Angel Brooks

[George 1978]

Or should I say, Melissa George who plays her? Six o'clock on a weekday evening in the Central region circa 1994-1996, straight after John Suchet presenting ITN's Early Evening News and Sian Lloyd doing the ITV National Weather - Central News was at 6.25 pm, and so there were 25 minutes to kill. The evening showing of Home and Away comes on, showing the viewer pictures of incumbent cast members next to their character and actor names such as the ever-present Alf played by Ray Meagher and his then screen wife Alissa played by Judy Nunn. Pippa II is also seen played by she who used to be Daphne Graham in PCBH a decade earlier, and her screen daughter Sally alias Kate Ritchie. Headmaster Fisher was always credit by surname only. Laura Vasquez who still works on the show in the hair-styling department happened to call herself Sarah back then as well, paired with Tug O'Neal who looked more like brother and sister.

And then we get Angel, played by Melissa George, portrayed in the latter 1993 opening titles towards the end of the credit sequences, kneeling down on the sand, wearing an almost scantily-clad white "Jesus Loves You" dress and looking on without a care in the world (from one George to another, the 15 year old me found it overwhelming back then and one got excited when she was seen on screen), although this changed by 1994 to hugging her screen partner while in a swimsuit. Angel was easy to spot - she was the "black ankle socks" character in Summer Bay High scenes - she had a relationship with Shane Parrish (Dieter Brummer) adopted a son called Dylan - for married, became a Parrish, stayed in Summer Bay for around three years, Shane dies in an accident and Angel leaves in 1996 on the 2,000th episode (I think it was shown on my 18th birthday here in the UK). She was then replaced by Shannon (Isla Fisher) and Selina (Tempany Deckert) and others.

She was my teenage crush on mid 1990s TV as a teenager, second to Minnie Crozier on Shortland Street which was shown in the Central region at 5.10 pm at that time - mind you, I would never recommend teenage lads watching Australian soap operas too much as a result. Hollyoaks also started around the same time, and it is a British version of these series.

I would love to ironically call her "Angel" if I got to meet her - probably because of what happened all those years ago back in the mid 1990s...

[CharlieBrown]

Or should I say, Melissa George who plays her? Six o'clock on a weekday evening in the Central region circa 1994-1996, straight after John Suchet presenting ITN's Early Evening News and Sian Lloyd doing the ITV National Weather - Central News was at 6.25 pm, and so there were 25 minutes to kill. The evening showing of Home and Away comes on, showing the viewer pictures of incumbent cast members next to their character and actor names such as the ever-present Alf played by Ray Meagher and his then screen wife Alissa played by Judy Nunn. Pippa II is also seen played by she who used to be Daphne Graham in PCBH a decade earlier, and her screen daughter Sally alias Kate Ritchie. Headmaster Fisher was always credit by surname only. Laura Vasquez who still works on the show in the hair-styling department happened to call herself Sarah back then as well, paired with Tug O'Neal who looked more like brother and sister.

And then we get Angel, played by Melissa George, portrayed in the latter 1993 opening titles towards the end of the credit sequences, kneeling down on the sand, wearing an almost scantily-clad white "Jesus Loves You" dress and looking on without a care in the world (from one George to another, the 15 year old me found it overwhelming back then and one got excited when she was seen on screen), although this changed by 1994 to hugging her screen partner while in a swimsuit. Angel was easy to spot - she was the "black ankle socks" character in Summer Bay High scenes - she had a relationship with Shane Parrish (Dieter Brummer) adopted a son called Dylan - for married, became a Parrish, stayed in Summer Bay for around three years, Shane dies in an accident and Angel leaves in 1996 on the 2,000th episode (I think it was shown on my 18th birthday here in the UK). She was then replaced by Shannon (Isla Fisher) and Selina (Tempany Deckert) and others.

She was my teenage crush on mid 1990s TV as a teenager, second to Minnie Crozier on Shortland Street which was shown in the Central region at 5.10 pm at that time - mind you, I would never recommend teenage lads watching Australian soap operas too much as a result. Hollyoaks also started around the same time, and it is a British version of these series.

I would love to ironically call her "Angel" if I got to meet her - probably because of what happened all those years ago back in the mid 1990s...

That's a super photo. She looks amazing!

[George 1978]

That's a super photo. She looks amazing!

It was a bit of a Paint job that I did myself a few months back, putting the still image from the 1994 credit sequence onto a publicity picture of her - an unflattering one of AB (or should I say, MG) which was being sold on eBay for an extortionate price (apologies to Seven Network Australia is all I can say...)

[CharlieBrown]

It was a bit of a Paint job that I did myself a few months back, putting the still image from the 1994 credit sequence onto a publicity picture of her - an unflattering one of AB (or should I say, MG) which was being sold on eBay for an extortionate price (apologies to Seven Network Australia is all I can say...)

Well you did a good job, anyway. Do her pictures sell for a lot then? I have some original publicity stills of Doctor Who actors but I can't say they are particularly sought after. I imagine she still has a fan club of some description.

[George 1978]

I believe so - I used to collect signed photographs and would write c/o their agents or via the TV companies where obtaining them were the cheaper option. I always avoid going online for them as they're not worth the money as they are charging.

[CharlieBrown]

I believe so - I used to collect signed photographs and would write c/o their agents or via the TV companies where obtaining them were the cheaper option. I always avoid going online for them as they're not worth the money as they are charging.

You seem really passionate about her -- which is cool. I'm passionate on the people I like. I imagine you have a fair collection of memorabilia on her. I have have a few pics of Corey Haim et al.

I'm fairly sure I have seen Melissa in something else. Not sure what it was though. Any ideas?

[George 1978]

She seems to have made it big and done some American films and drama series (just like a lot of Australian actors who want to better themselves) - I know that she is listed with one of the agents in London (tried to get an autograph there with not much success), and so she does have a British base I believe, probably in case she needs to promote something like a film in the UK and have a chance to go on Graham Norton's show or whoever or do that.

[George 1978]

Putting the "homes" into Home and Away - the strange connection between an Australian actress and a British home development contractor makes you wonder indeed.

If only I had lived in South Wales just before my own Coming of Age in July 1996 and be close to a new Wimpey Homes development in that area. Yes, Wimpey as the homes and not Wimpy as in the poor McDonald's burger bar which ironically enough was rather similar to the Summer Bay Diner back then...

Meet Angel, not Melissa. That's more like it - I wanted to meet Angel and not Melissa. (I wonder whether she actually signed autographs as "Angel" while she was there?)