Shock exits, surprise returns and several new faces: Home and Away set to send temperatures soaring in 2025

Home and Away fans are panicking about what awaits Summer Bay next season.

And it looks like a new group of River Boys will appear in a new storyline in the new year.

On-set photos from the Home and Away set have been leaked to the internet show showing Nicholas Cartwright’s police officer Cash making what appears to be an arrest.

And it also looks like there may be a ‘River Girl’ in the new cast of characters.

Fan site Back to the Bay shared that actress Sophea Pennington could be joining the cast as a character named Lacey.

Yahoo fueled speculation about the young newcomer joining the beloved soap after reporting that a number of Home and Away cast members follow her on Instagram.

The Home and Away Spoilers and Gossip fan page recently shared that actors Rob Mellyonarie and Adam Peck will co-star as two of the new River Boys.

The ‘River Boys’ first came to Summer Bay in 2011 as a gang of criminals.

Their antics wreaked havoc in Summer Bay and fueled storylines for several seasons.

Other cast changes for Home and Away in 2025 include Kirsty Marillier, whose character Rose will be leaving in the upcoming season.

Marillier will soon appear on stage at the Sydney Opera House in February in a new production of Picnic at hanging Rock, based on the famous novel.

Former Home and Away favorite Patrick O’Connor will also make a surprise return to the soap after leaving the series with his real-life lover Sophie Dillman.

The pair who played on-screen couple Dean and Ziggy left the highly rated soap in March 2023.

O’Connor confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that he and Dillman would appear as part of the River Boys storyline.

He revealed new scenes have already been filmed in far-away North Queensland.

“There’s a little bit of River Boy action, there’s a few road trips with them,” O’Connor told the publication.

“I think it’s good to see where Dean is now, where they are now with their babies living far away in Queensland is all I can say.”

Also tipped to join the cast as a new character in 2025 is Amanda Bishop, best known for her portrayal of Julia Gillard in the 2011 ABC sitcom At Home with Julia.

It comes after Home and Away fans breathed a sigh of relief after the 2024 season ended on a cliffhanger that could see Nicholas Cartwright’s character Cash face criminal charges.

New photos leaked from the Summer Bay set reveal that Cash survived his ordeal.

The spoiler, posted to a Facebook Home and Away group, shows Cash in his police uniform filming scenes next to his police car and an unknown character.

Also appearing in the snap is Home and Away actor Ethan Browne, who plays the character Tane in the long-running soap.

Browne can be seen standing in a singlet as the new character watches the crew film the scene.

In the season finale, Cash woke up next to the lifeless body of his enemy Tim (played by George Pullar).

Cash’s ex-fiancé Eden, played by Stephanie Panozzo, had warned him that Tim’s former client Nerida (Ellie Gall) felt slighted and was out for revenge.

Meanwhile, fans took to social media with theories about the storyline that could develop in next year’s season.

Viewers noticed that Nerida appeared in a promo shot in which her character appeared to show up in handcuffs at a police station being booked by Officer Rose Delaney (Kirsty Marillier).

Some claimed that the photo was a major clue that her mysterious character was involved in Cash’s predicament.

“Definitely Nerida in handcuffs,” one follower wrote.

“Maybe that girl is one of those arrested,” a second suggested, and a third replied, “That’s definitely Nerida.”

The iconic Australian drama series has built a reputation for its suspenseful and gripping cliffhangers.