Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Tane’s youth project gets off to a bad start as Harper is punched in the face by one of the recruits – but will new arrival Perri make it all worthwhile?
Tane (Ethan Browne) is finally able to get his latest project off the ground next week, as he takes on the first clients of Summer Bay Fit’s new youth program.
Having spent a couple of weeks in the city on an intensive counselling program, as part of his sentence for abducting baby Poppy, Tane has been wanting to pay it forward by providing a scheme for disadvantaged youth in the gym.
Tane enlisted the help of social worker (and recent one-night-stand) Harper (Jessica Redmayne) in order to submit a proposal to surf club manager John (Shane Withington), but the idea of juvenile offenders having unlimited access to the club facilities immediately put him offside.
After Tane went over John’s head to propose his scheme to the committee directly, John eventually came around, and permission was granted on the assurance that a social worker (i.e. Harper) was on board.
Despite wanting to distance herself from Tane—after realising she’d developed feelings for him following their night of passion—Harper agreed to commit to the project, with Tane assuring her that he would find a replacement as soon as it was up and running.
Next week, Tane and Harper talk through the first inductees into the program, with particular focus in 17-year-old Perri Hayes (Cantona Stewart), who has just got out of juvie. Whilst he’s been in a fair bit of trouble, he never appears to be the instigator. Tane thinks he sounds perfect for the initiative.
Later that day the first session begins, with Perri attending alongside three others—Brandon (James Caspersz-Loney), Ryan (Jake Hardman) and Tom.
Brandon quickly establishes himself as the class troublemaker, being more interested in the free gym access and flirting with Harper than Tane’s introductions.
Tane appears to make an immediate connection with Perri however, having seen that, like him, he’s from a Māori background.
The group gather outside for their first lessons in self-defence, with Tane reminding them of the core principles of martial arts—discipline and respect.
But there seems to be little of either from Brandon who is soon goading Ryan into a fight.
As Tane and Harper try to cool things down, Brandon takes a swing at Ryan who ducks out of the way, with Harper accidentally ending up taking a punch to the face!
Tane calls off the session early and begins to doubt the program. Alf (Ray Meagher) points out that he simply needs to learn lessons from the first session and move on, whilst Harper assures Tane that the incident proves that the guys need someone like him for guidance.
Tane is further buoyed when he realises that Perri has stayed behind to talk to him, commenting that his peers were out of line.
Perri asks if Tane really thinks that he’ll be able to learn all this self-defence stuff, and Tane replies that he will… if he is willing to do the work.
Perri explains that he needs to protect himself in case he gets into trouble again. He will soon be turning 18, and if he gets put away again it will mean prison as opposed to juvie.
Tane reminds Perri that the whole point of his program is to prevent that happening, and that the skills he acquires are designed to put an end to a fight, not to start one.
The two end up bonding as they spend the rest of the afternoon together, and when Tane later introduces Perri to Mali (Kyle Shilling) at the board shop, Alf is happy to see that Tane has taken the teen under his wing.
“You only need to change one life to make it all worthwhile,” Alf tells him.
With Tane as his mentor, will Perri be able to successfully turn his life around?
An extended guest role, Perri’s storyline will play out on-screen for approximately six months. Though born in the UK and raised in Queensland, 28-year-old Cantona Stewart is of Māori descent himself, and was already friendly with Ethan Browne (Tane) when he went up for the role earlier this year.
“I’d known Ethan for a few years now, so having the chance to reconnect with him was great,” Cantona told Aussie magazine TV Week. “He was a mentor for me and helped guide me through the processes on the show.”
“I had many conversations with the script department, directors, friends and whanau back home in New Zealand that helped me develop a foundation for Perri,” he continued. “An important question I asked myself was ‘who?’ Who can relate to Perri, and what is my due diligence [when it comes] to that audience member?”
“Nothing can prepare you for the workload and discipline you need for this show,” Cantona added. “To wake up each day with a script in hand and the opportunity to work with some of the greatest actors and directors in the country is surreal – a real pinch-me moment. It was more than I envisioned and I’m sure that whatever is next won’t compare to my experience in the Bay.”
Also next week, Bronte captured as John saves the day
The race is on to find Dana, as her loved ones become suspicious of her sudden trip away.
