Ty Harper
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Ty Harper is a fictional character from the Australian 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 ...
'', played by singer
Dean Geyer Dean Stanley Geyer (born 20 March 1986) is a South African Australian singer-songwriter, actor and martial artist who finished third in the 2006 season of the talent show television series ''Australian Idol'', and has had a notable role in the ...
. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 27 March 2008. He was introduced to the show as the cousin of
Taylah Jordan ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared on the show in 2007, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the sh ...
(
Danielle Horvat ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared on the show in 2007, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the sh ...
) and as a potential love interest for
Rachel Kinski Rachel Kinski is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Caitlin Stasey. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 18 August 2005. She is the middle child of Alex Kinski and sister to Ze ...
(
Caitlin Stasey Caitlin Jean Stasey (born 1 May 1990) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her role as Rachel Kinski in '' Neighbours''. Previously she played Francesca Thomas in ''The Sleepover Club'', although her breakthrough movie role cam ...
). He departed on 30 April 2009.


Casting

During 2008, ''Neighbours'' underwent a major revamp and former ''
Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...
'' contestant Dean Geyer joined the show as regular cast member, Ty Harper. Producers also recruited models
Imogen Bailey Imogen Bailey (born 7 July 1977, Canberra) is an Australian model, actress and singer. As a model she has been featured on the cover of men's magazines, including ''Ralph'', ''FHM Australia'', '' Black+White''. On TV Bailey has appeared in vari ...
(
Nicola West Nicola West is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Imogen Bailey. She made her on-screen debut on 5 May 2008. She departed the show on 8 October 2008. The character has been central to many storylines in ...
) and
Erin McNaught Erin McNaught (born 22 May 1982) is an Australian model, actress, presenter, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder. McNaught grew up in Australia alongside her older brothers and began playing in a band named "Short Straw" in her ...
(
Sienna Cammeniti Sienna Cammeniti is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by model Erin McNaught. McNaught was cast in the role to help boost falling ratings in Australia. The character made her first screen appearance on 2 ...
) in a bid to "sex up" the cast. Geyer had to undertake a screen test with
Caitlin Stasey Caitlin Jean Stasey (born 1 May 1990) is an Australian actress and singer. She is known for her role as Rachel Kinski in '' Neighbours''. Previously she played Francesca Thomas in ''The Sleepover Club'', although her breakthrough movie role cam ...
who plays
Rachel Kinski Rachel Kinski is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Caitlin Stasey. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 18 August 2005. She is the middle child of Alex Kinski and sister to Ze ...
to secure the role. He also worked with the ''Neighbours'' drama coach, Mike Bishop, for four months to help prepare for the role and took vocal lessons to help with his
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
n accent. On joining ''Neighbours'', Geyer said that it was "definitely a stepping stone." Commenting on his first day on set Geyer stated: "The first day was pretty nerve-racking, but I was doing a performance with the band and that's something I'm obviously very familiar with." Geyer quit the role of Ty in November 2008, so he could pursue his music career. He also admitted that he had struggled with some of the sexier storylines involving his character. Geyer, who is a Christian, said "In some instances my personal beliefs maybe were contradicting with what the character was doing". However, he also added that the storylines had no influence over his decision to leave the show. Geyer filmed his final scenes in December 2008.


Character development

Whilst interviewed by ''
TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...
'' Geyer described Ty stating: "He's a singer. Ty was doing law at uni, but decided to drop out because music is so close to his heart. He wants to be a rock star. He's the cousin of one of the regular characters." Speaking of possible romances he added: "The first girl he meets is Rachel. There may be a bit of chemistry there, but we'll have to see. Ty may set his sights on an older woman." ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' said "Ty is a university drop-out with musical aspirations."
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
describe Ty as being "charismatic, talented and impossibly handsome." His cousin, Taylah, tries to set him and Rachel up, but they do not get on well at first and when Rachel tries to initiate a conversation with him, she is "thwarted at every turn." Ten added "now that he has landed himself a job behind the bar at Charlie's it can only be a matter of time before he's an integral part of the Erinsborough community."


