Tom Fletcher (Home and Away)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character
from the Australia
n soap opera
Home and Away
, played by actor Roger Oakley
from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's
near-death experience following her second stabbing.
with his wife, Pippa
, and their five foster children: Frank Morgan whom they fostered when he was 8 years old; Carly Morris
; Steven Matheson
; Lynn Davenport; and Sally Keating
. In 1988, Tom received news that he had been retrenched, and rather than lose the kids, he and Pippa decided to relocated to country town Summer Bay
.
Shortly after the Fletchers arrived in Summer Bay, Tom and Pippa purchased the Summer Bay House and the Caravan Park from Alf Stewart
, who had lived there with his late wife, Martha, and their daughter, Roo.
It wasn't always plain sailing for the Fletchers, as Tom instantly made an enemy of local school principal Donald Fisher by fostering local tearaway Bobby Marshall. Tom tried his best to get a job in the bay, but thanks to Fisher's word of mouth, it wasn't possible. Times were grim for the family, and the only job Tom could get was working as a road cleaner, but it hurt him when he realised Carly was embarrassed by his taking the job. However, when the Sands Hotel opened, he became the manager, and the family then became very well-off.
Tom and Pippa later went on to have their own son, Christopher Fletcher, who was a surprise, as Tom had a vasectomy to prevent her falling pregnant. Pippa having had rheumatic fever as a child which weakened her heart and was warned her that she should not have children.
In 1990, while driving a car with Steven, Bobby, and Sophie, Tom suffered a stroke and died.
Some 18 years later, Tom reappeared as a vision to Sally following her second stabbing at the hands of Johnny Cooper
. He showed her a vision of Summer Bay if she had died, and an alternate reality where her long-lost twin brother, Miles Copeland, was stabbed in her place. Tom also showed Sally a glimpse into the future and told her that if she returned, somebody else would die in her place. This turned out to be prophetic, as Dan Baker died shortly afterward.
When Sally recovered, she told Pippa about the vision; Pippa was skeptical, but she still half-believed Sally. Alf also believed her, as he had been through a similar experience with his late wife, Ailsa Stewart
.
said "One of the nicest dad characters in soap, ever, has to be Tom Fletcher from Home and Away". The Soap Show called Tom the "first patriarch of Home and Away."
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, played by actor Roger Oakley
Roger Oakley
Roger Oakley is a New-Zealand-born character-actor noted for his performances on Australian television., but more recently active as a Theatre Performer....
from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
near-death experience following her second stabbing.
Storylines
Tom originally lived in the citySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
with his wife, Pippa
Pippa Ross
Phillipa "Pippa" Routledge OAM is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role from 1988 to 1990, then Debra Lawrance took over from 1990 to 1998. The character has made guest returns in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and...
, and their five foster children: Frank Morgan whom they fostered when he was 8 years old; Carly Morris
Carly Lucini
Carly Lucini is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The character was played by actress Sharyn Hodgson appearing in its pilot episode in 1988...
; Steven Matheson
Steven Matheson
Steven "Stevo" Matheson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Adam Willits. Steven was created by Alan Bateman as one of the serial's original characters and he first appeared in the pilot episode. Willits received the role after being one of...
; Lynn Davenport; and Sally Keating
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
. In 1988, Tom received news that he had been retrenched, and rather than lose the kids, he and Pippa decided to relocated to country town Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
.
Shortly after the Fletchers arrived in Summer Bay, Tom and Pippa purchased the Summer Bay House and the Caravan Park from Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
, who had lived there with his late wife, Martha, and their daughter, Roo.
It wasn't always plain sailing for the Fletchers, as Tom instantly made an enemy of local school principal Donald Fisher by fostering local tearaway Bobby Marshall. Tom tried his best to get a job in the bay, but thanks to Fisher's word of mouth, it wasn't possible. Times were grim for the family, and the only job Tom could get was working as a road cleaner, but it hurt him when he realised Carly was embarrassed by his taking the job. However, when the Sands Hotel opened, he became the manager, and the family then became very well-off.
Tom and Pippa later went on to have their own son, Christopher Fletcher, who was a surprise, as Tom had a vasectomy to prevent her falling pregnant. Pippa having had rheumatic fever as a child which weakened her heart and was warned her that she should not have children.
In 1990, while driving a car with Steven, Bobby, and Sophie, Tom suffered a stroke and died.
Some 18 years later, Tom reappeared as a vision to Sally following her second stabbing at the hands of Johnny Cooper
Johnny Cooper (Home and Away)
Johnathan "Johnny" Cooper is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Callan Mulvey. He made his first on-screen appearance on 19 October 2006.-Storylines:...
. He showed her a vision of Summer Bay if she had died, and an alternate reality where her long-lost twin brother, Miles Copeland, was stabbed in her place. Tom also showed Sally a glimpse into the future and told her that if she returned, somebody else would die in her place. This turned out to be prophetic, as Dan Baker died shortly afterward.
When Sally recovered, she told Pippa about the vision; Pippa was skeptical, but she still half-believed Sally. Alf also believed her, as he had been through a similar experience with his late wife, Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...
.
Reception
Of the character of Tom, Ruth Deller of television website LowcultureLowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
said "One of the nicest dad characters in soap, ever, has to be Tom Fletcher from Home and Away". The Soap Show called Tom the "first patriarch of Home and Away."