The actor who plays Alf Stewart has been asked whether we could see Sally Fletcher on our screens again.
Ray Meagher has seen plenty of faces come and go on Home and Away in his nearly 40 years on the iconic show. One of those faces is Kate Ritchie, who first left Summer Bay in 2008, and fans have begged for her to come back ever since.
Well, could she be making a return to the show in 2026? A poll of hundreds of Yahoo Lifestyle readers found 51 per cent wanted to see her come back as Sally Fletcher.
Ray was interviewed this week on Nova 96.9, with radio host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli asking the man who plays Alf Stewart this very question in front of Kate.
“We’ve touched on it a couple of times on the show recently, and there’s a small dream, I think, on behalf of Australia…and you talk about Brax returning and the River Boys, but imagine in 2026 if Kate Richie returned to the bay,” Wippa said.
Kate seemed a bit embarrassed by the question and asked Wippa why he would bring this up.
“Because you’ve never clearly said no,” her co-host said.
Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald told Ray to speak to the Home and Away producers to see if he could make this dream become a reality.
I’ve never been to the producers about a storyline for me, but I’d make an exception in Kate’s case, and go and have a yarn to them,” Meagher said.
While Sally Fletcher left Summer Bay in 2008, the character returned for a brief stint and “special story arc” in 2013 for a few months.
Earlier in the chat, Ray was asked whether he tries to influence his character’s storyline each year by sitting down with the writers and producers.
“I do sit down with the producers each year, and usually the conversation goes, it’s very short. It goes something like this, I say to them, ‘It’s your shout’, and then we all go away for Christmas,” he said.
“But, no… I’ve never, ever in 38 years, tried to influence the storyline for Alf. I definitely massage the words. Can’t massage the intent.”
Ray Meagher dishes the dirt on deadly Home and Away finale
This week will see the finale of Home and Away for 2025, and fans have been promised a literal train wreck.
Promos for the episode have claimed a character will die in the crash; however, it’s unclear whether it will be a fan favourite, someone who has been around for years, or a lesser-known character.
Ray opened up about the “scary” finale during his chat on the Sydney radio show.
“I’ve heard a lot of people describe Home and Away as a train crash…But I can honestly say for a two-and-a-half-hour-a-week production, this is absolutely amazing, it’s so well done,” he told the Nova hosts.
“There are a lot of very key characters involved in this, and on the train that crashes.
“So will they all get out? Will some of them get out? Will one of them come back? Who knows.
Kate asked her former TV co-star whether he is on the train, but thankfully for fans, Ray said he “couldn’t make that trip”.
But fans believe they know who could be the one who doesn’t make it.
Eagle-eyed viewers who have been watching the cast shooting scenes for the 2026 season have noticed that Stephen Madsen, who plays musician Eddie Shepherd, hasn’t been seen in Palm Beach in recent months.
Stephen only made his debut on the Channel 7 soap last month, so while his character’s death would be dramatic, it wouldn’t necessarily be the most shocking.
Meanwhile, others have jokingly speculated that the train driver might be the one who dies, as he also hasn’t been spotted filming the show.
The finale airs this week on Wednesday, November 19.
