 Craig McLachlan (I) (qv) initially planned to leave the series  after season two, and the character of Ed was originally written out  at the beginning of season three. However, after staying for season  three, Craig McLachlan (I) (qv) then left the series, and was  replaced with Stephen Houghton (qv). No attempt is made in the  scripts for season four to explain why Eds appearance and accent  has changed.