The Best Day Of My Life

Sure, my wedding was a great day. The birth of my firstborn, when it happens, will also be a great day. But I think today is the best day of my life because of something I’ve just read in TV Week that has made me extremely happy.

Both Janet Andrewartha and Dichen Lachman (who play Lyn Scully and Katya Kinski on Neighbours, respectively) are leaving the show soon – or in Lyn’s case, has already left. We won’t see the effects of this cast change for a while yet, but it’ll mean no more over-reacting melodramatic facial expressions from Lyn when people talk to her (the ‘futhering about’, as I’ve come to call it, is especially hard to watch when she’s meant to be flustered about something), and the monotone line delivery and wacky furtive-eye ‘acting’ from Katya whenever she’s being dishonest or ‘sneaky’ will also be a thing of the past. And I couldn’t be happier.

These two have long been amongst the most annoying characters to watch on the show (the next two would be Katya’s siblings Rachel and Zeke Kinski, but don’t get me started on them now), and the fact that they’ll soon be distant memories is something worth celebrating.

The only downside to this whole news bulletin is the assumption that if Lyn’s leaving the show, her three-year-old son Oscar is probably gonna be written out as well. Played by toddler Ingo Dammer-Smith, little Oscar is a constant source of amusement in our house whenever he’s in a scene because he’s invariably acting up and making life difficult for those in the scene with him.

From pulling their hair while they’re meant to be delivering serious lines to each other, to banging loudly on his toys during a tender moment, to grabbing props out of the other actors’ hands while they’re using them, to pulling on the neckline of Lyn’s top while she’s holding him in her lap … you can always count on Oscar to upstage the other actors and testing the limits of their patience.

I’m sure he’s no fun to work with, because it seems that they must struggle to find a scene where he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing (sitting quietly and keeping out of the way).


Oscar Scully: Hilarious.

While his nine-month-old ‘nephew’ Charlie is quiet (frequently looking straight up at the boom mike or overhead lighting array), Oscar is forever making loud background noises, speaking baby babble and nonsense words while the rest of the scene continues to play out as if he wasn’t being a major distraction. The complete lack of realism in regards to how much attention the other characters pay him when he’s showing them a toy or something (a pleasant but firm “Hang on, mate” being the closest they’ve ever come to straying from the script to refer to whatever Oscar’s doing or saying to them – and that was when the kid tried to take Paul’s mobile phone out of his hand when the latter was about to use it) sometimes makes the whole thing farcical. They should have some ability to address the kid’s concerns and conversations like anyone with a child in the room ordinarily would, before returning to the scripted lines. But they never do it.

I understand why, of course. Every second of footage is carefully timed to fit in the 22 minutes of screen time per episode. I realise that ad-libbing would only result in things needing to be cut. But if that’s the case, are they filming enough takes to use the one where Oscar was behaving the best? I’m sure they probably are, so the point is in fact that Oscar must be a little **** (pain in the neck) on the set, and due to his age they probably have to do the scene as quickly as possible, with as few re-takes as they can manage, in order to complete the day’s filming requirements before he gets escorted off the set as per child actor regulations and stuff. But still – I always have a good ol’ laugh at Oscar’s scenes. It’s very funny gear.

It’d be great if Oscar was to move in with Steph and Charlie or something, but I simply can’t see it happening. Unless Lyn’s character dies, in which case it’s possible (but more likely that they’d ship Oscar off to his unseen father in Bendigo than have him move in with his aunt two doors down – mostly because it’d mean they could relieve themselves of the kid actor).

Still, if they’re getting rid of Lyn (and Katya, too, into the bargain), then I’m happy to lose Oscar if that’s what it costs.




No pics of Carmella in the opening credits yet, but Izzy is still there as well – so check them out again next Monday to see if anything’s changed. Maybe now they’ll wait until the four new faces of Ramsay Street have moved in so the changes to the opening credit sequence is more noticeable (but that’s probably a fair while off, yet - reportedly due to occur "sometime in October").


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