Tonight’s Home and Away in Australia saw Theo Poulos’s emotional final scenes, as Matt Evans leaves the show after four years.

Yesterday’s dramatic episode saw Lacey (Sophia Pennington) come face to face with Councillor Wendell (Justin Smith), the man who she blames for her mum Kristina’s death some two years ago.

She brought Theo along with her for security, but Theo’s decision to join her has ended up costing him his life.

As Theo left Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Eden’s (Stephanie Panozzo) wedding, Leah warned her nephew not to go. She reminded him of the danger he’s previously found himself in with the River Boys, but Theo refused to listen, telling his aunt to back off.

“Fine. Don’t expect me to be there for you when it all goes wrong,” Leah retorted angrily, in what would be her final words to her nephew as she watched him walk away.

On the deserted country road where Theo, Lacey and Councillor Wendell met, the councillor agreed to Lacey’s demands to hand himself in to the police.

However, when he got back in his car, he began to drive at speed towards her in an attempt to mow her down.

Theo dived out of Lacey’s car and ran towards his girlfriend, pushing her out of the way of the speeding vehicle just in time.

However, he wasn’t so lucky – he was hit by the full force of Wendell’s BMW and was left lifeless in the road.

Tonight’s episode confirmed Theo’s fate. While paramedics did their best to save his life, he was pronounced dead at the scene, with Leah and Justin given the heartbreaking news.

Earlier today, Matt Evans posted a goodbye message on Instagram, recorded on the day the crash was filmed: “Hey everyone, it is Theo here. Thank you so much for the last four years, what a wild ride! I’m here on my last day on set at the moment, just soaking it all in.

“I love you all so much, and keep enjoying and watching the show, and best wishes to all of you.”

Speaking to TV Week about his final day on set, Matt said: “It was truly a wave of emotions. It was really sad because when I finished my scene, I then had to sit there and watch the following scene, which was all the other characters reacting to Theo’s death and crying.

“Just watching all of these beautiful performances really affected me in that way. It was quite sad, but it was nice to really feel that sadness of parting ways.”

As Home and Away says goodbye to Theo, we take an in-depth look at the character’s four years in Summer Bay.

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Theo arrived in Summer Bay back in September 2021, the son of Leah’s older brother Dimitri (Salvatore Coco), who had been an established guest character in the early 2000s.

His arrival in town saw Cash pull him over for speeding and bring him to Leah and Justin’s house, where Theo explained that Dimitri had thrown him out following a falling out at work.

Leah soon discovered that the real reason was Dimitri’s anger over Theo scamming customers at his dealership by selling fake insurance and pocketing the money.

After fleeing town, Theo returned a week later with injuries. He initially claimed he had been attacked during an attempted car theft, but eventually admitted to Justin that he had been beaten up by people he had conned.

Leah, unwilling to house him whilst he was in danger, arranged for him to stay at the motel.

Soon after, Theo took an interest in Chloe (Sam Barrett), helping her with food deliveries and assisting with Ryder’s (Lukas Radovich) 21st birthday party.

His misguided idea to get Ryder to the event involved locking him in a car boot, which left Ryder furious following his recent kidnapping and cast a shadow over the celebrations.

Despite Ryder’s hostility towards their growing friendship, Theo and Chloe spent the night together talking, and although he let others assume more had happened, he later clarified the truth.

Leah and Justin invited him to move in, and Justin gave him work at the garage. Theo quickly caused friction by overcharging a customer, missing shifts and clashing with Ziggy (Sophie Dillman), but after a few false starts he began to make more of an effort.

Looking for easy money, Theo uploaded a video of Ryder’s ‘kidnap’ and proposed turning it into a monetised challenge channel.

Together, he and Ryder filmed a series of stunts, from chilli-eating contests to bizarre cocktails and firewalking.  The venture ultimately ended in disaster when Ryder undertook a coffin challenge.

Theo, meant to keep watch, was injured and unable to reach him, leaving Ryder buried alive and close to suffocation before Roo (Georgie Parker) and Justin rescued them.

Ryder was hospitalised, with Alf (Ray Meagher) placing the blame solely on Theo. Determined that he should face justice, Alf reported Theo to the police over his earlier joyride in the surf club’s buggy, leading him to be charged.

Theo pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community service. He considered leaving town but Justin persuaded him to stay, and Alf eventually offered an apology.

During this period, Theo confided in John (Shane Withington) that Dimitri had been violent towards him during his teen years.

When Leah attempted to reconnect with Dimitri, it left Theo worried that she and Justin no longer wanted him. He was reassured when Justin instead offered him an apprenticeship, though he remained unsettled until Leah confirmed that Dimitri wanted nothing to do with him.

Despite this, Dimitri later arrived in the Bay, revealing that Theo’s mother Cassandra had left him and insisting Theo should come home.

Still raw after Chloe had dismissed their recent hook-up, Theo clashed with his father again and punched him during an argument.

Although Theo kept quiet about the reasons, John felt duty-bound to inform Leah and Justin about Dimitri’s history of abuse.

They backed Theo and accompanied him to see Cassandra, but the confrontation resumed on his return when Dimitri again lost his temper. Only Ryder’s intervention prevented further violence.

Dimitri painted himself as a concerned parent when he met Theo at Salt, but his true motives were exposed when Theo overheard him threatening Leah, telling her he’d say anything to get Theo back under his roof.

Matters escalated when Justin ended up concussed after Dimitri attacked him. Dimitri then tried to force Theo to leave town with him, but Cash intervened.

