Home and Away gives first look at 2025 Season Return

Home and Away comes to an end each November, usually with a dramatic finale to keep viewers on the edge of their seats until its return the following January.

2024 was no different, with this year’s cliffhanger seeing Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) waking up to find Eden’s (Stephanie Panozzo) new boyfriend Tim Russell (George Pullar) bloodied and unconscious next to him, with both Cash and Tim appearing to have taken a battering.

Watch the Home and Away 2025 Season Return promo

Justin stumbled across the scene, but while it appeared to him that Cash was to blame for Tim’s injuries, viewers were left wondering whether Tim’s former client Nerida Mullins (Ellie Gall) was involved.

Cash had tracked down Nerida as part of his battle to dig up dirt on Tim, who has recently begun dating Cash’s now ex-fiancée Eden.

Nerida revealed that she was a patient of Tim’s some time ago, and that they’d begun dating. Cash then used this as ammunition as he tried to convince Eden that her new boyfriend had repeatedly made morally questionable decisions and couldn’t be trusted.

However, in the final episodes, Cash and Abigail discovered that Nerida was lying about her relationship with Tim – the pair had never dated, and Nerida had developed an unhealthy obsession with her former counsellor. Tim was innocent.

Cash began to fear for Eden’s safety when Nerida instructed Cash to “tell your ex to watch her back,” warning, “I’d hate for her to get in the way.”

Meanwhile, Remi (Adam Rowland) had organised a getaway for Lyrik and friends to a luxurious remote island retreat where they could rehearse without the noise complaints that had been plaguing them in Summer Bay.

The getaway saw heartbreak for Tim and Eden, when Eden’s refusal to sing the song she wrote about Cash made Tim realise that Eden was still in love with her ex.

Back in Summer Bay, Cash discovered that both Tim’s car and the Lyrik sharehouse had been vandalised.

Cash rushed to Lyrik’s island retreat to protect them, but when he tried explaining his fears about Nerida, Tim refused to listen, fed up of Cash’s interference.

Remi had previously spotted the pair arguing, and in the final scenes of the year, Justin came around the corner to find Cash standing over Tim’s lifeless body.

What wasn’t clear was whether Cash had taken things too far, or whether Nerida had also made her way to the island and was involved in the attack.

Cash awoke to find his hands covered in blood, with Tim lying unconscious next to him, and it looked like he was going to have a tough time clearing his name.

The season usually ends with a trailer, teasing what’s in store in Summer Bay the following year.

However, this year that wasn’t to be – after the final episode, Seven aired a much less revealing promo for the show, featuring mostly already-seen footage of our favourite characters, with vocals by Aussie singer-songwriter Amy Shark.

Thankfully, New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ have saved the day.

The 2024 Season Finale aired on New Zealand screens on Wednesday 18th December, and the channel broadcast the usual ‘next episode’ promo afterwards, giving us our first look at what’s in store in Home and Away‘s 2025 season return.

We pick up moments after we left off, and the promo begins with a New South Wales Police team on their way to Koy Stone River Estate resort where Tim sustained his injuries.

“Base, this is Unit One. We’re now en route to the Koy Stone River Estate,” the lead detective announces over the radio.

The new detective is played by former Neighbours and A Place to Call Home star Craig Hall.

As we previously reported, Craig Hall’s arrival has been expected for some time, after an Instagram video posted by a cast member showed him on the set of Northern Districts Police Station, standing behind Rose Delaney actress Kirsty Marillier, and next to Nerida actress Ellie Gall. Craig’s CV has since been updated to show that his character’s name is Detective Mark Townsend.

“Be advised, we now have confirmation of two male victims of suspected assault,” a colleague replies over the radio.

On the island, Justin has presumably raised the alarm after stumbling across the scene. Remi is already with Cash and Tim, but Eden rushes over, calling out her boyfriend’s name.

“Tim! Is he okay?” she asks, as we see Bree (Juliet Godwin) checking on Tim, who still appears to be unconscious.

“I don’t know,” Remi replies, as Kirby (Angelina Thomson) holds her back.

At that point, Eden notices that Cash is sitting, shellshocked, on the wall next to them.

“Cash?” she asks, wondering what on earth he’s doing on Lyrik’s private island break.

“Are you alright?” he replies.

“How did you get here?” she asks, as it dawns on her that Cash may have had something to do with Tim’s injuries.

We then see Bree informing a paramedic to take Tim “straight to Northern Districts Hospital,” as Cash sits on a step, still shaken up, while Townsend watches on.

“I’ll ride along with you,” Bree tells Cash, but he replies: “I can’t leave Eden.”

“Hey, Cash, you are no good to anybody in the state that you’re in,” Bree assures him.

“I can still help with the investigation,” Cash insists, as he looks over at the detective.

But Townsend is very quick to make the situation clear.

“You’re not a police officer right now,” he tells Cash. “You’re a suspect!”

Will Tim pull through? And will Cash be able to clear his name when we return to Summer Bay next year?

Shortly after the Season Finale, Seven released the following teaser for the new year:

“Cash has been discovered by Justin at the scene of a violent crime after an intense late-night altercation between Cash and Eden’s new boyfriend, Tim. But as day breaks, Cash is seen waking up on the ground, crawling over to an unresponsive and bloodied Tim.

With the evidence stacking up against him, the question on everyone’s lips will soon be: is Cash responsible for the brutal attack on Tim? With a new detective on the case and more questions than answers, is the Bay’s resident cop looking at a life behind bars?

Also, will Dr Levi Fowler’s (Tristan Gorey) risky surgery on Harper and her unborn baby boy end in success or devastation?

The new year also promises fresh faces in the Bay, new romances, an emotional goodbye, and the highly anticipated return of Ziggy (Sophie Dillman) and Dean (Patrick O’Connor) for an exciting storyline set in the Whitsunday Region of tropical north Queensland.”