EXCLUSIVE
Home and Away heartthrob Nicholas Cartwright has hit out at the show’s former boss, accusing him of being ‘ac***’ after he sent ‘rude’ messages about a new storyline involving his character.
Dan Bennett, who was Network Script Executive on soap opera Seven between 2016 and 2017, says he unexpectedly incurred the wrath of the Summer Bay star on Friday after he responded to one of his social media posts.
“I saw him promoting an upcoming (Home and Away) storyline about the return of the River Boys,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The show tries to revive the crime atmosphere – the drugs and the devilry – and all I did was send him a message saying, ‘zzz’ – as in, ‘that’s a bit boring, we’ve all seen that before’.
‘Of course, that’s just my opinion; I’m just a fan these days. But before you know it, I’ve got Nicholas Cartwright – one of the so-called stars of the show – DMing me and calling me ‘ac**t’.
“I don’t know Nicholas, I’ve never met him. So it’s very disturbing that he talks to fans like that.”
Summer Bay stallion Nicholas Cartwright is embroiled in a heated feud with the show’s former boss
Cartwright with actress Zara Zoe – his real sister
In clips from the heated exchange seen by Daily Mail Australia, Bennett fuels the row with a series of ‘zzz’ messages.
Cartwright, who plays Summer Bay’s resident agent Cash Newman, responded by saying: “That’s a rude comment from someone in the industry.”
Bennett then responds: ‘Or maybe an informed response from someone who knows the show better than anyone on the planet and who hates to see the show revert to River Boy nonsense.
“The idea that we should support productions just because we are in the ‘industry’, rather than supporting them because the quality is A+, is nonsense.
“How can anyone survive by praising mediocrity instead of excellence?”
Cartwright replies, “Okay, buddy, try not to be so harsh about it next time.”
Bennett said he had now discussed the matter with Cartwright’s bosses at Home and Away and considered the matter closed.
“I don’t want to ruin anyone’s career or get them in trouble, but I’ve messaged his supervisors and they’ve said it’s been resolved and I’m happy with that,” he said.
“He was probably just having a bad day and was upset about something else. But it wasn’t a nice experience and I would hate for him to send something like that to someone else.”
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Seven for comment.
The disagreement comes as some Home and Away cast members remain uneasy about the show’s storyline, with some of the soap’s biggest stars openly criticising the decision to move away from its original premise of ‘family values’.
An excerpt from the Instagram conversation
Home and Away legend Ray Meagher, who holds the Guinness World Record for longest-serving actor in an Australian series with his portrayal of Alf Stewart, was already fiercely critical of the inclusion of the ‘River Boys’ in 2018.
In a TV special celebrating the series’ 30th anniversary, Meagher said he felt the show’s dark storylines involving sex, drugs and guns were flawed.
“I think there was a period of about three years where I felt the show had strayed from its basic path for a while,” Meagher told “Endless Summer” host Steve Pennells.
“I think when you have three characters that are 80 percent of the storyline and there are 21 to 23 regular characters, plus another four or five guests, and they’re fighting for maybe 20 percent of the screen time, the show gets a little bit out of balance.
Some of Summer Bay’s biggest stars are concerned about the return of the River Boys
“Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll were not the core mission of Home and Away and it was a bit of a mistake, in my opinion, to let the show lean so heavily on that mission.”
‘In every city, there’s someone who people say, “Oh God, it’s not him again” or something like that, or, “What’s he doing now?” That kind of thing. There’s always going to be something bad, but you can’t base a show like this on violent acts and bank robberies and drug deals.’
Former Home and Away director Dan Bennett wants the show to return to its core values
Bennett, who has also held senior roles at Neighbours and Winners & Losers, said he had to bring Home and Away back to its core values during his tenure.
“When I joined the show, I was proud of the history and the tradition,” he said.
‘It was about foster children and the elders in the program who helped the young people overcome problems and reach great heights.
‘I made a conscience decision to bring back those traditional values. I put Kate Ritchie back in the big house and gave her foster children, because that’s what Home and Away was all about.
Kate resisted it for a long time, saying, ‘Please don’t make me the new Pippa.’ But she’d been around for so long that it made sense for her to be the new face of the show.
‘That’s always been the core of Home and Away for me.
“The current writers of the show have made a clear decision to move away from that and go down a different path. And, hey, they’re really scoring well – so what do I know?”