Home and Away: The Gripping Guests of 2023

If you know me then you’ll know that I’m a sucker for a guest character. From Amber to Sienna, I love the vast majority of them. 

I’ve picked out five guest characters from the year to look back on. The actors and actresses in guest roles always do such a good job and it would be lovely to see some of them make a comeback at some stage!

1. Stacey Collingwood played by Maleeka Gasbarri 

Stacey made her exit early in 2023 but I’m still counting her because I was a big fan! Maleeka brightened the screen with her big smile and all of that charisma. I’d have loved for Stacey to stay so that we could delve into her polyamorous relationships. It would have been interesting as a main storyline instead of just a background one. Plus, she and Xander had some great chemistry and she really brightened up his character! 

2. Kate Vella played by Ruth Maishman 

Xander got lucky (or should I say unlucky) with the guest characters this year, since not only Stacey was brought in for him to have a storyline but Kate too. Kate popped up in ten episodes to complicate Xander’s life a little. It looks like Xander will finally be on his way to a relationship with a regular in 2024 and all I know if that his type is definitely curly hair!

3. Mercedes Da Silva played by Amali Golden

Mercedes swooped in with her charm and her Willow-like mannerisms to try to take Remi for herself, whilst helping the band along too. As a super fan of Bree, I probably should  have hated Mercedes but I absolutely didn’t. Though, I couldn’t understand why she and Bree would fight over Remi of all people. Mercedes was a talented character who I felt made Lyrik’s music more enjoyable. I’d love to see her return with a redemption arc because Amali owned her scenes!

4. Forrest Duke played by Elijah Williams

It was always obvious that Kirby’s new manager Forrest was going to be trouble but that didn’t make it any less exciting. I’m thankful to him for taking Kirby away from the rest of the band for a while to give both Kirby and Angelina the chance to shine! It may not have been popular with everybody but I enjoyed that storyline. 

5. Zara Campbell played by Matilda Brown

Another case of an ex-girlfriend running to the bay to find her promised husband. Her relationship with Mali was intriguing to me and it would have been great to see them do some flashbacks to when the duo were together. Although Zara didn’t always come across as a nice person, Mali made it clear that she was. I’d have liked to have seen her stay on longer so that we could have seen that side of her. She’d have been a great choice for a partner for Xander (and exactly his type too!)

There were many other guests this year from Mali’s family to Gabe, but these were the ones that stuck with me. 

Who was your favourite?