Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in that year, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer Alan Bateman who oversaw the serial before being succeeded by series producer Des Monaghan whose episodes first began airing in November. Sixteen of the original eighteen regular characters debuted in the pilot episode. The Fletcher family consisting of Frank Morgan, Tom and Pippa Fletcher, Carly Morris, Steven Matheson, Sally Keating and were introduced first. Summer Bay residents Alf Stewart, Floss and Neville McPhee, Bobby Simpson, Donald Fisher, Ailsa Hogan, Martin Dibble, Lance Smart and Matt Wilson also made their debuts. They were soon joined by Alf's daughter Roo and sister, Celia. In March, Lyn Collingwood arrived as Lance's mother, Colleen. The same month, Liddy Clark began playing and Amanda Newman-Phillips joined the cast as Narelle Smart. In April, Gerry Sont began playing , a love interest for Roo. Barbara Stephens and Cornelia Frances arrived in June as Alf's other sisters and Morag Bellingham, respectively. July saw Simon Kay enter as Donald and Barbara's son . Gavin Harrison began playing in August and was soon followed by John Morris as . That month saw the serial's first birth , son of the established Tom and Pippa. Another birth occurred in September, Martha Stewart, daughter of Roo and Brett. Sandie Lillingston joined the cast in the same episode as Brett's sister, and in November, George Leppard guested as .