Sally Fletcher

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Sally Fletcher
Home and Away character
Amber Copeland

Sally Louise Fletcher (also Copeland and Keating) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie. She made her first screen appearance during the serial's pilot episode, which was broadcast on 17 January 1988. Sally became the longest running original female cast member. She departed on 3 April 2008. Ritchie earned various awards and nominations for her portrayal of Sally. In February 2013, it was announced that Ritchie would be reprising her role. Sally returned during the episode broadcast on 15 July 2013 with her daughter. They departed on 5 September 2013.

Casting

Ritchie auditioned for the role of Sally in front of executive producer John Holmes in 1987.[1] Her audition scene was all about strawberry jam and Sally's imaginary friend Milco.[1][2] Ritchie told Jason Herbison of British magazine All About Soap that she could remember reading Sally's scenes for Holmes, before auditioning for the director who recorded it on video.[2] She added "I remember when my mum told me I got the part of Sally. I didn't want her to tell anyone because I was really embarrassed."[2] Holmes revealed Ritchie had stood out among the other actresses auditioning for the role. He said "Actors always choose themselves for a role and in this case Kate Ritchie shone head and shoulders above all the rest."[1] During flashbacks to the character's childhood, Sally was played by Chloe Shelsher.[3]

In 2008, Ritchie said of her role, "I well and truly know the girl that is Sally Fletcher. If only I had realised earlier she wasn't my enemy, she wasn't the embarrassing little sister always trying to spoil my fun but, in fact, the best friend I ever had....In my Logie acceptance speech last year I said Home and Away had always been my constant and the same goes for Sally. We have spent the past 20 years side by side....Sally is a good person. She is the true meaning of the word good, often a quality that goes unnoticed and is most definitely underrated. Sounds crazy, but it is true."[4]

Departure and return

After twenty years, Ritchie departed Home and Away and her last episode aired on 3 April 2008.[5] Ritchie admitted that she had thought about leaving the show for years, but finally made her decision to go in 2007. She filmed her final scenes in December that year.[4] Ritchie compared her exit from the show to ending a romantic relationship, writing "My decision to leave Home and Away could draw many similarities to breaking up with the boyfriend you just knew you had to... You still loved him, you always would and no doubt you were going to miss him like crazy – after all, you're not sure you even remember life before he came along. But something just wasn't right any more and the time had come for the inevitable parting of ways. Melodramatic? Perhaps. Only because I am desperate to normalise a situation that seems harder to explain as each day passes and for every one of those days I get closer to having to say goodbye to Sally Fletcher."[4] Ritchie called Sally's exit storyline "perfect",[4] while critic Farah Farouque stated "the last episode featuring Sally is a TV moment of note."[5]

On 10 February 2013, it was announced that Ritchie would be reprising her role for "a special story arc".[6] Of her return, Ritchie stated "There will be a wonderful sense of familiarity stepping back into Sally’s shoes for a while. Summer Bay is a very different place these days and I am looking forward to working with all the fresh faces that have continued to take Home and Away from strength to strength. It will be a good opportunity to catch up with some old mates too! Those cast and crew I worked with for so many years are who I have missed the most."[6] Ritchie said that her decision to reprise her role depended on Sally having a great return story, as she did not want to come back and change sheets.[6] The actress began filming Sally's return on 25 February.[6][7] A promotional trailer for Sally's return was released on 20 June. It shows Sally returning to Summer Bay and stating that she had to come back, but is afraid to tell anyone why.[8][9] Sally returned with her daughter on 15 July 2013.[10]

Storylines

Backstory

Twins Sally and

Debra Lawrence
). Sally had an imaginary friend named Milco. Aaron and Miles went to find Sally, but after seeing Sally was better off with the Fletcher family, they left.

1988–2000

Sally and her family move to

Nelson McFarlane (Laurence Breuls), but Nelson is badly burned in a bushfire caused by Jack Wilson (Daniel Amalm
). He pushes Sally away, upsetting her. She then falls for Jack, but they break up after Jack's jealousy over Brendan Coyne (Billy Mitchell).

Peter Moss (

Aaron Welles
(Ritchie Gudgeon) witnesses this and moves the items into Scott's locker resulting in Scott's expulsion.

Pippa decides to leave town to live with her new boyfriend Ian Routledge (Patrick Dickson) and Sally assumes she will let her and Tim move into the house. She is angry when instead she asked

), a drifter holds up the Bayside Diner, Sally is shot in the leg during siege but recovers. Sally and Vinnie are surprised when they fall for each other and begin a relationship. However, although they soften each other's hard edges a bit, it becomes evident they are ultimately too different and split after just a year.

