‘Real and right’: Why Lynne McGranger wanted Irene’s Home and Away exit to matter

It’s fair to say there is a tendency in soap land to ensure that every high-profile departure has a high-octane exit to match. Throughout the years, shows such as Home and Away and Neighbours have delivered all sorts of memorable farewells involving earthquakes, explosions, cult kidnappings and, of course, that time Toadie drove his new wife off a cliff on their wedding day.

The dramatic goodbye has become a staple of the genre, but when Lynne McGranger decided to call time on her 33-year stint as the loveable Irene on Home and Away, she was determined to do the opposite.

“In Summer Bay, we get abducted, we get blown up in hospitals, we end up in a cult, or we get hit by a bus outside the diner,” says McGranger, who announced her departure in February. “But I didn’t want that for Irene, it had to feel real and right.”

For McGranger – whose portrayal of Irene recently earned her the Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian television – leaving the show presented an opportunity to do something “educational and age-appropriate”.

“I sat down with Jessica Redmayne, who is one of our beautiful young actresses on the show, she plays Harper,” explains McGranger. “In 2023, Jess’ mum Tina died of Alzheimer’s, and that planted the seed in my head.”

Dementia is the second leading cause of death among all Australians, and the leading cause of death for Australian women. It’s also most prevalent in those aged 65 and over, a fact not lost on the 72-year-old McGranger.

“There are millions of people who watch this show every week, and if Irene’s battle could encourage even a few people to seek help if they need it, then it would all be worth it,” says McGranger.

After speaking with Redmayne, McGranger approached the show’s head writer, Louise Bowes, with a proposal; Irene, one of Home and Away’s most loved characters, should exit the series after being diagnosed with dementia.

“Jess really loved the thought that a light was being shone on something that is so relevant and pertinent today,” says McGranger. “A dementia diagnosis hits harder than a bus; everyone knows someone who’s been affected by Alzheimer’s.”

Working together, Redmayne and McGranger carved out a realistic arc for Irene, which began with the character forgetting appointments and plans with friends, and ended with a confirmation of her diagnosis following a lumbar puncture.

For Redmayne, who is an Ambassador for Dementia Australia, the opportunity to contribute to the storyline was bittersweet.

“I was working with Lynne when my mother passed, and she was a big support for me, so it took me back to that period,” she says. “But I was totally on board because we need to start demystifying what life with dementia is like.”

Australian television has tackled the issue before with varying degrees of success.

In the original Mother and Son, which screened for six seasons from 1984 to 1994 on the ABC, Ruth Cracknell played a slightly senile older woman living with her younger son, played by Garry McDonald. The depiction was regularly played up for laughs, but given a more sensitive treatment in the 2023 reboot.

Meanwhile, the final season of Packed to the Rafters, which aired in 2013, explored the impact on the family unit when Ted Rafter (Michael Caton) was diagnosed with dementia.

Dementia Australia client services general manager Sophie Hennessy says popular culture still shies away from talking about dementia, despite its prevalence.

“Even though dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia, it’s still very misunderstood and we either don’t see it on screen or we see the really sensationalised version,” she says.

“Which is what makes Lynne’s portrayal such a great way of normalising the condition, people can live a long time with dementia, and live really well. Much of the work we do is advocating for people to access a diagnosis so that they’ve got as much time as possible to plan, exactly like Irene is doing on Home and Away.”

McGranger’s final episode will air Tuesday night and sees Irene preparing to travel the world having sold her house in Summer Bay following her diagnosis. Leaving the show she’s called home for more than thirty years isn’t easy, admits McGranger (though a Gold Logie helps) but the impact of this storyline is a reminder that the work still matters.

“I’ve been told that people are using the Dementia Australia phone line that we’re including at the end of each episode,” says McGranger. “Ringing up to say, ‘I’m a little concerned about mum, or I’m concerned about myself’. And isn’t that great? That is such positive news. That’s the power of television.”

Home and Away airs Monday to Thursday, 7pm on Channel Seven. The National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500 ) is a free confidential phone and email information and support service. The helpline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at thomas.mitchell@smh.com.au or follow him on Instagram at @thomasalexandermitchell and on Twitter @_thmitchell.