It was one of Australia’s most iconic TV shows and rated its socks off in its heyday.
Yep, we’re talking about Packed To The Rafters, which made household names out of its previously unknown stars (and made its well-known actors even bigger).
WATCH: James Stewart and Jessica Marais share racy Packed To The Rafters scene. Article continues after video.
Amazon Prime rebooted the beloved series with most of the original stars as Back To The Rafters, premiering September 2021, but have you ever wondered what the cast members have been up to since the cameras stopped rolling inside the Rafters household?
Never fear, we’ve rounded up exactly where you can find them. And to find some of them, it’s just a matter of turning on the small screen.
From Hugh Sheridan’s gig on Five Bedrooms to three cast members rocking up to Summer Bay, and more reunions than you count, here’s where they all ended up.
Scroll on to see where the cast are now.
Zoe Ventoura – Then
Playing Mel, the wife of Ben Rafter, Zoe Ventoura was part of one of Australian TV’s most heartbreaking scenes when she devastatingly died in a car crash after being distracted by a text message from her husband. The ratings for the episode featuring Mel’s tragic death went through the roof at the time.
Zoe Ventoura – Now
Zoe, who has since gone on to be cast in an array of projects, including a stint another iconic Aussie drama: Home & Away. She played Summer Bay doctor Alex Neilson. The actress most recently made headlines when she and husband Daniel Macpherson announced their split after five years of marriage. In mid-2023, it was revealed Zoe would be taking on the lead role as Velma in hit production, Chicago.
Rebecca Gibney – Then
In Packed To The Rafters, Rebecca Gibney played the country’s favourite matriarch, Julie Rafter, who was mum to Ben, Rachel and Nathan (and later gave birth to little Ruby).
Rebecca Gibney – Now
As one of Australia’s most accomplished actresses, Rebecca is never short of a role. Since Rafters wrapped, she created and starred in Wanted (with fellow Rafters co-star Ryan Corr) and previously played the lead role in Halifax: Retribution, a reboot of popular 90s crime series Halifax f.p.
Erik Thomson – Then
Husband to Julie and father to Ben, Rachel, Nathan and Ruby, electrician Dave Rafter was a beloved fictional family man.
Erik Thomson – Now
Since the show ended, Dave’s portrayer Erik Thomson has been keeping extremely busy. He held the lead role in Channel Seven drama 800 Words, for which he won a Best Actor Logie. He was also in 2019’s Storm Boy with Geoffrey Rush and Jai Courtney while in 2020, he appeared in The Luminaries.
Jessica Marais – Then
Jessica Marais’ role on Rafters not only gave the actress her big break into Australian TV, it introduced her to the future father of her daughter Scout. Jessica played Rachel Rafter who struck up a romance with Jake Barton, played by James Stewart. Jessica and James’ on-screen chemistry spilled over to real-life and they were briefly engaged before splitting in 2015.
Jessica Marais – Now
Jess and James continue to co-parent their daughter Scout and Jess has had a string of hits in her career. She went on to star in Love Child, The Wrong Girl and Magic City before taking a break from acting in 2018 to focus on her mental health.
Hugh Sheridan – Then
Hugh Sheridan was one of the breakout stars on Packed To The Rafters portraying Ben Rafter. Audiences loved him and he racked up multiple Logie wins for the role, including Most Popular New Male Talent in 2009 and Most Popular Actor in the following years.
Hugh Sheridan – Now
After Rafters, Hugh was a presenter on Play School and starred in INXS: Never Tear Us Apart and House Husbands. He also regularly performed with his band California Crooners. These days, Hugh can be found on the small screen in Channel Ten’s drama Five Bedrooms alongside Stephen Peacocke and Kat Stewart and regularly performs each year in Carols in the Domain.
Hugh also proposed to his boyfriend, TikTok star Kurt Roberts, during his Fringe show in Adelaide back in March 2021. The actor got on one knee to pop the question to his partner, before jumping back up and exclaiming “I just got engaged!”.
Sadly however in November of that same year, the actor revealed he and his fiance Kurt Roberts had ended their relationship, eight months into their engagement.
“For now we didn’t make it, but we tried very, very hard, I’m so sorry for us that it wasn’t easy and I’m sorry for the added pressure,” he said in a statement at a time, revealing that a busy work schedule, the death of his father and the pandemic had made things hard for the former couple.
Angus McLaren – Then
Appearing on all six seasons of Packed To The Rafters (including as a guest star during season five) Angus McLaren found fame as Nathan Rafter. One of his most infamous storylines included cheating on wife Sammy (Jessica McNamee) after being caught up in the temptations of the music industry.
Angus McLaren – Now
Angus went on to find a role in Aussie drama Doctor Doctor in 2017. The following year he joined Home And Away as recurring character Lance Salisbury starring alongside Penny McNamee, the real-life sister of Jessica McNamee, his former on-screen wife. In 2019, he also teamed up with ex-Rafters co-star Ryan Corr to appear in Bloom.
James Stewart – Then
Playing heartthrob tradie Jake Barton, James Stewart stole Australia’s hearts – and the heart of co-star Jessica Marais – from season two onwards.
James Stewart – Now
After leaving Rafters, James popped up in Australian TV shows Hiding and Tomorrow When The War Began. In 2016, James joined Home and Away as Justin Morgan and continues to play the character four years on. On the show he met his now wife Sarah Roberts and the loved-up couple tied the knot in a fairytale wedding in Ireland in July 2019.
Ryan Corr – Then
As scrappy underdog Coby Jennings, Ryan Corr joined the Rafters family in season two as a guest star before eventually becoming a main character. Coby had a heart of gold but was notorious for getting himself into trouble.
Ryan Corr – Now
Not one to rest on his laurels, Ryan has taken on a number of acting projects both locally and internationally. Listed among his many credits is a role in Russell Crowe war movie The Water Diviner, Mary Magdalene (starring Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix) and he recently starred in acclaimed Stan mini-series Bloom. His most recent credit was another Stan Original, The Commons, alongside Joanne Froggatt.
Brooke Satchwell – Then
Brooke Satchwell was a late addition to the Rafters cast, coming on board in season five. Her character Frankie worked for Dave Rafter’s electrician business and shared a romance with Coby (Ryan Corr).
Brooke Satchwell – Now
The former Neighbours actress is back on yet another iconic Australian TV series. Brooke was seen on Channel Nine’s SeaChange reboot, playing Sigrid Thorton’s on-screen daughter. More recently, the young star won a TV WEEK Logie award in 2023 for her role on The Twelve.
George Houvardas – Then
In the Channel Seven drama, George Houvardas’ character Cabo was the larrikin next door fans couldn’t get enough of.
George Houvardas – Now
George appeared in 2018’s Chasing Comets and starred as Chris in 2019’s Frayed. He is also returned for the Back To The Rafters reboot.
This story originally appeared on our sister site, Now To Love.
