''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
'' is an Australian soap opera. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1998, by order of appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer John Holmes. The 11th season of ''Home and Away'' began airing on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
on 12 January 1998. The first introduction of year was
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
, played by
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
. Several episodes later, the Nash family consisting of parents
Joel Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to:
* Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name.
* Joel (surname), a surname
* Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...
and
Natalie
Natalie may refer to:
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Music Albums
* ''Natal ...
and their children
Tom and
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
debuted. April saw the birth of
Olivia Fraser Richards
Olivia Fraser Richards is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Raechelle Banno. The character was born on-screen to parents Lachlan Fraser (Richard Grieve) and Chloe Richards ( Kristy Wr ...
. September saw the first appearance of
Byron Fisher
''Home and Away'' is an Australian soap opera. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1998, by order of appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer John Holmes. The 11th season of ''Home and Away'' ...
and in the same month
Bec Cartwright
Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera '' Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music alb ...
took on the role of Will's sister,
Hayley
Hayley (pronounced ) is an English given name.
It is derived from the English surname Haley (surname), Haley, which in turn was based on an Old English toponym, a compound of ''heg'' "hay" and ''leah'' "clearing or meadow".Katie Martin-Doyle, '' ...
.
Scott Major
Scott Ian Major (born 4 July 1975) is an Australian actor and TV and film director, best known for his roles as Peter Rivers in the 1994 television teen drama series ''Heartbreak High'' and Lucas Fitzgerald in soap opera ''Neighbours''.
Career ...
guested as armed robber
Murray
Murray may refer to:
Businesses
* Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles
* Murrays, an Australian bus company
* Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust
* D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
in October.
David D'Angelo
''Home and Away'' is an Australian soap opera. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1998, by order of appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer John Holmes. The 11th season of ''Home and Away'' ...
arrived in November.
Will Smith
Will Smith, played by
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
, made his first on-screen appearance on 13 February 1998. Will was a regular on the show from 1998 to 2002 and continued to make frequent guest appearances until 2005. In 2010, it was announced that the character and Drayson would be returning to the show. Will returned to the Bay with his daughter on 14 October 2010. Drayson was originally cast in the role of
Tom Nash, but at the last minute the show's producers thought he would be more suited to the "rougher" upcoming role of Will.
The character left Summer Bay after marrying
Gypsy Nash
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
(
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper (born 24 April 1980) is an Australian television actress known for her character of Gypsy Nash on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Kimberley Cooper was born on 24 April 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, A ...
).
Drayson made occasional guest appearances in the show from 2003 to 2005.
In September 2010, it was announced that Drayson had reprised his role of Will and would be returning to ''Home and Away''.
Will was originally described as a "hot-tempered trouble maker" who arrives in the Bay to reconnect with his siblings,
Hayley
Hayley (pronounced ) is an English given name.
It is derived from the English surname Haley (surname), Haley, which in turn was based on an Old English toponym, a compound of ''heg'' "hay" and ''leah'' "clearing or meadow".Katie Martin-Doyle, '' ...
(
Rebecca Hewitt
Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music albu ...
) and
Nick
Nick may refer to:
* Nick (given name)
* A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat
* British slang for being arrested
* British slang for a police station
* British slang for stealing
* Short for nickname
Place ...
(
Chris Egan).
Will learns to calm down and when he decides to leave the Bay he was, by then, considered a "good bloke".
Natalie Nash
Natalie Nash, played by Angelica la Bozzetta, made her first on-screen appearance on 18 February 1998. In 1997, following
Debra Lawrance
Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress.
She is best known for her role on '' Home and Away'', as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998, and has made a number of return appearances as the character, the most re ...
's decision to quit her role as
Pippa Ross
Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away''. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role and made her debut during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Dow ...
producers decided to introduce a new family to run the caravan park, because the household was seen as the "centrepieice of the show".
They created the Nash family consisting of parents Natalie and
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'' played by David E Woodley. Joel made his first appearance on 18 February 1998 and departed on 11 October 2000.
Character creation and casting
In 1997, after D ...