Storylines

Ty is first seen at an all-ages music gig attended by his cousin Taylah and her friends. Ty speaks to Rachel at the bar, commenting on the poor service before getting on stage to perform with his band. Taylah decides to play cupid and bring Rachel and Ty together, but Rachel rejects every move that she makes. Ty is unhappy to see
Donna Freedman Donna Freedman (also Brown) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Margot Robbie. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 June 2008. Donna was initially introduced as a gu ...
(
Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...
) at Charlie's as she had been following him for a while. Ty explains to Rachel that Donna is an obsessive fan and Rachel helps him to get Donna to back off. Ty is later offered a job by
Stephanie Scully Stephanie "Steph" Scully (also Hoyland) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Carla Bonner. She made her first screen appearance during the episode that was broadcast on 20 October 1999. Following Bonner ...
(
Carla Bonner Carla Bonner is an Australian actress, known for playing the role of Stephanie Scully in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', a role she played from 1999 to 2010. She was also a guest on '' Celebrity Big Brother Australia'' in 2002. Following her de ...
), after he is caught sleeping behind the bar. He explains that he does not have a job or anywhere to live and he is invited to move in with her and
Libby Kennedy Libby Kennedy (also Kennedy-Fitzgerald) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the r ...
(
Kym Valentine Kym Valentine (born 24 May 1977) is an Australian actress best known for her long running intermittent portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera ''Neighbours.'' Early life Valentine was born in Blacktown, Sydney, and grew up in Granville. ...
). Ty develops a crush on Libby and they almost share a kiss, but Libby tells Ty that it would be wrong to pursue a relationship when he liked Rachel. At the Erinsborough High
school formal A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school year ...
, Ty allows Rachel to sing a song that he wrote, called "Unforgettable". Although Ty develops feelings for Rachel he does not act on them due to Rachel's on-going love for
Angus Henderson ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared on the show in 2007, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the sh ...
( Jonathan Wood). After Angus leaves Rachel for a job in South Australia, Ty gives her an electric keyboard to make her feel better. Rachel thinks the keyboard is from Angus and decides that she does not want it. Ty explains that he is the one who brought it for her and Rachel is angry that Ty is buying her gifts so soon after Angus left. Ty apologises for upsetting her and tells her that the only reason he wants her to be happy is that he cares about her. One night while Rachel is babysitting Ben Fitzgerald (Blake O'Leary) and
Charlie Hoyland The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'' in 2006, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer Ric Pellizzeri. The 22nd season of ''Neighbour ...
(Jacob Brito) someone sends her text messages and turns off the power. Armed with a cricket bat, Rachel hits the stalker when they come into the house. When the lights come back on Rachel sees that she has attacked Ty who was coming home. Rachel accuses Ty of being the stalker and he is taken to the hospital to get checked over. Ty questions how anyone thought that he could do that to Rachel and he asks her how she does not know how he feels about her. Rachel discovers that a classmate is responsible for stalking her and she apologises to Ty. He does not accept the apology and tells Rachel that he is hurt. Rachel invites Ty to a mystery gig at Charlie's and when he turns up, they kiss. They then begin a relationship. When Rachel's brother,
Zeke Zeke is a masculine given name and nickname, sometimes a shortened form (hypocorism) of Ezekiel, which may refer to: People * Caleb Bailey (nickname "Zeke", 1898-1957), US Marine Corps brigadier general and athlete * Zeke Bella (1930–2013), Ame ...
(
Matthew Werkmeister Matthew Werkmeister (born 30 January 1992) is an Australian stage and television actor. He is best known for his role as Zeke Kinski in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2005 to 2011 and 2014. Career Werkmeister began his career with the Child ...
), goes missing following a rafting accident, Rachel turns to Ty for support. Rachel receives a scholarship to a school in London and she nearly declines as she could stay with Ty. Zeke encourages Ty to break up with her, which he does. However, he realises his mistake and races to the airport to say goodbye to Rachel properly. Ty misses Rachel and almost gives up his music career, but he is eventually talked out of selling his guitar. When he receives a text from Rachel meant for her cousin, Ty jumps to the conclusion that she is seeing someone else. However, Libby tells him that he is being silly and that he should tell Rachel how he feels. Ty is invited to join Rachel in London and the younger Ramsay Street residents have a small party for Ty. They sing to him as he leaves the street.


Reception

For his portrayal of Ty, Geyer was nominated for Most Popular New Male Talent at the 2009
Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
s. In the same year, the actor won the "Fave Aussie Hottie" award from the
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards The Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards was an annual awards show that awarded entertainers with a blimp trophy, as voted by children. The show was usually held during October or November and a televised show was produced, touted as the " ...
and received a nomination for "King of Teen" from the
Dolly Teen Choice Awards The Dolly Teen Choice Awards began in 2006 as a non-broadcast show with hosts Stephanie McIntosh and Jules Lund. The show (presented by ''Dolly'' Magazine and sponsored by Target) was held at Sydney's Luna Park Big Top on 31 August 2006 and inclu ...
. The decision to add Geyer, McNaught and Bailey to the ''Neighbours'' cast outraged the acting industry, with some agents accusing the show of "sacrificing quality in favour of ratings". A '' Daily Record'' reporter stated "If you're into eye candy, it doesn't come much better than Ty Harper. There's no denying he's a good looking, kind-hearted lad. When he first arrived in Erinsborough, he was an aspiring musician who swept Rachel Kinski off her feet. Since she left to continue her studies in London, Ty has been moping around like a lost puppy."


References


External links


Ty Harper
at the Official AU ''Neighbours'' website {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Ty Neighbours characters Television characters introduced in 2008 Fictional musicians Fictional bartenders Fictional construction workers Male characters in television