If you’re eager for Home and Away’s Sally Fletcher to return to the Bay then it turns out you’re not alone. Ray Meagher, who plays Alf Stewart, has backed calls for his former co-star Kate Ritchie

to reprise her legendary role after more than 10 years away. Ritchie became a firm favourite among viewers when she first joined the soap in 1988. After playing Sally for 20 years,

the actor bowed out of the role before making a guest appearance in 2013. Though the brief stint left fans desperate for a permanent return, Ritchie has since confirmed she has no plans to come back.

But could a nudge from her co-star finally persuade her? Ritchie currently co-hosts the radio show Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie alongside Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli. The trio invited Home and Away’s Meagher onto the show today, where they discussed how much input the actor has on upcoming storylines.

“I do sit down with the producers each year, and usually the conversation goes, it’s very short. It goes something like this, I say to them, ‘It’s your shout’ and then we all go away for Christmas,” Meagher explained.

“But, no… I’ve never, ever in 38 years tried to influence the storyline for Alf. I definitely massage the words. Can’t massage the intent.”

Wipfli referenced the impending return of Darryl ‘Brax’ Braxton (played by Stephen Peacocke, who left the soap in 2016) and questioned if Ritchie could make a similar comeback as Sally.

“Why are you doing this?” an exasperated Ritchie asked her co-host, who replied: “Because you’ve never clearly said no!”

Fitzgerald then turned to Meagher and suggested he float the idea with the Home and Away producers. “There’s an opportunity, Ray, and you need to talk to producers there. You got to go harder!” he said.

Meagher seemed to agree with the idea, reminding the trio that he had never influenced a story before but would “make an exception” in this situation.

“I’ve never been to the producers, you know about a storyline for me, but I’d make an exception, you know, in Kate’s case, and go and have a yarn to them,” he teased.