With Leah reporting Dimitri for assaulting Justin, Theo found the courage to give a formal statement about the years of violence he’d faced. Dimitri was charged, bailed and said a strained farewell before leaving the Bay.

With his father gone, Theo began to find stability. Ziggy took over mentoring him at the garage after Justin’s involvement caused problems with his TAFE course. Justin also gave him a guitar to replace one Dimitri had smashed, encouraging his growing interest in music.

Theo and Chloe eventually became a couple, only for her to end things after moving away a short while later.

Theo’s focus shifted when he responded to Lyrik advertising for a new singer, and successfully passed the audition. Balancing gigs with his apprenticeship was difficult, but he stuck with both. He began a relationship with bandmate Kirby (Angelina Thomson), which was initially kept secret due to a rule against dating within the band.

With Justin as manager, the band experienced ups and downs, including tension when former frontman Bob Forsyth (Rob Mallard) reappeared.

Theo boycotted a gig in protest, leading to its cancellation, but later helped repair the damage with a free show at Salt.

Around this time, Theo signed up to the surf club’s charity golf day, joining John’s team. When Justin discovered Theo could play, he pressured him to switch teams. Theo eventually did, only to realise Justin had sabotaged John’s golf buggy.

To even things out, Theo deliberately fluffed shots. But when CCTV footage of the sabotage was uncovered, they were disqualified, with Theo left irritated by Justin’s gamesmanship.

When Justin’s daughter Ava (Annabel Wolfe) arrived in the Bay, she was revealed to be the person behind an obsessive online fan account named ‘I<3Theo,’

Her crush escalated as she continued adding to a Theo scrapbook, showed jealousy towards his girlfriend Kirby, and posted a selfie secretly taken in Theo’s bedroom whilst wearing his shirt.

Justin had initially dismissed concerns, but Leah and Roo presented him with evidence, forcing him to accept that Ava had manipulated him. Ava later claimed outright that she and Theo were in a relationship, shocking Justin into apologising to Theo.

The situation escalated further when Ava climbed into the van of a surfer named Conor, and texted Theo to say she was being held against her will.

Hoping to help, Theo told Justin, who tracked Conor down and assaulted him in front of police. Conor had done nothing wrong, and Justin was charged with grievous bodily harm.

At the trial, Theo was called as a witness and admitted that Ava had a pattern of dishonesty, leaving him convinced he had damaged Justin’s case.

With Justin resigned to prison, Alf stepped in as a character witness, speaking of his value to the community. The court spared Justin a custodial sentence, though Theo remained weighed down by guilt.

A short while later, Theo bonded with Andrew (Joshua Hewson), a teenager Leah and Justin had taken in.

 

He created a missing persons page to trace Andrew’s family, but it drew the attention of Vita Nova cult leader Margot Dafoe, who posed as Andrew’s mother to lure him back into their fold.

Theo’s concern over Andrew, and Justin’s attempts to save him, added strain to his and Kirby’s relationship which soon ended. Theo went on to support Andrew as he opted to go and live with his newfound sister.

Despite his nerves, Theo performed strongly with Lyrik at Battle of the Bands, where they won the audience vote, but withdrew after Felicity was attacked.

Kirby later left the group for a short-lived solo career, leaving Theo unsettled. Kirby’s new manager Forrest offered Theo a solo deal, but he declined in order to stay with Lyrik.

He continued to focus on his apprenticeship and supported Leah and Justin as they prepared for their wedding, even writing a song with Kirby.

But Leah’s paranoia about Vita Nova, after her and Justin’s kidnapping, spiralled, culminating in her threatening Justin with a knife. Theo called Bree to intervene, and Leah admitted herself to a clinic.

Shortly after Leah’s return, Valerie Beaumont (Courtney Clarke), a friend Leah had met at the clinic, came to Summer Bay.

She grew close to Theo and they began a relationship, but  it quickly became unhealthy as Valerie introduced him to recreational drugs.

When police later discovered drugs hidden in Lyrik’s van, and Valerie eventually owned up, Theo accepted how far things had gone and agreed to enter rehab.

On his return, Theo took a step back from Lyrik and focused on finishing his mechanics apprenticeship. Having befriended Perri Hayes (Cantona Stewart), he sheltered him in the garage after he killed his abusive father in self-defence.

After encouraging Perri to go to the police, he put his own freedom at at risk as he admitted to hiding Perri, which helped his case.

Shortly after Sonny’s (Ryan Bown) arrival, the two managed to get caught up with the River Boys, who were seeking mechanics for their street racing.

After driving in a race for leader Gage (Tom Wilson), Theo began an affair with Gage’s girlfriend Lacey.

When Gage found out, he tied up Theo under a car ramp and lowered his own car onto him. Sonny found him, and Theo was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

With Lacey initially withdrawing her evidence out of fear, Theo and Sonny were listed to testify against Gage. But on their way to court they were ambushed by River Boys and left in the bush after a beating.

As a result, Lacey changed her mind and testified, leading to Gage’s conviction. The gang later returned to where they’d left Theo and Sonny, intending to kill them, but Tane and Cash intervened.

Having disagreed with Leah about continuing his relationship with Lacey, Theo moved into the pier apartment with Bree (Juliet Godwin), with Lacey later joining him there.

He supported Lacey as she dealt with the return of dad David and sister Jo into her life, attempting to maintain distance from their dispute about the crash that had killed her mother.

But as the truth finally began to come to light about the accident, little did they know it would lead to Theo losing his own life.