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Simon Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''
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 ...
'', played by Richard Norton. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 25September 1991. Norton was cast in the show after appearing in fellow soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
'' just a few months prior. Simon is characterised as a "joker" who enjoys playing pranks on his friends. Simon was introduced alongside his criminal father
Bill Fitzgerald Bill Fitzgerald may refer to: * Bill Fitzgerald (hurler) William Fitzgerald (2 June 1892 - 17 December 1983) was an Irish hurler. At club level he played with Bride Valley and Éire Óg and was also a member of the Cork senior hurling team. Ca ...
(Terry Bader), who soon abandoned him. Writers paired Simon with
Sophie Simpson Sophie Dean (also Simpson) is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian Seven Network, Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 January 1990 ...
(
Rebekah Elmaloglou Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou (born 23 January 1974) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as teenage tearaway Sophie Simpson on ''Home and Away'' and Terese Willis on ''Neighbours''. She also made guest appearances in ''E Street (television ...
) for his first relationship story, although she is pregnant with another man's child. Producers decided to write Norton out of the show after one year, which shocked Norton. This led him to accuse the show's production of promoting other cast members better in storylines. Simon departed during the episode broadcast on 24July 1992.


Casting

Prior to joining ''Home and Away'', Norton had appeared on rival soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
'' as Ryan McLachlan for one year. Joining the series had changed Norton's perception of being a working actor. He told John Kersher in ''The Official Home and Away Annual'' that the "best thing" about ''Neighbours'' was the money, but at ''Home and Away'' it was about doing a job he enjoyed. Norton was one of only a few actors to appear in both shows. Norton made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 25September 1991.


Development

Kercher described Simon as the serial's "resident heart-throb" and his "suntanned good looks mean that he never has a shortage of girls to go out with". There is no one that "fails to fall for his smooth talk". When Simon arrives in Summer Bay, he is "diligent and hardworking", a "model student" and has an "excellent academic record". But Simon also has a "mischievous side" and enjoys playing "elaborate pranks" which he always gets away with because "his politeness acts as the perfect foil". Simon's characterisation as a "joker" who enjoys playing pranks was implemented from his debut. Norton told a reporter from ''BIG!'' magazine that "he's developed a foolproof way of pulling off clever pranks without getting caughtand the girls usually fall for him." Norton believed that he played a "subdued" character in ''Neighbours'' which held back his portrayal. He felt more comfortable in ''Home and Away'' and made a more memorable character. He told Mark Barden from the ''
Reading Post The ''Reading Post'' (until 2009, the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a famous local landmark at Forbury Gardens. Th ...
'' that "Simon was one of the regular Summer Bay kids like Blake and Sophie, and I think people associate me more with him." Simon's mother died in the years before he moved to Summer Bay. His father
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...
(Terry Bader) decided to relocate to the area, but Simon becomes "puzzled" by the quick move and assumes it is for business reasons. He later discovers that Bill had embezzled money. After an argument with Bill, Simon decides to move in with Blake Dean (
Les Hill Les Hill (born 1 August 1973) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many Australian television productions including '' Rescue: Special Ops,'' ''Home and Away'' and ''Underbelly.'' Early life Hill was born in the Royal Hospital for Women ...
). Kercher 1993, p.18. The series formed an on-screen duo with Simon and Blake. Norton told Josephine Monroe from ''
Inside Soap ''Inside Soap'' is a weekly magazine published in the United Kingdom, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas in the United Kingdom, including '' Coronation Street'', ''Doctors'', ''EastEnders'', ''Emmerdal ...
'' that he and Hill "built up quite a rapport" and they worked hard on their characters' friendship. Norton liked the idea of "these two young lads being cheeky and wacky", they were the "
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...
" of Summer Bay. In one storyline Simon begins a relationship with
Sophie Simpson Sophie Dean (also Simpson) is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian Seven Network, Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 January 1990 ...
(
Rebekah Elmaloglou Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou (born 23 January 1974) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as teenage tearaway Sophie Simpson on ''Home and Away'' and Terese Willis on ''Neighbours''. She also made guest appearances in ''E Street (television ...
). The scripts required for Norton and Elmaloglou to kiss multiple times during the story. Norton told Trish Pavone from ''BIG!'' magazine that during one scene in which they kissed, Elmaloglou joked that she would bite his tongue off if she felt it. Later Sophie finds out that she is pregnant by another character. Simon decides to pretend that he is the baby's father so that Sophie will not have face parenthood alone. As a reporter from Channel 5 wrote "Simon's declaration that he is the dad comes as just as much of a surprise or Sophie Although she's uneasy about the lie, Sophie can't deny Simon's logic." They added that she "fudges the dates" and everyone thinks that Sophie slept with Simon "the minute he arrived in town". But eventually truth comes out. Norton said that it was an example of a "good storyline" for Simon and said that it was the "hardest" he had to portray. Sophie later runs away from home and sleeps rough in the city, forcing Simon to try and rescue her. Later Lisa Anthony from ''BIG!'' magazine reported that Kathryn Dufty had been cast in the role of Toni Bryant. She added that Toni while she comes to Summer Bay with Blake, it would be Simon who she makes an "immediate impression" on. She also released pictures of the duo kissing. In 1992, Producers decided to axe Norton's character to concentrate on developing other characters. He told Monroe that "I was prepared for two years work on the show and it came as quite a shock when they told me they were letting me go." Norton thought that the work he had put in for ''Home and Away'' was "quite good". But producers informed him that Simon "had done his bit" and they were more interested in "pushing"
Dieter Brummer Dieter Kirk Brummer (5 May 1976 – 24 July 2021) was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in television soap operas, including playing Shane Parrish in ''Home and Away'' from 1992 to 1996 and Troy Miller in ''Neighbours'' from 20 ...
and
Matt Doran Matthew James Doran (born 30 March 1976) is an Australian television and film actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Damian Roberts in the Australian soap '' Home and Away'' from 1991 to 1996, "Mouse" in the 1999 film ''The Matrix'', ...
who play
Shane Parrish Shane Parrish is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Dieter Brummer. He made his first on-screen appearance on 28 May 1992 and he departed on 13 March 1996. Casting In 1992, actor Dieter Brummer suc ...
and
Damian Roberts Damian Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Matt Doran. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 November 1991, and departed on 15 March 1996. Ben Hamil ...
respectively. Norton explained to Monroe that he was not "bitter" about being fired because the producers had given him plenty of notice. Speaking of Simon's departure storyline, Norton stated that Simon receives a letter from his father who has been released on parole. He decides to accept Bill's invitation to go and live with him. Norton "liked" the way his character was written out of the series but wished he could have stayed in the show. He told a reporter from ''BIG!'' magazine that there were "no deaths or major dramas" which meant Simon could return in the future. He concluded that despite leaving her behind, "Simon stays madly in love with Sophie."


