It’s been six years since we last saw the Rafter family on Packed To The Rafters and you might have forgotten where we left them in the final season in 2013.
When Ted’s (Michael Caton) secret gambling debts surfaced, Julie (Rebecca Gibney) and Dave (Erik Thomson) decided to sell their house to pay them off.
Meanwhile, Ted’s Alzheimer’s had worsened and he decided a nursing home was the best option for him. It’s there that he reconnected with his old flame Eleanor (Fiona Spence).
New dad Nathan (Angus McLaren) was devastated when he discovered his wife Saskia (Lauren Clair), had been cheating on him. Eventually, after separating, the pair made peace and young Edward came to live with his dad in Australia.
The cast say goodbye in 2013.
(Image: Channel Seven)
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Meanwhile, Nathan’s ex-wife Sammy (Jessica McNamee) was a pillar of support, with many viewers hoping they might rekindle their relationship.
Ben (Hugh Sheridan) went back to his old job at The Boathouse, while Rachel (Jessica Marais) and Jake (James Stewart) became engaged in New York, their new home.
Carbo (George Houvardas) and Retta (Hannah Marshall) suffered a tragic miscarriage, but thankfully, Retta eventually fell pregnant.
And finally, after spending hours searching for a new house, Dave, Julie and toddler Ruby decided to take a trip around Australia in their Kombi, enjoying their first taste of freedom after 30 years of raising a family.
Dave and Julie left to travel around Australia in a van.
(Image: Channel Seven)Where are they now? You’ll just have to wait and see.
Ahead of the premiere of the new Amazon Prime reboot, the cast of Back To The Rafters reflect on some of the show’s biggest moments.
Ted’s great struggle
In season one, we met Ted in the grip of grief after his wife had died. It was a touching storyline for viewers, and even more so for the cast.
Hugh’s favourite moment was when their character Ben discovers his grandfather Ted on the edge of a cliff and gently talks him down from what he’s intending.
“It was a special scene for me,” Hugh, 36, shares. “It was my first episode I was narrating, but I always loved that storyline and scene.”
“I thought Michael was so beautiful in it, and also just because that was a pinch-yourself moment, where you’re going, ‘Wow, I’m really working with Michael Caton! I’m an important actor!’ I was so young.”
Ted’s health decline was one of the toughest storylines to watch.
(Image: Channel Seven)Georgina Haig, who plays Rachel, says she found watching Ted’s journey something special.
“I love it in the pilot [episode] when Ted is mourning his wife and is wearing her clothes,” Georgina, 36, shares.
“I thought that was just such a beautiful, moving thing.”
The tragic death of Melissa
The death of Melissa Rafter (Zoe Ventura) was one of the series’ most heartbreaking moments. Acting out her final moments was more difficult than Hugh and Zoe anticipated.
It was meant to be a bittersweet moment, where Ben finally says goodbye, but both actors couldn’t stop crying.
“It’s after the funeral and Melissa leans in, kisses Ben and says, ‘Go to sleep,’ because he hadn’t slept for days,” Hugh explains. “But she [Zoe] couldn’t do it without crying.
Ben is visited by the ghost of Mel.
(Image: Channel Seven)“Melissa was supposed to be a beautiful angel, telling Ben, ‘It’s OK, I’m fine.’ But it was really hard for us, because we felt like we knew them [the characters], and you just couldn’t imagine that happening to two people who were so in love. It was just the worst thing in the world,” Hugh recalls of how affecting the final scenes were.
The birth of Ruby
With three adult children, having a new baby was a big moment for the Rafter family. Angus, who plays Nathan, knew he was witnessing something special as it was filmed.
“The scene where we were all in the hospital together, seeing Ruby for the first time, was massive,” Angus, 32, says.
“Anything around a new human coming into the world is quite extraordinary. I remember looking at Bec [Gibney]. She’s such an incredible actress, but… seeing her looking at new Ruby, I remember it being a very powerful moment.”
The birth of Ruby brought fresh storylines to the show.
(Image: Channel Seven)Keen to know more about the return of the Rafters? Meet all the characters.
Back To The Rafters is available September 17, on Amazon Prime Video.