2000–2008

Sally goes to

Judith Ackroyd (Anna Hruby) appoints Sally as Summer Bay High's new history teacher. Sally and Luke become distant due to work. Harry Reynolds (Justin Melvey) kisses her and she realises she has to call the wedding off. She starts dating colleague Brett Egan (Emmanuel Marshall), however she reports him for assaulting Noah Lawson (Beau Brady
) and he leaves her. She and Gypsy become good friends.

When

Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen
), but when she dies, Sally agrees to let Flynn move in. Sally decides she wants to find a surrogate mother and Sophie agrees to do it. At the first ultrasound they find out she is carrying two babies with different parents: one is Sally and Flynn's, the other Blake and Sophie's. Soon after, Sophie miscarries Sally's baby.

Sally becomes acting principal and

Emily Vincent (Libby Richmond). When Emily dies from Leukemia
, it is revealed that she gave her blessing to Sally and Brad starting a relationship.

Sally tries to turn

Rocco Cooper's (Ian Meadows) life around. However, she is unsuccessful and Rocco is drawn back into his brother Johnny's (Callan Mulvey
) gangster world. Johnny threatens to kill Rocco if he does not get rid of Sally, so Rocco stabs her and leaves her to die. Sally survives, but Johnny kills Rocco and Ric is imprisoned for the murder. The incident brings Sally and Brad closer and he moves in. Sally becomes principal again when Brad is forced to step down. Brad proposes to Sally, but she turns him down. However, when he becomes lost at sea she changes her mind. On their wedding day, Sally jilts Brad and he later moves out. Alf hits Pippa with his car and Sally throws him out, but later forgives him. When Sally shares a kiss with Brad, she hopes they can reconcile and arranges some counselling. But when she realises Brad wants something different, she accepts that they are over.

Sally looks after a homeless man named Miles (

) takes her job and realises that she no longer has any responsibilities in the Bay. Sally and Cassie make plans to go travelling, so Ric and Miles organise a leaving concert at the school. Pippa, Carly and Steven return for her send off. Sally signs half of the house and caravan park over to Miles, before saying goodbye. She then joins Cassie in Phuket. Later on, Miles joins his sister there, after she finds him a teaching job.

2013

Five years later, Sally returns to Summer Bay with her daughter Pippa (now played by Piper Morrissey). Sally shows Pippa around her favourite places and shows concern for her health. Sally turns up at beach one day and shocks Alf when she reveals she is back for a while. Sally then reveals to Alf that Pippa has Mitochondrial disease, which is incurable but later she finds a cure in America so she asks Alf for the money for the treatment and he gives it to her.

Reception

For her portrayal of Sally, Ritchie garnered various awards and nominations. At the 2006

Digital Spy Soap Awards, Ritchie received a nomination for Most Popular Actress.[16] The episode featuring Sally standing Brad Armstrong up on their wedding day earned the episode's writer Margaret Wilson an Australian Writer's Guild award in 2008.[17]

Of the character, executive producer John Holmes said "Sally is the most loved character on the show and the viewers feel passionately about her survival...No character over the last 19 years compares in popularity to Sally though, except maybe Ray Meagher (who plays Alf). Viewers have seen Sally grow up from an eight-year-old little girl and don't want to see her go."[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c Idato, Michael (11 May 2006). "A little girl who grew into a star". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Herbison, Jason (January 2000). "In conversation with...Kate Ritchie". All About Soap (4). Attic Futura (UK) Ltd: 40.
  3. ^ Series Producer: Cameron Welsh; Director: David Gould; Writer: Anthony Ellis (11 February 2008). "Episode 4571". Home and Away. Seven Network.
  4. ^ a b c d Ritchie, Kate (2 April 2008). "Kate Ritchie bids farewell to Home and Away and Sally". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b Farouque, Farah (3 April 2008). "Tribute to dull and dependable Sally". The Age. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. ^
    Channel 5. Northern & Shell
    . 10 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  7. Hearst Magazines UK
    . Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  8. Yahoo!7. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.[permanent dead link
    ]
  9. Hearst Magazines UK
    . Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  10. Southern Cross Media
    . Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  11. Ninemsn. 2010. Archived from the original
    on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Logie award nominees". The Age. Fairfax Media. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  13. Ninemsn. 2010. Archived from the original
    on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  14. Ninemsn. 2010. Archived from the original
    on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  15. ^ Knox, David (30 March 2009). "Logie Awards 2009: Nominees". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  16. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  17. Australian Writers Guild
    . Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  18. ^ As quoted in "Does Sally Fletcher die?," The Age (12 January 2007).

External links