Storylines

Simon attends
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 ...
High as a new student and quickly befriends his new classmates Blake and Sophie. On his first day, he sticks a drawing of pig on the back of Lois Crawford (
Tina Bursill Tina Bursill (born 24 July 1951) is an Australian actress. She played Louise Carter on the television series '' Skyways'' (1979–1981) and Sonia Stevens on ''Prisoner'' (1983–1984). She played Meryl Knight in the Nine Network drama series ...
) much to the amusement of the class. When Blake's guardians 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 ...
) and
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 ...
) go away, Simon persuades Blake to use the empty house to entertain two girls from school, Sharyn McKinley ( Liza Witt) and Annette Hodges ( Kylle Hogart). However, upset at being seen as easy conquests, the girls decide to play a trick on them by planting a bra down the back of the sofa for Alf and Ailsa to find when they got home. The pair are in trouble until Simon persuades the girls to admit to the joke. Simon's father Bill attempts to cheat the Stewarts and Simon admits to Blake that Bill has a history of dodgy dealings which saw them driven out of their old town. After failing to reason with Bill, Simon agrees Blake needs to tell Alf and Ailsa, who pull out of the deal. Angry at the betrayal, Bill hits Simon and decides to leave town. He asks Simon to go with him but Simon refuses and stays with the Stewarts instead. He and Blake pretend that he is only staying for three months while Bill gets things set up. Alf and Ailsa learn the truth but eventually agree to let Simon stay permanently. Simon is attracted to Sophie and persuades her to come out on a date with him. They go to a concert in the city but Simon loses their train tickets home and they are fined. Despite the setback, Sophie eventually agrees to keep seeing him. However, Sophie has learnt she is pregnant by her late boyfriend David Croft (
Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young (Neighbours), Mike Young in ...
) and is keeping it secret from Simon. Her friend
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 return ...
(
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 ...
) tells him the truth and Simon agrees to stand by Sophie, even pretending to be the baby's father. However, David's sister Lou (
Dee Smart Dierdre Claire Smart (born 9 July 1966) is an Australian actress, model, singer, dancer and painter. After giving up on being a dancer, she rose to prominence portraying Lucinda Croft in the popular soap opera ''Home and Away'' from 1991 to 199 ...
) sees through the deception and forces Sophie to admit the truth. After Sophie runs away to the city, Simon tracks her down and bring her back to the Bay. Sophie's reliance on Simon, even though they are no longer a couple, costs him dates and he admits it to Lou. Sophie is angry with Simon at first but admits she has put too much pressure on him. Simon learns Bill has been arrested for fraud and is convinced he is innocent this time. He prepares to leave town to support him but Bill refuses to see him, wanting him to get on with his life. Simon then supports Blake, whose girlfriend Meg Bowman (
Cathy Godbold Catherine Malia Godbold (23 September 1974 – 4 May 2018) was an Australian actress. She was best known for her role as Deborah Hale Regnery on ''The Saddle Club'' and as Meg Bowman in ''Home and Away''. Following the cancellation of '' Newl ...
) has terminal
leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
, and is there for him when she dies. The boys enter a
fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pro ...
but get extremely competitive and train heavily. They bet over who can win a race between them and Simon wins by cheating. Blake finds out but decides to make Simon feel bad by refusing to let him return the bet, only for Simon to throw the money at him. The pair help out Finlay's younger brother Damian when he is being bullied by threatening the bully
Tug O'Neale Peter "Tug" O'Neale is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Tristan Bancks. The actor was selected from 200 people who had auditioned for the role and was contracted to appear for one mo ...