, played by la Bozzetta and David Woodley respectively and children
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
(
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper (born 24 April 1980) is an Australian television actress known for her character of Gypsy Nash on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Kimberley Cooper was born on 24 April 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, A ...
) and
Tom (Graeme Squires).
la Bozetta quit the role in late 1998 to spend more time with her daughter. Antoinette Byron was cast in the role and made her debut in the 1999 season premiere.
Channel 5 chose the episode where Natalie and Joel return to Summer Bay with their children, Tom and Gypsy, as one of their best episodes from the last 25 years of the serial.
Joel Nash
Joel Nash, played by David Woodley made his first appearance on 18 February and departed on 11 October 2000. Prior to acting career, Woodley had worked as a
federal police
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.
Jurisdiction
LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction.
LEAs ...
officer in Melbourne.
Before taking on the role of Joel, Woodley previously guested on the serial as
Finlay Roberts
Finlay "Fin" Roberts is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'', portrayed by Tina Thomsen. She made her first appearance during the episode airing on 18 September 1991 and departed on 20 May 1994. Thomsen made retu ...
' (
Tina Thomsen
Tina Thomsen is a Denmark-born Australian actress whose roles include Finlay Roberts in the soap opera ''Home and Away'' and Tanga on ''Farscape''.
Filmography
*''Farscape'' (TV series) 1999
*''Big Sky (Australian TV series), Big Sky'' (TV ...
) partner Barry, in 1996.
Gypsy Nash
Gypsy Nash, played by
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper (born 24 April 1980) is an Australian television actress known for her character of Gypsy Nash on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Kimberley Cooper was born on 24 April 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, A ...
, debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 18 February 1998. Gypsy and departed in 2002. She returned on 9 September 2011 and departed on 13 October 2011. In 1997, after
Debra Lawrance
Debra Lawrance (born 1 January 1957) is an Australian actress.
She is best known for her role on '' Home and Away'', as Pippa Ross, which she played from 1990 to 1998, and has made a number of return appearances as the character, the most re ...
quit her role as
Pippa Ross
Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away''. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role and made her debut during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Dow ...
producers decided to introduce a new family to run the caravan park, because the household was seen as the "centrepiece of the show".
They created the Nash family consisting of Gypsy played by Cooper, sibling
Tom (Graeme Squires) and their parents
Natalie
Natalie may refer to:
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Music Albums
* ''Natal ...
and
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'' played by David E Woodley. Joel made his first appearance on 18 February 1998 and departed on 11 October 2000.
Character creation and casting
In 1997, after D ...
played by Angelica la Bozzetta and David Woodley respectively.
The family come to Summer Bay from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
to start a new life.
In June 2011, it was announced that Cooper had reprised her role as Gypsy and had returned to filming in May. Cooper confirmed that Gypsy's return would be "dramatic, in true Gypsy style". Gypsy returned with her daughter Lily in September 2011. At the
41st Logie Awards Cooper won the "Most Popular New Female Talent" award for her portrayal of Gypsy, she was the first ever recipient of the award. Gypsy's kidnapping was nominated for "Most Dramatic Storyline" at the 1999
''Inside Soap'' Awards.
The following year, Cooper won an award in the "Best Aussie actress" category. Soap opera reporting website
Holy Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas '' Home and Away'' and '' Neighbours'', which are broadcast ...
included Gypsy on their list of "Sexiest ''Home and Away'' girls ever" list.
They also brand her most memorable moments as; "being kidnapped and having a baby with Will Smith".
Tom Nash
Tom Nash, played by Graeme Squires, made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 18 February 1998.
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
was originally cast in the role, but when the producers thought he would be more suitable for
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
, Squires received the part. The actor decided to leave ''Home and Away'' in early 2000 after two years
Tom departed on 16 May 2000.
and he made his screen exit on 16 May 2000. Squires returned to film the show's 3,000th episode special in 2001.
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
was originally cast in the role of Tom, but the producers later thought he would be more suited to the "rougher" role of
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
.
Squires was then cast as Tom and he revealed that he was honoured to be a part of the ''Home and Away'' crew.
