett.
Marilyn was electrocuted in a bizarre accident at the Diner during the events, and when she awoke from her coma, she thought it was still the mid-1990s and that she was still married to Donald.
Dan responded to a question concerning character returns on Twitter, indicating that Donald was intended to return for the events, where he was also set to die in Alf Stewart’s arms as part of a euthanasia narrative.
“Fisher was actually meant to come back after the Marilyn amnesia story (remember when she thought she was married to Fisher?),” he explained.
“Then we’d have played a months’ long Euthanasia story (post dementia reveal) where Alf held his best friend on the beach as he helped him slip away…”
He went on to claim: “Network didn’t think anyone would care. I disagree.”
Dan previously revealed to Back to the Bay that they had a “huge Fisher story planned” for the period, expressing hope that “it plays out one day”.
Donald and Marilyn divorced in 2001, a few years after the tragic death of their baby Byron, and he later remarried to June Reynolds, who he divorced in 2007.
He returned the following year, but after returning to the school – this time as Vice Principal – he quit and traveled to the United Kingdom to see Marilyn, who was battling breast cancer.
Dan also stated on Twitter that Brody Morgan (Jackson Heywood) was supposed to be gay as part of a separate plot.
“One of the series regulars during my latest stint was designed to be gay, another to be larger set in frame… both were rebuked by the network,” he wrote, later confirming it was Brody.
