Home and Away is set to take its annual winter break in the UK, with just over two weeks of episodes left until 2023.
The final episode of the year will air on Channel 5 on Friday 18th November, with a shocking cliffhanger which will leave UK viewers waiting until next year to see whether all of their favourites survive.
The episode’s “first look” will air on 5STAR on Thursday 17th November at 6:30pm, before airing on Channel 5 on Friday 18th November at 1:45pm and 5STAR at 6pm.
There will be no “first look” episode on 5STAR on the final day.
The remainder of November and December will see Home and Away off the air before it likely returns to UK screens early in January 2023.
To avoid airing too soon after Australian broadcasts of the show, the show takes a vacation every winter.
Home and Away airs on Channel 7 in Australia, where it also takes a break each December, meaning there aren’t enough episodes for Channel 5 to broadcast it all year round.
It took an extra week off this year to accommodate the Commonwealth Games.
For UK and Australian viewers, continue reading for some serious spoilers.
The final week of the year promises to be a delight for UK viewers. In Australia, the show always ends on a massive cliffhanger, but because the transmission gap with Australia changes every year, it used to end very abruptly in the UK.
However, in recent years, Home and Away's producers have made sure that UK viewers also receive a big event to end the year by setting the air date of the UK's last episode in November and planning another significant cliffhanger.
As Marilyn's (Emily Symons) hidden daughter, Heather (Sofia Nolan), who was just revealed to be her, exacts revenge on Marilyn for abandoning her at birth, the drama this year will center around Heather.
She poses as organizing a brunch in order to make apologies for her recent actions and invites Maz, Alf (Ray Meagher), Roo (Georgie Parker), Leah (Ada Nicodemou), and Irene (Lynne McGranger) to a magnificent manor estate.
In reality, she has a sinister plan as she drugs them and takes them hostage.