He told Jason Herbison of ''
All About Soap
''All About Soap'' was a fortnightly UK magazine founded in October 1999. It was released on Tuesdays. Storylines of the shows it covers are from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia, including '' EastEnders'', '' Coron ...
'' that the best thing to happen to him was getting the part of Tom.
He explained "I had done some modelling before, but ''Home and Away'' was definitely my first big acting break. It's what people know me for and I'm very grateful that I was given the role."
A writer for official ''Home and Away'' website described Tom as "your typical cricket-in-summer, rugby-in-winter kind of guy; he's sporty, good-looking and a bit of a ladies' man!"
When asked if he shared any similarities with his character, Squires stated that they were both creative and liked the outdoors. He added that Tom is more outgoing, while he is much more quieter.
For his portrayal of Tom, Squires earned a nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent
at the
Logie Awards of 1999
The 41st Annual TV Week Logie Awards was held on Sunday 11 April 1999 at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, and broadcast on the Nine Network. The ceremony was hosted by Andrew Denton, and guests included Isaac Hayes, Kevin Sorbo, Kathy Griffin, P ...
. Robin Oliver of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' called Tom and Gypsy "good-looking children". ''Inside Soap's'' Steven Murphy said Tom and Terri's relationship was the hottest romance of the lot. Claire Brand and Annette Dasey of the same publication called Tom "the darling of Summer Bay", while ''Soaplife's'' Tina Baker branded the character "tasty Tom".
Olivia Fraser Richards
Olivia Fraser Richards made her first appearance on 20 April 1998. The character was born on-screen to
Lachlan Fraser
Lachlan "Lachie" Fraser is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Richard Grieve. He made his screen debut on 19 March 1997 and last appeared on 27 November 1998. He joined the show after ...
(
Richard Grieve
Richard Grieve (born 25 January 1970) is an Australian actor, who has worked extensively in film, television, theatre and musical theatre, but is perhaps best known for his roles in the British soap ''Emmerdale'', and two Australian television s ...
) and
Chloe Richards
Chloe Richards (also Fraser) is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Kristy Wright. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 28 June 1995. Chloe left in 1999, m ...
(
Kristy Wright
Kristy Wright (born 14 July 1978; name also erroneously given as Kirsty Wright) is an Australian television and film actress.
Biography
Wright was born in Sydney, Australia, the oldest child in her family, with three stepbrothers and two half ...
). When she returned to the serial in 2005, Olivia was played by
Ivy Latimer
Ivy Latimer (born 1 December 1994) is an Australian actor best known for portraying the mermaid Nixie on the television series '' Mako: Island of Secrets''.
Early life and education
Latimer was born on 1 December 1994 in Ventura, California, ...
. Following Chloe's death, Olivia leaves the Bay with her uncle
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
(Michael Piccirilli). In October 2015, the character returned to ''Home and Away'' with
Raechelle Banno in the role.
Olivia returns to
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional coastal town featured in the Australian soap opera, '' Home and Away''. Palm Beach, the most Northern beach of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Between 2010 and 2014, the ...
in the hope that her mother's former foster carer
Irene Roberts (
Lynne McGranger
Lynne McGranger (born 29 January 1953) is an Australian actress and longest serving female cast member of a television soap opera in Australia, having starred as Irene Roberts on soap opera ''Home and Away'' for over 29 years. She joined the se ...
) will look after her, following some trouble at her school in London.
Olivia flirts with
VJ Patterson
Vincent Alexandros "VJ" Patterson, Jr. is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. VJ has been portrayed by various child actors since his introduction. Felix Dean played the role from 2007 until it was recast in 20 ...
(Matt Little) upon her arrival and Banno commented, "She's very forward. I think she wants his attention and she just puts herself out there."
Hayley Smith
Hayley Smith was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress
Rebecca Cartwright
Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera '' Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music alb ...
and from September to November 2005 by
Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal reasons.
Described by ''
The Sun-Herald
''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Publishing. It is the Sunday counterpart of ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. In the 6 months to September 2005, ''The Sun-Herald' ...
