Vintage Craig McLachlan: GOODBYE HENRY HELLO GRANT!
Hey beautiful people! 🌟 Let’s take a trip down memory lane to 1990, when Craig McLachlan made the ultimate soap switcheroo, moving from the beloved Henry in Neighbours to the new, unorthodox teacher Grant Mitchell in Home and Away. Fans were buzzing, and the anticipation was real as Craig took on this fresh challenge in Summer Bay, swapping Ramsay Street for the beach!
But that’s not all—Craig wasn’t just making waves on TV! He was also rocking out with his band Check 1-2 and gearing up for a massive music launch in the UK. It was a whirlwind year filled with TV drama, chart-topping tunes, and a whole lot of excitement. Buckle up for the full flashback story that had everyone talking back then—and is still iconic today!
xxx Love, Team Craig 💛
Original article published in 1990. We are not sure which publication it was in… if you know, help us out and let us know 😛 Reach out via our contact page.
While the opportunities are there, I’d be crazy not to pursue them.”
GOODBYE HENRY HELLO GRANT!
WHEN his name was Henry, home was in Ramsay Street. Now he is called Grant and he lives in Summer Bay.
But Craig McLachlan’s many fans are not confused. The fact that he finally makes his Home And Away debut on Friday has them all agog.
Judging by the sacks of mail which continue to arrive at Channel I 0’s Melbourne studios six months after Henry packed his bags and m9ved out of Ramsay Street, the former Neighbours star has a huge following. McLachlan said the move was necessary for his career but he is nervous about his on-air debut and is hoping his new character will prove just as popular as Henry, in Neighbours.
“It’s such a different role,” he said. “Grant is a more mature character than Henry. That’s part of the challenge. After three years with Henry, I’ve had to consciously drop a lot of ‘Henryisms’. Grant is more unorthodox.”
In Home And Away, McLachlan plays Grant Mitchell, a young teacher whose methods are unusual and will lead to clashes with education authorities.
McLachlan says there is a lot of similarity between Grant Mitchell and John Keating, the character played by Robin Williams in the film Dead Poets Society.
McLachlan spent the last few months of 1989 travelling constantly between Sydney, where Home And Away is produced, and Melbourne, where his rock band, Check 1-2, was based.
He was absolutely delighted at the chance to grab a few weeks for rest and recreation over the Christmas holiday break. “By the end of the year I was simply exhausted,” he said. “I was working in Sydney while the band stayed in Melbourne. The constant travel was really tiring – and the pilot’s strike didn’t make things any easier.”
But McLachlan is now planning to travel again – to Britain for the launch of his record, Rock The Rock. The single was released in Australia on November 20 last year and was an instant hit.
Although Henry is no longer on air in Neighbours, he continues to be seen in episodes of the Oz soapie screening in Britain where he attracts almost as much attention from Fleet Street as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. Now, just like Kylie and Jason, McLachlan is after recording success in the UK.
He has already negotiated time off from the Home And Away set for his British launch, around March-April. Juggling a leading role in a TV soap AND a rock ‘n’ roll career is not easy and McLachlan is the first to admit there are problems.
“I’ve got to admit I’m really stretching myself to balance the two,” he said. “But while the opportunities are there, I’d be crazy not to pursue them.”
Here’s the original article.
