The Shortland Street cast photo is a beloved tradition that sees the stars of our favourite soap come together every year for a glam portrait session. But just as Ferndale has been given a shake-up, with the TVNZ 2 drama set to air just three days a week in 2025, so too has this annual custom received a major facelift.
Next year, the new-look Shorty will be divvied up into four “mini seasons”. Each will have its own title and a cast photo featuring just the core stars of that particular storyline. An action-packed shot gives fans a clue as to how the plot will unfold. What you see here is the picture for the first instalment of 2025, Shortland Street: New Blood, which kicks off on Monday, 10 February.
“The photo is a good introduction to how the New Blood season is going to be – more focused on medical drama and telling the personal stories through work,” says Ferndale veteran Michael Galvin. Who has played Chris “Dr Love” Warner since the soap debuted in 1992.
“It’s kind of like distilling the drama of five episodes a week into three episodes. So now the show is punchier and more intense. I’m loving the new episodes I’ve seen. So I’m very excited to get them out there in front of our awesome fans.”
Ben Barrington, who started as Dr Drew McCaskill in 2015, adds, “The new faces definitely shake things up in Ferndale. The drama ramps up at the hospital, with a focus on the ED and surgical departments. But fans can expect more of the lives, loves, laughs and losses that it always delivers.”
“They should try to look at Shortland Street and the cast in a new light when watching this new season,” says returning star Carlos Muller, who plays ambo Logan Barns. “You will find some incredible performances in there – from the OGs to the newbies, everyone is crushing it!”
One of those newbies is actress Tessa Rao, who is front and centre in the photo as Poppy Achari. Of scoring the prominent position, she tells Woman’s Day, “I couldn’t believe it when I was first told. It’s really exciting. There are plenty of people in my family who work in healthcare. So I like to think I’m up there representing them and the insane, incredible jobs they do saving people’s lives every day.”
Another new Ferndale resident, Madeleine McCarthy – who will star as Cleo Atwell and says her gig on Shorty “makes me want to be a doctor in real life” – says the photo shoot was “so much fun”. She tells, “We had a lot of laughs and made a lot of TikToks. It was nice to escape the busy set and get to know everyone a little better.”
Ngahuia Piripi, who plays hospital boss Dr Esther Samuels, agrees. “It was so much fun,” she says. Adding, “Hopefully because we didn’t all star in the photo this time around. It keeps the viewers guessing – someone always dies or leaves the show after a cast photo. It’s dangerous!”
Shortland Street returns Monday 10 February on TVNZ or TVNZ+.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
