Shortland Street’s first baby returns to show 33 years after appearing in pilot episode

Bronte Bell, the first baby on Shortland Street (pictured), will return to the show after 33 years. Photo / South Pacific Pictures

• Bronte Bell, the first baby on Shortland Street, will return to the show this week, 33 years after the pilot episode.
• Bell’s character was born following a car crash involving Lisa Stanton, played by Anne Cathie.
• Shortland Street, New Zealand’s longest-running drama, has had over 8000 episodes but recently reduced output due to declining viewership.

The first baby to ever star in Shortland Street is now set to return to the show, more than three decades after she appeared in the pilot episode.

“Nearly 33 years ago she starred as #ShortlandStreet’s first baby, and this week she’s set to return,” Shortland Street posted on Facebook, with a photo of London-based Bronte Bell (the baby) in the show’s signature scrubs.

Fans were told to “keep an eye out this week” for the actor’s “special reappearance” as an adult on the long-running soap.

Bell was “born” in dramatic fashion when the prime-time show first hit New Zealand screens in 1992.

A pregnant Lisa Stanton (played by Anne Cathie) was involved in a car crash.

Paramedics Tom Neilson (Adrian Keeling) and Sam Aleni (Rene Naufahu) had taken Stanton to Shortland Street Clinic with concerns about her injuries.

Bronte Bell briefly joined the Shortland Street cast for the 1992 pilot episode. Photo / South Pacific Pictures

Fresh arrival Dr Hone Ropata (Temuera Morrison) then made the call that he had to deliver the baby, against the hospital’s protocol.

While Neilson’s son, Stuart (Martin Henderson), initially claimed to be the father, it was later revealed that the baby was the daughter of Darryl Neilson (Mark Ferguson) - Tom and Marjorie Wilson’s (Elizabeth McRae) dangerous and deceptive son.

Fans reflected on their memories of the nostalgic episode in the comments.

“I remember seeing this on telly at 6 years old,” one person wrote.

“After that I thought that if you had a car accident you could end up having a baby.

“How fantastic. Looking to Monday. Keep going Shortie please,” said another.

Shortland Street is one of New Zealand’s most-watched and highest-rated shows.

Set in the imaginary Auckland suburb of Ferndale, the drama series follows the personal and professional lives of an ensemble cast centred around work at Shortland Street Hospital.

Over 8000 episodes have been produced since 1992, making it the longest-running drama series in Aotearoa.

Amid declining viewership and a drop in advertising revenue, the number of Shortland Street episodes produced were reduced from five to three, South Pacific Pictures and TVNZ announced in July 2024.

The show recently made its way back to British screens for the first time in 15 years after being picked up by on-demand streaming service STV Player.

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