‘Home and Away’ star Ray Meagher has signed up to the soap for another five years.
Ray Meagher has signed a five-year deal with Home and Away
The Australian TV legend, 78, has played Alf Stewart on the show since the first episode aired in 1988, and he has committed his future to the programme once again.
Speaking to The Sun Online, he said: “I signed a contract last year for another five years! So I’ll definitely see that out.”
‘Home and Away’ veteran Ray is noted as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, having starred for 35 years in the soap. His new five-year deal will see him reach the 40-year milestone.
When Ray first started out he initially refused to sign even a two-year deal, because he felt his time in Summer Bay would be over before it even began, so insisted on a six-month contract instead.
Ray added: “It seems ridiculous now but I wouldn’t agree to the two-year contract they wanted me to sign.
“We’d done the pilot and to be honest, I was older and more cynical, and was convinced it would crash and burn like most do. So when they said we’re going to series and we want all the main characters to stay for two years, I was like, 'You’ve got to be joking!'
“It seemed like a lifetime, so I told them there was no way I was signing for two years. Then they tried to get me to sign for a year, but again I refused.
"In the end I agreed to six months. I thought it would be nice being able to go back to my own bed after work every night rather than shooting something in Melbourne or Western Australia, or being all over the shop, which I had quite enjoyed over the years."
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