In one of the most bizarre potential crossover events in history, it seems Britney Spears was once scheduled to appear on Aussie institution Home & Away.
It didn’t end up happening, probably because putting Britney Spears and Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) in one room together would create a force more powerful than that large hadron collider thing in Switzerland we were all worried would create a black hole. Remember that? Anyway.
On Hobart’s Hit 100.9 with Dan & Christie, Christie Hayes, who played Kirsty Sutherland on the show, revealed Britney “expressed interest to be on the show”. Apparently there were plans in place for her to have a brief cameo on the soap when she was in Australia around 2001.
“Our producer called a cast meeting and said, ‘Britney Spears wants to be on Home & Away, does anyone object?’” Christie explained on the radio show.
Apparently everyone was keen. Well, except for one bloke.
“There was one person who was like, ‘oh… probably not a great idea.’ That was Ray (Meagher). He knew it would ruin the illusion of the show,” said Christie.
Maintaining the illusion (?) of a show that sees one character being brainwashed into believing their dead child can be reincarnated, another character actually returning from the dead in the form of a giant teddy bear at their kid’s third birthday party, and another poor bugger literally dropping dead after getting a small nick from a chicken wire fence (because of apparent ‘blood poisoning’) is kinda laughable.
Britney Spears waltzing onto the set of Home & Away for a two minute cameo would’ve been a downright mundane thing to occur in Summer Bay, compared to the hijinks those crazy kids — and Alf – normally get up to.
So why didn’t it actually happen? Apparently it wasn’t just because Ray wasn’t keen. According to Christie, Britney’s cameo was axed because of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
“I was gonna to be in the scene with her. It was scripted but she pulled out of it last minute because sadly 9/11 happened,” she said on the radio show.
Damn. Have a listen to the segment on Dan & Christie here.
