Home and Away has brought back the show’s iconic opening titles after nearly 17 years.
A full-length opening sequence aired in Thursday’s triple bill of episodes in Australia (February 6), featuring shots of the cast on the show’s familiar beach location.
Home and Away’s titles and beloved theme song used to be an important part of the show, but they began to be phased out in 2009.
The 2008 season was the last one to feature the full cast in the opening sequence, but it was often omitted from episodes.
From 2009, the cast were removed from the titles in favour of a shorter and more generic opening.
The titles were then ditched altogether in 2010, replaced by a short title card introduction which aired before the episodes.
The decision proved unpopular with fans, who’ve called for years for the show to have a regular set of titles like fellow Aussie soap Neighbours.
Home and Away’s new titles feature shots of the regular characters on the beach, without cast or character names on screen. Some of these clips have been seen before in Channel 7’s promos and trailers for the soap.
A show source told Digital Spy: “For creative reasons, the new titles will only feature in certain episodes, but fans will be delighted to see them back after such a long break.
“The new sequence is also easy to update, allowing producers to adjust the titles as and when characters leave and newcomers arrive in the Bay.”
The 2025 season launched in Australia on January 13, but today is the first time that the full-length opening sequence has been used on Channel 7’s broadcasts.
This episode will air on Channel 5 in the UK in late March.
Luke Van Os, who plays Xander Delaney, features in the titles and could be the first character to be removed following reports last year that he’d left the show.
Show chiefs also recently announced the arrival of Sonny and Lacey, two new characters for 2025.