(
Tristan Bancks Tristan Bancks (21 December 1974) is an Australian children's and teen's author, with a background in filmmaking and acting. As an actor, he is known for his role as Tug O'Neale on ''Home and Away'' between 1992-1994. Biography Bancks trained ...
) into letting Damian beat him in a fight. This fails to stop the antagonism between the pair but Damian eventually deals with Tug without their help. They inadvertently help Ryan Lee's (Alistair MacDougall) attempt to win Lucinda back by pinning up a nude painting Lucinda had done of her fiancé
Nick Parrish Nicholas Jasper "Nick" Parrish is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Bruce Roberts. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 March 1991 and departed on 10 June 1994. Casting Ro ...
(Bruce Roberts) during the fun run. Simon finds
Adam Cameron Adam Cameron is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera '' Home and Away'', played by Mat Stevenson. Stevenson had previously filmed a guest role on a rival soap opera when he was cast. Adam first appeared on-screen 28 ...
's (
Mat Stevenson Mat Stevenson (born 15 April 1969) credited variously as Matthew Stevenson and Matt Stevenson, is an Australian actor, known for his TV roles in soap opera's and miniseries. He is best known for his role as Adam Cameron in TV soap opera ''Home ...
) "little black book" and invites one of the girls in it to the house but is caught out by Alf and Ailsa. Adam gets his own back by putting a fake entry in the book and priming the girl in question to come on strong in order to give Simon a fright. Simon then takes an interest in Toni, an attractive farm girl who arrives to stay with Alf and Ailsa on an exchange instead of the boy they expected. Alf is uncomfortable with the pair staying together under his roof but the resulting holiday romance is not serious and Simon helps Toni come to terms with her father Philip ( Vince Martin) becoming engaged to
Marilyn Chambers Marilyn Ann Taylor (née Briggs; April 22, 1952 – April 12, 2009), known professionally as Marilyn Chambers, was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress, singer and vice-presidential candidate. She was known fo ...
(
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 ...
), who is closer to their age than Philip's. Shortly before Toni leaves, Simon receives a letter from Bill who has now been paroled, asking Simon to live with him. He decides to give his father a second chance and leaves a note for Alf and Ailsa.


Reception

Jenna Price Jenna Price is an Australian journalist and academic. As of 2021, she is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' columnist. She is one of the founders of the online feminist movement, Destroy ...
from ''
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 ...
'' said that Simon was a "chivalrous" type of character. ''Inside Soap's'' Monroe branded Simon a "crafty character". While Brendon Williams of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' and Mike Taggart from the ''
South Wales Echo The ''South Wales Echo'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area. It has a circulation of 7,573. Background The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, C ...
'' said that Norton proved to be "a big hit" as Simon. Channel 5 chose the episode in which Simon pretends to be the father of Sophie's child as one of their favourite ever ''Home and Away'' episodes. An ''Inside Soap'' reporter branded him a "Home and Away heart-throb" and Rav Singh from ''
News Group Newspapers News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher o ...
'' branded him "hunky Simon". A writer from ''BIG!'' magazine chose Simon searching for a homeless Sophie in the city, as the week's biggest soap story in the United Kingdom. Sue Malins from the ''Daily Mirror'' described Simon as "a model student who looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. But Summer Bay High students and teachers will soon discover he has a passion - for highly creative and risky practical jokes."


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Simon Home and Away characters Television characters introduced in 1991 Male characters in television