A change to Home and Away‘s new opening titles has confirmed the departure of a major character.
The 2025 season of Home and Away brought back its famous opening titles for the first time in 18 years.
First airing on 6th February, the new titles see the cast return for the first time since late 2008, as shots of the characters at the beach are interspersed with stylised images of Summer Bay.
The titles also brought back the full version show’s iconic theme tune, with vocals by Fergus James.
On 13th February, a second much faster-paced version of the titles aired, this time with an alternative version of the theme tune, sung by Kayla Rae Haywood.
Despite Xander (Luke Van Os) having departed Summer Bay for Melbourne back in November after beginning an internship in a hotel, he featured in both versions of the new titles.
While Xander’s internship in Melbourne was only meant to last 6 weeks, before he returned to Summer Bay to reunite with girlfriend Dana (Ally Harris) and resume his position at Salt, it was believed that his exit scenes would actually mark Luke Van Os’s permanent departure from the show.
This has now been confirmed. Today’s triple-bill (Thursday 20th February) began with the first version of the new titles, but Xander’s shot has been removed, replaced with an image of a surfboard.
Last week saw Xander call Rose (Kirsty Marillier) and reveal that he’d decided to stay in Melbourne after all, after receiving a lucrative job offer.
He encouraged Dana to leave Summer Bay and join him, but Dana was conflicted – her life is in Summer Bay, and she’s not ready to leave.
Opening up to Rose, Dana made it clear that she intended to remain in the beachside town, meaning she had to convince Xander to return, or face giving up their relationship.
The episode itself then confirmed that both Xander and Dana have made their choices.
Dana revealed to Rose that she had broken up with Xander, meaning he’ll stay in his new Melbourne home, while Dana remains in Summer Bay.
Rose, meanwhile, revealed to Dana that she isn’t sure what her brother’s departure means for her own future. Dana asked her if she was considering leaving Summer Bay for Melbourne herself, but she explained that she hadn’t yet made a decision.
Rose is expected to depart in the coming weeks.
In early October, fan of the show Belinda Sinclair witnessed Kirsty Marillier filming Rose’s departure scene at Palm Beach.
The scene in question saw Rose driving out of the bay as Irene (Lynne McGranger), Kirby (Angelina Thomson) and Bree (Juliet Godwin) ran up to her, causing her to come to a stop.
After Rose stepped out of the car, Irene could be seen handing over a leaving gift. Rose then hugged the trio one by one, before getting back in the car and continuing her drive out of the bay.
Kirby shouts “Go get ’em, Detective!” prompting cheers from the others. As Rose drives off, they shout, “We love you, drive safe.”
With Rose currently working as a Senior Constable in Yabbie Creek Police Station, could a promotion to Detective see her move to the city to pursue her dreams?
As one character’s exit is confirmed, another one’s arrival has been firmly cemented.
New character Sonny (Ryan Bown) – who arrived last week as one of Remi’s (Adam Rowland) childhood friends – has been added to the closing credits, confirming his position as Home and Away’s newest full-time cast member.
Sonny is described as a charming, fun-loving party boy, and his impulsive nature is sure to get him in trouble.
Hot on Sonny’s heels is Lacey, played by Sophea Pennington, who is expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Summer Bay’s newest River Girl, her character has been described as a “wild child” who will make “quite the entrance” when she arrives in Summer Bay in March.
Next week’s episodes will also see the return of Irene, who heads back to Summer Bay after a stint in rehab. The character was last seen on Australian screens on 8th August 2024.
However, it seems all is not well with Reenie. Teaser spoilers for next Wednesday’s episode reveal that “John and Leah worry for Irene,” while she’s “overwhelmed” in the second episode of Thursday’s triple bill.
Teasers for the final episode of Thursday’s triple reveal that “Irene’s re-entry to the Bay is rocky.” Will she struggle to re-adjust to life in the bay?
