Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera, which was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that appear in 2026, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producer, Lucy Addario. The 39th season of Home and Away began airing from 19 January 2026. Police constable Richie Brezniak made his debut in April. Doctor Amelia Carlisle was introduced in June.
Richie Brezniak
Richie Brezniak, played by Rocco Forrester-Sach, made his first appearance on 28 April 2026. The character and Forrester-Sach's casting details were confirmed via a promotional trailer for the serial, which was released on 21 April 2026. The actor had begun filming for the serial earlier in the year. Forrester-Sach left his home in Ulladulla aged 16 in order to pursue his acting career in Sydney, with the goal of appearing on Home and Away. He commented "I remember I said to myself, that was one of my goals and now eight years later, it has come to fruition." He admitted that he came close to giving up acting and becoming a firefighter until he received the audition for Home and Away. Forrester-Sach later commented on how much he enjoys shooting scenes on Palm Beach, the show's exterior filming location, saying "After we wrap (shooting), I can go straight into the water for a swim — it's one of the greatest things about the job." Forrester-Sach's online CV later confirmed that he had been promoted to the main cast, and he returned in late September 2026.
Richie is a rookie police officer, who starts work at the Yabbie Creek police station alongside Senior Constable Cash Newman (Nicholas Cartwright). He was billed as being enthusiastic, which will "test" Cash's patience. Richie is also a new love interest for Abigail Fowler (Hailey Pinto). Forrester-Sach did not initially give away his character's storylines, but said he "sparks up a bit of a romance, maybe causes a bit of drama." Forrester-Sach relished playing a police officer, but did not think he could be in the police in real life. A promotional trailer for Home and Away later revealed that the character would be at the centre of one of the show's "biggest emerging storylines", as he shoots someone while on duty. The storyline initially begins with Richie investigating a "spate of crimes" around the Bay. Forrester-Sach explained "He's super enthusiastic, and as the crime wave escalates, Richie's passion and need to solve the case — and his need to prove himself — comes through. He's following a lead when things take a turn for the worst, and things go down and down from there." He also said that Richie is "mortified and shocked" after shooting someone, and he becomes aware that he may not be able to make things right no matter how hard he tries.
The shooting victim is Sergeant David Langham (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor). In the aftermath, Richie is let go from the police force and he struggles to find further employment, as he has no reference, which is something David would be responsible for. Despite breaking up with Abigail, she continues to try and help him. Forrester-Sach commented "Abby is a kind-hearted person and was willing to stick by his side. This kills Richie as he sees how much it's hurting her to do so. He needs to screw his head back on, get his priorities straight and figure out the sort of man he wants to be." The character makes a temporary departure, after Cash tells him some "hard-hitting truths" about his career prospects. Forrester-Sach said that in order for Richie and Abigail to get back together, his character would have to do "some thinking and reflecting" on why things went wrong. Divya Soni of Digital Spy confirmed that Richie returns to the Bay in order to continue his relationship with Abigail. He also reveals that he is struggling to find work.
Amelia Carlisle
Amelia Carlisle, played by Nicole da Silva, made her first appearance on 11 June 2026. Da Silva's casting and character details were announced on 12 April 2026. Da Silva began filming for the serial in January, and while her casting was initially kept a secret, fans of the show spotted her on set and rumours of her joining the cast were posted online. She had previously made a guest appearance in the show as a character named Jane in 2006, but revealed that she had joined the cast on "a more permanent basis" this time around. Of her casting, da Silva commented: "The Home and Away team have been so welcoming. I look forward to audiences meeting Amelia in the coming months." She told Siobhan Duck of The Daily Telegraph that it had been "a real privilege" to join the show and that the timing had been "really right" for her, pointing out that it is one of a handful of productions filming in Sydney, where she is based. Da Silva later said that the role meant she could stay close to her family, community and the production company she runs with Danielle Cormack, which was "important" to her.
Amelia will be introduced as Summer Bay's new doctor, following the departure of Bree Cameron (Juliet Godwin) in late 2025. Da Silva had to learn a lot of medical terminology for the role, which she said was "very intimidating". She was able to bring her experience of playing an paramedic in All Saints and a tactical response police officer on Rush to the role. She explained: "There is crossover in how people in those locations tend to operate. So I have brought some of that experience to Amelia." Da Silva also carried out her own research, talked to her doctor friends and with the medical team for the show, as she wanted to make sure her portrayal was as authentic as possible. Da Silva did not reveal what storylines her character would be involved in, but she said that her first scene would be on the beach with Ray Meagher, who plays Alf Stewart, which she described as "a real pinch-me moment." She was not allowed to reveal which other characters she would be closely interacting with, joking that it was "all a bit secret-squirrels", but she thought the viewers would enjoy who Amelia crosses paths with. Further details about the character were revealed shortly before her debut. Amelia's first episode sees her treat one of the show's regulars who has been shot. Da Silva also revealed that there would be "romance down the track" for Amelia, which she described as "a lovely storyline to play out".
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