'' as one of the "best-loved characters in Australian drama", Cartwright won the 2005
Logie Award for Most Popular Actress
The Logie Award for Most Popular Actress is an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. The award recognises the popularity of an actress in an Australian program. Commonly known as the Silver Logie for Best Actress, it h ...
for her portrayal of Smith
and was nominated for a
Gold Logie
The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards.
The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...
the same year. ''The Sun-Herald'' described the character of Smith as "trouble-prone" and "an artistic young widow who has overcome a graffiti problem".
Byron Fisher
Byron Fisher, played by a number of child actors, made his first appearance on 16 September 1998 as a vision in his mother
Marilyn's (
Emily Symons
Emily Symons (born 10 August 1969) is an Australian-born actress, active on both Australian and British television. She is known for playing Anne Costello in the short-lived soap opera '' Richmond Hill'' in 1988 and when that series ended, from ...
) dream during her pregnancy. Byron was born on 16 February 1999 and was played by Brittany Jones and Joel Sanders-Aguius. Nathanial Davey portrayed an 11-year-old Byron in a vision.
Byron is born to Marilyn and
Donald Fisher
Donald George Fisher (September 3, 1928 – September 27, 2009) was an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded The Gap Inc. clothing stores with his wife Doris F. Fisher.
Early life and education
Fisher was born i ...
(
Norman Coburn
Norman Coburn (born 6 March 1937) is an Australian former actor best known for his television serial and soap opera roles. He started his early career in theatre, film and television in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s.
Coburn became famous ...
). He is given the middle name Vincent after
Vinnie Patterson
Vincent "Vinnie" Patterson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Ryan Kwanten. He made his first on screen appearance on 14 July 1997 and departed on 1 March 2002.
Development
In 1999, Vinnie was d ...
(
Ryan Kwanten
Ryan Christian Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series '' ...
) speeds through traffic to get Marilyn to hospital. Marilyn struggles to connect with Byron and suffers from
post-natal depression
Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and chan ...
and walks out on him and Donald. She returns several months later and finds herself feeling pushed out by Byron's nanny,
Ellen Porter (Anne Grigg). However, Ellen leaves and Marilyn is able to bond with Byron and the Fishers settle into a relatively normal family life. However, this is cut short when Byron is diagnosed with cancer and the best chance of saving him is to have him treated overseas. Marilyn and Byron then leave for America. Donald sells his Streeton painting in order to raise the money for Byron's treatment and Simon Broadhurst (
Morgan O'Neill
Morgan O'Neill (born 19 April 1973 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian writer, director, actor and producer. He is also an accomplished professional musician. Having earned an honours degree in Literature from the University of Sydney, he s ...
) buys it but returns it to Donald. Donald prepares to join Marilyn but receives a call with the news Byron has died. Donald flies to America for Byron's funeral service but returns alone after Marilyn runs off again. Donald later writes a book called ''Letter to Byron'' and it is illustrated by
Hayley Smith (
Bec Cartwright
Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera '' Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music alb ...
).
Byron appears to Marilyn in a dream as an 11 year old when she begins having visions of the late
Amber Copeland (Mitzi Ruhlman). Rabbit introduces Marilyn to Byron and he says hello.
Byron's birth was chosen by
Channel 5 as one of their "Best Ever" episodes.
Murray
Murray played by
Scott Major
Scott Ian Major (born 4 July 1975) is an Australian actor and TV and film director, best known for his roles as Peter Rivers in the 1994 television teen drama series ''Heartbreak High'' and Lucas Fitzgerald in soap opera ''Neighbours''.
Career ...
, made his first appearance on 20 October 1998 and departed on 30 October 1998.
Murray first appears on the beach where he loads his gun and heads towards the Bayside diner.
He orders breakfast and when the time comes to pay, he tells
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart (also Hogan) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Judy Nunn. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Ailsa was married to Alf Stewar ...
(
Judy Nunn
Judith Anne Nunn ( AM) (born 1945 in Perth, Western Australia), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian fiction author, former theatre and television actress and radio and television screenwriter. Nunn was a ...
