All soaps!

Which re-casts have worked in your opinion and why?

Which re-casts haven't worked & why?

With the recent return of Michelle in EE thought this might be a good topic.

I am new to soaps so there aren't many characters who I have seen both before and after recast

Good:

ED - Gabby Thomas
EE - Bobby Beale
EE - Dennis Rickman Jr

I was struggling with good and why I haven't posted yet as I am thinking.

The Gabby one, she talks posh now, I did prefer the old one but think the new one is doing a fine job. It is easier when they are kids I think

Recasts are sometimes necessary, for instance if a child actor doesn't grow into the character that is planned for them as an adult. This happened with Tracy in Coronation Street, and it worked well. I was sorry when they did it to Gabby in Emmerdale as I thought the first one, who was in it from a baby, fitted the part; having said that, the new girl is very good. If the girl playing Faye in CS had been recast before the 'schoolgirl baby' storyline, it could have been good, but it actually flopped. Nick Tilsely, CS, was recast successfully.

Good:
ED - Robert, Gabby

Bad:
Home and Away - VJ

Good:
CS - David and Sarah.

Emmerdale- Good- Robert, Gabby

I like Shabnam and Martin more than I liked the originals.

New Michelle will take some getting used to but I like the actress.

Emmerdale
1. Robert
2 Carly hope

Corrie
1. Nick
2Robert
3.Tracey

Eastenders
1. Peggy
2.Lauren
3.Peter
4.Ben
5 My Courtney
6 Louise

Bad was Miss Ellie in Dallas.

So bad that they had to get the original back.

Martin Fowler

Nick Tilsley

EE - Janine Butcher, Martin Fowler, Mark Fowler (Snr), Peggy Mitchell
CS - David Platt, Sarah Platt/Tilsey, Peter Barlow
ED - Robert Sugden, Victoria Sugden

All the above have worked

True, but sometimes, child actors simply don't want to do it anymore, or they want/need to take some time out to concentrate on other things for a while, such as school. It's not uncommon for child characters to recast a number of times over the years.

Best ever: Charlie Brooks as Janine.
Martin
Belinda
Bobby Beale

Re-casts are my thing so here goes:

Bad:

H&A - VJ, Flynn
EE - Peter Beale, Shabnam, Lucy (the last one)
CS - Nick Tilley

Good:

EE - Lauren, Ben (both teen/adult versions), Martin
H&A - Pippa, Irene
Neighbours - Declan, Libby

VJ Patterson is the worst in history of soap

Best - Irene Roberts

They all worked

I only watch Emmerdale so all my examples are from that.

I didn't like the Gabby recast but I think the new actress is doing a fine job. I just preferred Devil Child Gabby.

Recasts that were good - Victoria Sugden
Bad recasts - Sarah Sugden, Robert Sugden (I just liked Karl Davies)
Worst recast - using the kid that played the real Archie Breckle to play the fake Archie and recasting the real Archie. Annoyed the heck out of me because it was so obviously the same kid.

Brookside

Worked
Katie Rogers (Debbie Reynolds to Diane Burke)


Coronation Street

Worked
Peter Barlow (David Lonsdale to Chris Gascoyne)
Blanche Hunt (Patricia Cutts to Maggie Jones)
Vicky McDonald (Helen Warburton to Chloe Newsome)
David Platt (Thomas Ormson to Jack P Shepherd)
Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickitt to Ben Price)

Didn't Work
Tracy Barlow (Dawn Acton to Kate Ford)
Gordon Clegg (Bill Kenwright to Geoffrey Leesley)
Sarah Louise Platt (Lynsay King to Tina O'Brien)
Nick Tilsley (Warren Jackson to Adam Rickitt)


Dallas

Worked
Miss Ellie Ewing (Donna Reed to Barbara Bel Geddes)
Kristin Sheperd (Colleen Camp to Mary Crosby)

Didn't Work
Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes to Donna Reed)


Days of Our Lives

Worked
Belle Black (Charity Rahmer to Martha Madison)
Brady Black (Kyle Lowder to Eric Martsolf)
Eric Brady (Jensen Ackles to Greg Vaughan)
Shawn-Douglas Brady (Jason Cook to Brandon Beemer) x2
Theo Carver (Terrell Ransom Jr. to Kyler Pettis)
Abigail Deveraux (Kate Mansi to Marci Miller)
Chad DiMera (Casey Jon Deidrick to Billy Flynn)
Austin Reed (Austin Peck to Patrick Muldoon)
Ben Weston (Justin Gaston to Robert Scott Wilson

Didn't Work
Belle Black (Kirsten Storms to Charity Rahmer)
Ciara Brady (Lauren Boles to Vivian Jovanni
Sami Brady (Allison Sweeney to Dan Wells)
Shawn-Douglas Brady (Brandon Beemer to Jason Cook)
Will Horton (Chandler Massey to Guy Wilson)


