Gino Esposito is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours'', played by
Shane McNamara
Shane McNamara is an Australian television and film actor who is best known for his many appearances in the recurring role of Gino Esposito in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''.
He has also played a character called 'Rat in a Hat' in ...
. The character made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 August 2000. The character was originally played by Claude Stevens. McNamara was cast in the role when the character was reintroduced in 2001. Gino owned a hair salon called A Good Hair Day, which employed both
Lyn Scully (
Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha (16 September 1951) is an Australian television and theatre actress. Andrewartha began her career as a music teacher before attending drama school. She graduated in 1979and began securing television and theatre roles.
Andrewa ...
) and
Janelle Timmins
Janelle Steiger (also Timmins) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Nell Feeney. She made her first screen appearance on 11 November 2004. The character was written out and she departed on 13 July 2007. ...
(
Nell Feeney
Nell Feeney is an Australian actress who played Janelle Timmins on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' from November 2004 to July 2007, returning briefly in 2015. She had also appeared in the soap the previous year as Joanne Blair. She wa ...
).
Script producer Luke Devenish called Gino "a
aystereotype" and a comedic character, similar to
Mr. Humphries from British sitcom ''
Are You Being Served?
''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...
''.
Character development
In 1995, ''Neighbours'' introduced a storyline about the bullying of gay teacher, Andrew Watson (Christopher Uhlman).
It was a turning point for the show, but it took another five years before another gay male character was introduced.
Gino made his first appearance in 2000. He was a hairdresser who owned the local hair salon and spoke about his flatmate Aaron often.
It was later revealed that Aaron was his partner.
''Neighbours'' script producer, Luke Devenish said of the character, "He is a
aystereotype, and we don't have a problem with that as he is not a negative stereotype, he is a comic character and it is for a laugh – in the Mr Humphries
f ''Are You Being Served''kind of tradition".
David Knox of TV Tonight called Gino an "incidental gay male character."
When Gino moves in with
Harold Bishop (
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
), the writers decided to tweak the "standard love triangle story" with
Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Tom Oliver. He made his first screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Oliver appeared for a brief time, having been initially contracted for six months ...
(
Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British-born Australian retired actor who started his career in theatre in his native country, before emigrating to Australia.
Oliver, a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, is best known for h ...
) becoming jealous of the duo.
Harold and Gino get along very well and share a love of musicals.
Of this, Peter Mattessi of ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...
'' said "The tension this created between Lou and Harold ("same-sex platonic life-partners", according to Toadie) was a wonderful storytelling twist, and the innuendo made Gino's sexuality clear to those in the know, yet avoided the questions from younger viewers which would jeopardise the G rating."
Storylines
Gino was born Ray Murphy, but he decided to change his name when he became a hairdresser. Gino formed a reputation as a top hairdresser and he decided to open his own hair salon. He bought the A Good Hair Day salon in the Lassiter's Complex in 2001, which concerned
Lyn Scully (
Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha (16 September 1951) is an Australian television and theatre actress. Andrewartha began her career as a music teacher before attending drama school. She graduated in 1979and began securing television and theatre roles.
Andrewa ...
), who had been managing it for the previous owner. Gino and Lyn were rivals and Lyn began dressing younger as she knew that Gino favoured young, pretty hair stylists. Gino put Lyn on a month's trial to see if she could juggle her family and her commitments to the salon. Lyn quit after Gino started taking her regular clients away from her. Lyn decides to branch out on her own and take Gino's clients with her. When Gino finds out about her plans, he threatens to blacken Lyn's name around the town. Lyn tells Gino that she knows his real name is Ray Murphy. Gino is shocked and does not want his reputation ruined, so he accepts Lyn's resignation. Gino's business suffers without Lyn and he tells her that he made a mistake in mistreating her. Lyn then agrees to come back.
Gino becomes involved in the Erinsborough Amateur Players and asks
Joe Scully
Joe Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Shane Connor. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 October 1999, along with his family.
