Go, Shorty... IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Our favourite soap stars scrub up for a milestone 30th anniversary photo shoot

Ferndale favourites Reuben and Ngahuia get their flirty 30 on!

The Shortland Street cast photo is an almost-annual ritual dating back to the iconic medical drama's very first year in 1992. Back then, it was simply a matter of getting all the actors in costume, putting them in one room on set and lining them up.

Barry, the soap's first canine star, is played by director Oliver Driver's Labradoodle Harry.

But now, with a larger cast and more hectic schedules, it's a much more complex process! This year, which marks Shorty's milestone 30th birthday, the shoot was done over four days, with a talented team of hair and makeup artists, plus head stylist Jaime Randell - yep, she's Dancing With The Stars NZ host Clint's wife!

The 2022 cast (from left): Sally Martin, Jess Sayer, Ben Barrington, Ria Vandervis, Kura Forrester, Grant Lobban, Katherine Kennard, Michael Galvin, Ben Mitchell, Nicole Whippy, Henry Rolleston, Rebekah Randell, Scott Smart, Ngahuia Piripi, Reuben Milner, Theo David and Marianne Infante.

Unfortunately, actress Jennifer Ludlam, who plays hospital florist Leanne Black-Johnson, was out of town on annual leave at the time, but she'll be added into the photos with a little bit of a digital magic at a later date. Yay, technology!

The faces and fashions may have changed through the decades, but the drama is still number one with fans.

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