Former actress Irin Gan, who played Vicky in the Singaporean drama series Growing Up (1996 to 2002), was recently seen reuniting with her on-screen parents, Lim Kay Tong and Wee Soon Hui, sparking hope among some of a show reboot.
In an Instagram post uploaded by local actress Amy Cheng on Sept 21, the trio were seen with other cast members of the Channel 5 period drama.
“A very easy afternoon with colleagues from our Mediacorp days – catching up, laughing and talking about the work we still love,” Cheng wrote. “The ease and camaraderie were still there... well, at least on my part.”
Joining them at the reunion were former castmate Ivan Tay, who played Vicky’s elder brother Gary’s friend Keng Joo, as well as Ng Say Yong, one of the show’s executive producers.
Cheng’s Instagram post drew a flurry of wistful comments.
“Growing Up. A big part of my childhood literally growing up,” said one commenter.
Another said: “This post healed me. They don’t make TV like that any more. Growing Up was formative to my childhood. I wish they rebooted the series with a new generation of Tays during the 90s to present day.”
Yet another commenter mused: “Literally grew up watching Growing Up... Really good performances. Will really watch a rerun.”
Growing Up spanned six seasons, tracing the trials and tribulations of the fictional Tay family through Singapore’s transformation from the 1960s to the 1980s.
The series starred Lim as the patriarch Charlie Tay, Wee as his wife Tay Soo Mei, and Gan as their wilful and fashionable elder daughter Vicky.
Vicky’s rebellious elder brother Gary was played by Andrew Seow, while Cheng played his wife Karen.
Seow made the news in 2025 when it was revealed that he was working as an auxiliary police officer with security firm Aetos.
The fictional family’s intellectual younger son David was played by Steven Lim.
Local actress Fann Wong’s younger sister Fann Woon Jing was cast as the youngest sibling Tammy, who was also played in the character’s older years by Quek Sue-Shan and Jamie Yeo.
Growing Up, one of the longest-running English drama series in Singapore, was among Mediacorp’s most-watched shows in the 1990s, alongside local sitcoms Under One Roof (1995 to 2003) and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd (1997 to 2007).
The 128-episode drama picked up several accolades, including at the 1996 Asian Television Awards, where Seow won Best Newcomer for his role as Gary. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