) he has no money and offers to help out but she refuses. When Ailsa goes to call the police, Murray locks the door and holds her hostage at gunpoint. Ailsa's husband
Alf (
Ray Meagher
Raymond Francis Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewa ...
) returns and discovers her held hostage. To get rid of Murray, Ailsa gives him the float from the till and while he is distracted, Alf attempts to hit Murray to retrieve the money with a mallet but is stopped.
Murray prepares to flee but officers
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'' played by David E Woodley. Joel made his first appearance on 18 February 1998 and departed on 11 October 2000.
Character creation and casting
In 1997, after D ...
(David Woodley) and Terri Garner (Alyson Standen) come in for coffee. After the police leave, He goes to leave with the money but panics when Terri returns and fires a shot which hits
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher (also Copeland and Keating) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Kate Ritchie. She made her first screen appearance during the serial's pilot episode, which was broadcast on 17 ...
(
Kate Ritchie
Katherine Leigh Ritchie is an Australian actress, radio presenter and children's author, she remains best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera '' Home and Away'', for which she won tw ...
) in the leg. He then holds the customers at gunpoint and is reluctant to let them help Sally. He then flees and hides out in a cave for several days and is discovered by
Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall (previously Nicholls) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by former actor Ryan Clark. He made his first on screen appearance on 3 April 1991. Sam remained in ''Home and Away'' until 20 ...
(
Ryan Clark) and
Hayley Smith (
Bec Cartwright
Rebecca June Hewitt ( Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera '' Home and Away''. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music alb ...
) who he takes hostage. Hayley's brother
Will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
(
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
) and his girlfriend
Gypsy Nash
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
(
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper (born 24 April 1980) is an Australian television actress known for her character of Gypsy Nash on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Kimberley Cooper was born on 24 April 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, A ...
) find them and are also taken hostage. The next morning the teens try to escape while Murray is asleep but they disturb him and he continues to hold him hostage. Will tries to sympathize by telling Murray about his own experiences of being on the streets. Sam and Hayley escape and Gypsy tries to but Murray catches her. Will bargains with Murray to release Gypsy and give himself up. Joel and Constable
Barry Dennis (Mark Shaw) arrest him. Murray then appears as a vision in Ailsa's subconscious when she sees a lookalike customer who comes into the diner.
Channel 5 chose Murray's hold-up of the Diner of one of their best episodes ever.
David D'Angelo
David D'Angelo (alias Robert Perez) made his first appearance on 9 November 1998, played by Valentino Arico
and then by Ross Pennissi in shadow form, credited as Mr. X.
Tony Poli began playing David until the character's departure on 13 October 1999.
David's storyline sees him play out his revenge against
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'' played by David E Woodley. Joel made his first appearance on 18 February 1998 and departed on 11 October 2000.
Character creation and casting
In 1997, after D ...
(David Woodley) who imprisoned him for 15 years in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
He uses Joel's daughter
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
(
Kimberley Cooper
Kimberley Cooper (born 24 April 1980) is an Australian television actress known for her character of Gypsy Nash on the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Kimberley Cooper was born on 24 April 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, A ...
) as a pawn in his plan by posing as her tutor, before kidnapping her.
Cooper told the official ''Home and Away'' website of her experiences filming with Poli in the storyline: "It was pretty scary. I can't really describe it. It was kind of fun but it was kind of hard." She then told how Poli was "so much fun" and helped her in a lot of situations. "He pointed out a few things and just talked me through it and he gave me a lot of feedback, too. He was really cool." When asked if Poli was anything like his character, Cooper added: "No, not at all. And to watch him do Robert and then see him talking to his son on the phone making baby noises was pretty strange."
David arrives in Summer Bay and secretly records a conversation between Gypsy and
Justine Welles
Justine Welles is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Bree Desborough. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 June 1997 and departed on 7 April 2000.
Casting
The character of Justine was Desbo ...
(
Bree Desborough
Bree Bain (née Desborough; born 22 September 1979) is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Justine Welles in the soap opera ''Home and Away''.