Development
In October 1999, the five-strong Scully fam ...
(
Shane Connor
Shane Connor (born 3 April 1959) also billed/credited as Shane Feeney-Connor, is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in stage, television and film productions, both locally and internationally in the United Kingdom and United St ...
) to build him some sets. Both men clash with their different ideas, but eventually come to respect each other. Gino also becomes a wedding planner and
Susan Kennedy (
Jackie Woodburne
Jacqueline Anne Woodburne (born 5 February 1956) is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress, who is notable for her roles in TV soap operas.
Since 1994, Woodburne has played teacher Susan Kennedy in ''Neighbours''. She first became notable for ...
) asks him for his help with her second wedding to
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
(
Alan Fletcher). Gino's plans are too much for Susan and Karl and when they go to reject them, Gino tells them that his commitments to the Erinsborough Players' mean he cannot commit to the planning the wedding. When Gino falls out with his boyfriend,
Aaron (Stewart Adam), Gino discovers that Harold Bishop has a room to rent. Gino and Harold bond over their love of musicals and vegetarian food and Harold invites Gino to move in. Gino later makes up with Aaron and moves back in with him. However, Gino arrives back at Harold's within a few hours of leaving as he and Aaron had fallen out again. Harold tries to get rid of Gino and when he cooks much meat and eats a sausage, although it was vegetarian, in front of him, Gino leaves and goes back to Aaron.
Gino asks Joe if he could be godfather to his and Lyn's son,
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
(Ingo Dammer-Smith). Gino explains that he will never have kids of his own and his nieces and nephews live too far away. Joe agrees to give it some thought. On the day of Oscar's christening, Joe discovers that Gino has decorated the church and he asks him to be Oscar's fourth godparent. Gino comes between Harold and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) when he and Lou start spending a lot of time together. Harold becomes jealous when Gino and Lou and two girls from the salon go away together and Gino and Lou begin partying with each other. However, both Lou and Harold support Gino when
Boyd Hoyland (
Kyal Marsh
Kyal Reese Marsh (born 16 August 1987) is an Australian former actor and model. He was born in Clare, South Australia. He moved to Melbourne with his family when he was one year old. He is now a managing director in the building industry at Fitz ...
) accuses Gino of trying to come onto him. Gino is left shaken by the incident. He eventually put the incident behind him when Boyd apologises. Gino writes a play about a country boy who arrives in the city dreaming of stardom and he casts
Ned Parker
Ned Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Daniel O'Connor. He made his first appearance on screen on 9 August 2005, arriving to see his brother, Stuart. He departed on 31 July 2008.
Casting
Fo ...
(
Daniel O'Connor) in the lead role. On the morning of the opening night, Gino injures his back and Karl takes over his duties. Karl also fills in for Ned, after he injures his knee. Following the opening night, no more tickets were sold and Gino's play finished. A few weeks later, Gino announces that he is going to take his baby paegents on tour around Australia and he sells the salon to
Steve Parker (
Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni (born 4 March 1966) is an Award winning, Italian-born Australian actor. He became a household name in Australia for his role as Constable Yannis 'Angel' Angelopoulos in ''Police Rescue'' and as Steve Parker in ''Neighbours''. H ...
).
Reception
The ''
Sydney Star Observer'' said that "at times, Gino has also shown astonishing depth. Like when he was fighting to become godfather to Lyn's baby son Oscar".
They said that the situation was something "a lot of gay men can relate to" as Gino explained that he was unlikely to have a child of his own.
The newspaper added "We went beyond the froth with him and it was quite moving".
Of the character of Gino and his relationship with Harold Bishop, David Knox said "Gino eventually ended up sharing house with Harold, frequently watching musicals on DVD together but never speaking about the love that dare not speak its name..."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Gino
Neighbours characters
Fictional gay males
Fictional hairdressers
Television characters introduced in 2000
Fictional LGBT characters in television
Male characters in television