The Return of Jeremy Lindsay Taylor as a New Character

Channel 7 recently announced that actor Jeremy Lindsay Taylor would be returning to Summer Bay. The “ridiculous” part, according to many fans, is that he’s returning as a completely new character named Sergeant David Langham, the new sergeant at Yabbie Creek police station.

• His Previous Role: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor previously played Detective Dylan Carter in 34 episodes of the show back in 2016. Dylan Carter was known as a corrupt cop who caused significant trouble in Summer Bay, notably being involved in storylines with Kat Chapman and the gang. He was ultimately killed off.

• The Problem for Fans: Viewers are finding it hard to accept an actor who played a distinct, memorable (and villainous) character, and who was explicitly killed off, returning years later as a completely different person. Many fans feel it’s an “insult to their intelligence” and find it confusing.

  • Comments from fans online include: “What? They can’t get different actors? Geez,” “Surely we have enough actors in Australia without recycling one that was killed off,” and “Oh come on Channel 7, what are we supposed to like him now he’s a different officer?”
  • The sentiment is that it’s “stupid recycling actors when we only remember them as what we first saw them as.”

• The New Role: His new character, Sergeant David Langham, is described as a “devoted family man” and a “by-the-book” moral compass, which is a stark contrast to his previous corrupt role. He’s also the estranged father of new characters Lacey Miller and Jo Langham.

Why Channel 7 Might Do This (and counter-arguments from some fans):

• Talent Pool: Australia’s acting talent pool for long-running soaps, while strong, isn’t infinite, and sometimes producers opt to re-use talented actors in new roles, especially if enough time has passed.
• “Seasoned Actors”: Some fans argue that it’s good to have “seasoned actors” rather than just new faces.
• Time Lapse: The argument could be made that enough time has passed since 2016 for viewers to accept him in a new role.

Despite these points, the initial reaction from a significant portion of the Home and Away fanbase has been one of confusion, frustration, and a sense that it breaks the immersion of the show’s reality.

Channel 7 recently announced that actor Jeremy Lindsay Taylor would be returning to Summer Bay. The “ridiculous” part, according to many fans, is that he’s returning as a completely new character named Sergeant David Langham, the new sergeant at Yabbie Creek police station. His Previous Role: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor previously played Detective Dylan Carter in…