Early life
Bain was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1979.
Bree married ...
) and then records a conversation between Gypsy's father, Joel and uncle
Travis (
Nic Testoni
Nicolas John Testoni, billed as Nic Testoni is an Australian actor and television presenter. He took the role of Travis Nash on TV soap opera, '' Home and Away'', from 1995 to 1999. He won the Most Popular New Talent category at the Logie Awards ...
). He assumes the name Robert Perez and begins dating Gypsy. He then moves into the Caravan Park and advertises his services as a Maths Tutor and is hired by Joel and his wife
Natalie
Natalie may refer to:
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis
Music Albums
* ''Natal ...
(Angelica la Bozetta) to help Gypsy improve her grades. David sends a tape of Joel and Travis' conversation where Joel admits he does not want any more kids to Natalie and she is upset. Travis and his wife
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
(
Belinda Emmett
Belinda Jane Emmett (12 April 1974 – 11 November 2006) was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series ''Home and Away'' and '' All Saints'' as well as the sitcom '' Hey Dad..!''. She was married ...
) become suspicious of David when he mentions Joel and Natalie's problems and they alert them. David tells Gypsy about a book sale and takes off with her, in order to kidnap her. Gypsy's brother,
Tom (Graeme Squires) and
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
(
Zac Drayson
Zac Drayson (born 14 January 1983) is an Australian actor.
Career
He is best known for the role of Will Smith, one of Irene Roberts' (Lynne McGranger) many foster children in the soap opera ''Home and Away''. He was a regular from 1998–2002 ...
) break into David's caravan and they discover newspaper cuttings featuring Joel and his return to Summer Bay. It emerges David is a criminal Joel apprehended in Hong Kong. He holds Gypsy hostage for three weeks and sends the Nashes some cryptic clues in the form of recorded poems by Gypsy and crossword puzzles. He later takes Joel hostage then dumps him in the woods and tells him he has two hours to save his family. David steals Joel's identity and cleans out his bank account and then sets fire to the Nashes house with Natalie (now played by Antoinette Byron), Tom and Gypsy inside.
During the blaze, David takes Natalie hostage and Joel apprehends David after Natalie gives clues to her whereabouts via telephone. David is then jailed and Joel visits him to demand his money back but David has the last laugh when he riles him about Gypsy, angering him.
David escapes from prison several months later to retrieve the money he stole, which is buried in the bush but is enraged to discover that
Duncan Stewart (Brendan McKensy) and Gazza Boyd (Sebastian Huber) have already found the money. He then threatens to harm Duncan and his mother,
Ailsa (
Judy Nunn
Judith Anne Nunn ( AM) (born 1945 in Perth, Western Australia), (also published under the pen name of Judy Bernard-Waite), is an Australian fiction author, former theatre and television actress and radio and television screenwriter. Nunn was a ...
). He orders Duncan to retrieve the money from Gazza and warns him Ailsa will be hurt if he calls the police. David then gags Ailsa and takes Duncan hostage and tries to flee the country with his accomplice
Lauren Healy (Merridy Eastman). Joel tracks David down with several officers and the chase culminates in David losing his footing and Joel saves him from a cliff fall. He files a complaint against Joel, alleging that he hit him, bloodying his nose but Joel proves his innocence and David is jailed once more.
Rachel Browne of ''
The Sun-Herald
''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Publishing. It is the Sunday counterpart of ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. In the 6 months to September 2005, ''The Sun-Herald' ...
'' listed David's vendetta among the best television cliffhangers at the close of the 1998 Australian television season.
Ahead of the 1999 Season premiere, she described David as a "Hooded Psycho bent on revenge".
David's kidnapping of Gypsy and stalking of the Nash family was nominated for "Most Dramatic Storyline" at the 1999
''Inside Soap'' Awards.
Others
References
External links
Characters and castat the Official AU ''Home and Away'' website
Characters and castat the Official UK ''Home and Away'' website
Characters and castat the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{Home and Away characters
#, 1998
*, H