Dynasty

Worked
Steven Carrington (Al Corley to Jack Coleman)

Didn't Work
Adam Carrington (Gordon Thomson to Robin Sachs)
Fallon Carrington (Pamela Sue Martin to Emma Samms)
Steven Carrington (Jack Coleman to Al Corley)


EastEnders

Worked
Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield to Hetti Bywater)
Steven Beale (Edward Savage to Aaron Sidwell)
Derek Branning - (Terence Beesley to Jamie Foreman)
Lauren Branning - (Madeline Duggan to Jaqueline Jossa)
Janine Butcher (Alexia Demetriou to Charlie Brookes)
Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou to James Bye)
Shabnam Masood (Zahra Ahmadi to Rakhee Thakrar)
Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe to Harry Reid)
Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf to Daniella Westbrook)
Belinda Peacock (Leanne Lakey to Carli Norris)

Didn't Work
Peter Beale (Thomas Law to Ben Hardy)
Johnny Carter (Sam Strike to Ted Reilly)
Mark Folwer (David Scarboro to Todd Carty)
Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones to Joshua Pascoe)
Peggy Mitchell (Jo Warne to Barbara Windsor)
Sam Mitchell (Daniella Westbrook to Kim Medcalf)

Too Soon to Tell
Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully to Jenna Russell)

Emmerdale

Worked
Aaron Dingle (Danny Webb to Danny Miller)
Jack Sugden (Andrew Burt to Clive Hornby)
Donna Windsor (Sophie Jeffery to Verity Rushworth))

Didn't Work
Nellie Dingle (Sandra Gough to Maggie Tagney)


General Hospital

Worked
Franco (James Franco to Roger Ashworth)


Home and Away

Worked
Pippa Fletcher (Vanessa Downing to Debra Lawrence)
Irene Roberts (Jacqui Phillips to Lynne McGranger)
Flynn Saunders (Martin DingleWall to Joel McIlroy)
Roo Stewart (Justine Clarke to Georgie Parker)

Didn't Work
VJ Patterson (Felix Dean to Mattew Little)


Neighbours

Worked
Julie Martin (Vikki Blanche to Julie Mullins)
Phillip Martin (Christopher Milne to Ian Rawlings)
Scott Robinson (Darius Perkins to Jason Donovan)
Cody Willis (Amelia Frid to Peta Brady)

Didn't Work
Beverley Marshall (Lisa Armytage to Shaunna O'Grady)
Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gilmer to Collette Dann)


Sunset Beach

Worked
Cole Deschanel (Ashley Hamilton to Eddie Cibrian)

Didn't Work
Caitlin Deschanel (Vanessa Dorman to Kam Haskin)
Tiffany Thorne (Adrienne Franz to Jennifer Banko-Stewart)

You watch 10 soaps. Didn't think I would find anyone who watches as many ad me lol (Although you probably watched them at different times?)

Wow thanks Arthur that was a comprehensive post 😀

Have to say I don't agree with all. hollyoaks poster how many soaps do you watch? Thought you had only just started watching them?

Interesting the varying opinions on Robert Sugden. even though a Re-cast for me he is is Robert. I just don't see the new one as Robert as he is almost a completely different character. Now that Andy has gone it makes him seem even less connected to the sugdens.

I think Martin Fowler has worked really well.
Nick Tilsley, the latest version I just see him as Nick.
The new peter beales & ben mitchells have worked on each occasion for me. I could happily have them bring in Peter with another head at this point.

Ones I don't think have worked, Shabnam in Eastenders, Lucy Beale the change from Melissa to Hetti. Sam Mitchell., sorry but Kim medcalf was never Sam to me.

Some of the younger kid ones have worked like the platt and webster siblings, amy mitchell.

Others mentioned now that I think of them, I preferred the original Lauren Branning but Jac Jossa has grown on me. I rate the actress who played the original Carly Hope but Gemma Atkinson is fantastic in the role.


I don't really see the likes of Louise and Courtney as re-casts but think Louise does work and Courtney was a good addition.

As for new Michelle, its just not gelling yet but I think her return story when it gets going will be the decider on if she is accepted or not

Another bad Home and Away recast would be Hayley Smith, terrible!

I forgot one. johnny Carter v2.0 is a terrible re-cast. Changing Johnny's personality from yellow bellied coward to a have a go hero is just odd and he is gobby and interfering. In fact there is nothing I like about Johnny v2.0

I remember when the actress who played selina fell ill and she had a temporary head whilst she recovered that was odd. Aussie soaps have no fears over their re-casts

That was insulting to viewers. They could've atleast got someone who looked like her.