Created by: Alan Bateman Written and directed by: Various Co-starring: Jason Smith (as Robbie), Chris Hemsworth (as Kim), Lynne McGranger (as Irene), Laurie Foell (as Josie), Jodi Gordon (as Martha), Ray Meagher (as Alf), Kate Ritchie (as Sally), Bec Cartwright/Hewitt (as Hayley) etc. Genre: Soap Filming: Joined in June 2003 and left in August 2006. The show is filmed in Epping, Sydney. Viewing figures: Receives over 1m viewers per episode in Australia Runtime: Each episode lasts 22mins

Home and Away chronicles the lives, loves, happiness, and heart-breaks of the residents of Summer Bay, a small coastal town in New South Wales, Australia.

- Mini Episode Guide
- Major Storylines - coming soon
- Relationships - coming soon
- Character Information - coming soon

Isabel joined the show in June 2003, and her first episode (#3564) aired on July 31st 2003 in Australia. Her final episode (#4292) aired in Australia on October 10th 2006. Isabel’s final day on set was August 18th 2006. The show is broadcast every weekday evening on Channel 7.

Photos: Gallery at Isabel Lucas Online
Videos: coming soon

• Appeared across a 728 episode span (episodes #3564-4292)
• Isabel’s first scenes were with Max (played by Sebastian Elmaloglou), who found her on the rocks on the beach and thought she was a mermaid.
• Isabel found out she got the role when her mum received a call whilst picking Isabel and her friend up from school and they had to pull over to the side of the road.
• Isabel originally auditioned for the role of Kit Hunter. The producers didn’t think she was right for that part, but show producer Julie McGauran liked her so much that they wrote the part of Tasha especially for her!
• Isabel was 18 when she got the role and started on the show.
• Isabel’s character, Tasha, was silent for her first few weeks. There was a rumour that this was done to help newcomer Isabel acclimatise to acting and the show, because she was shy and had never acted before.
• Isabel decided to leave the show because she felt like she was ready for something new again, and wanted to be in a “foreign situation”.
• Says her most bizarre storyline on the show was that of how her birth parents were Y2K survivalists, and she had to track down a box of guns ahd handle the guns.
• According to Isabel all the cast can do impressions of the character Alf Stewart, and Isabel herself did hers to him once!
• Says there is no rivalry between the Home & Away and Neighbours casts.
• Isabel’s favourite characters from her time on the show were Max (“a sweety,” she said), and Leah, who is always “bright and positive”.
• The cast don’t get to choose what they wear.
• If she could be any other character in Home & Away it would be Scott, because he got to ride the horses!
• Isabel was closest to Jason Smith, Chris Hemsworth and Indiana Evans on the set. Jason and Chris were her best friends, she says.
• Before she was on the show, Isabel watched Home & Away “very now and then but not regularly.”
• Enjoyed working with Lynn Collingwood (Colleen) beacuse she was funny.
• Isabel did her screen test with Beau Brady (who played Noah).

» Isabel – “It’s like a fast-paced factory, you just churn out scene after scene and you need to be able to reach and get emotions then and there. There is a lot of pressure at the time, but it’s the best training you could ever get.”

» Isabel – “I just loved working with rest of the cast of Home and AwayIt’s been so great. Everyone has been really welcoming. All the cast and crew are really down to earth people because there are a lot of kids in the cast. It was lovely to meet some nice friends, especially not knowing anyone in Sydney.”

» Isabel – “I play Tasha Andrews. My character is quite an unusual girl. She’s a bit of a Jane Doe, a mystery girl. She’s discovered the beach and no one knows who she is or where she’s from. It’s all quite bizarre how she just turns up and as the storyline unfolds it’s revealed she’s a very withdrawn, naive, fearful kind of character, nearly animalistic. She’s got these tribal instincts and she has aggressive outbursts like she’s had some sort of trauma. No one knows where her parents are and no one can understand her because she speaks pig Latin, which is like a coded language.”

» Isabel – “I think she is quite alternative and different and such a mystery and it will be great to have more revealed as time goes by.” – on her character, Tasha

» Isabel – “We found out when Home and Away rang mum on her mobile when she was driving. Mum pulled over and I then got on the phone. I was so excited and we had a big family dinner that night to celebrate.” – on how she found out she had got the part

» Isabel – “I had been to a couple of auditions and never got through so I thought I will give it a go and my best shot not ever thinking I would get it. It is such a great challenge for me, so I just want to stay open minded and learn as much as I can. I think I am very lucky.”

» Isabel – “Not a challenge in the slightest. Tasha was such a unique character, with an extremely unusual background. But it was a challenge in that there wasn’t much to base the character on or relate to, which is great for an imaginative person like myself.” – when asked if playing Tasha as an amnesiac at the start was a challenge.

» Isabel – “Tasha was a darling. She was a very naive and impressionable character. I think at that time, when I was 18 or 19 and new to the industry, it was all very new to me and I might have shared some of Tasha’s naivety. But I have really moved on from Tasha. I loved playing her, but I feel that we are probably quite different now.” – in 2009

» Isabel – “When I moved to Sydney to take up the role, everyone was so welcoming. I really didn’t know what to expect. Some of the cast showed me around Sydney, so that helped to make me feel settled in pretty quickly. Sydney is a beautiful city, but extremely different from Cairns, with so many people.” – on joining the show and moving to Sydney

» Isabel – “What happens is they give you a script or a scene that you have someone else read with you. The first time I went for the casting in Melbourne they filmed it and sent it to Channel Seven. Then when I went back for the recall, which is when they call you back and you have a check-up with the producer and the drama coach, I was reading the script with Beau Brady [who plays Noah].” – on the audition process

» Julie MacGauran (producer) – “When Isabel came on screen, I thought there’s no way I am letting her go. The executive producer John Holmes backed me up 100 per cent.”

• Official Aus Site
• Official UK Site
• IMDB.com
• Home & Away at TV.com – brief but excellent episode guides for all seasons
• Back To The Bay – Comprehensive fansite and forum
• Home & Away Central – Popular fan forum
• Summer Bay Journal – Popular fan forum

• Amazon.co.uk – Purchase the ‘Home & Away: The Weddings‘ DVD
• Amazon.co.uk – Purchase the ‘Home & Away: Romances‘ DVD