User:Conquistador2k6/List of Neighbours characters (1993)

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera created by Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the serial in 1993, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Ian Bradley until July and by his replacement Alan Coleman thereafter. The ninth season of Neighbours began airing from 11 January 1993. January saw the birth of Hope Gottlieb in the season premiere and Kimberly Davies made her debut as Annalise Hartman. Schoolteacher Wayne Duncan, played by Johnathon Sammy-Lee and Lauren Carpenter, daughter of the established Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), arrived in February. In June, a new Family, The Lims were introduced. July saw the introduction of Darren Stark and his mother, Cheryl. Bruce Samazan joined the cast as chef Mark Gottlieb in August. Darren’s younger siblings Brett and Danni, played by Brett Blewitt and Eliza Szonert respectively, made their first appearance in November.

Hope Gottlieb
Hope Gottlieb, played by Laura Pearson, made her first appearance on 11 January 1993 in the episode featuring the character’s birth. For one episode, the role of Hope was played by Jessica Allen-Wetzler when the character was shown in a baby incubator. Louna Maroun portrayed Hope in the 2014 Web series Neighbours vs Zombies.

Hope is the daughter of teenage parents Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and Phoebe Bright (Simone Robertson). Todd is killed when he tries to stop Phoebe having an abortion, leaving her devastated. Stephen Gottlieb (Lochie Daddo) supports Phoebe and they fall in love and prepare marry. Hope is born prematurely on the eve of the wedding and is delivered by Stephen. Hope is placed in an incubator for several days and brought to the wedding by Pam Willis (Sue Jones). Phoebe and Stephen clash when Phoebe includes Todd’s surname on Hope’s birth certificate because Stephen like it will undermine his parenting of hope.

Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy) assures Stephen that Todd would be more than happy for him to be a father to his daughter. Hope finds herself in danger when mentally unstable lodger Russell Butler (Stephen Whittaker) moves in and seeks replacements in Phoebe and Hope for his wife and daughter who left him for drug use. Russell then leaves after being evicted by Stephen. Things settle down for a while but Stephen is injured in a gas explosion and is paralyzed as a result, putting strain on the family. Stephen is convinced his wife and daughter are better off without him and decides to go away to rehab. However, Stephen has a change of heart and returns home and after help from Wayne Duncan (Jonathon Sammy-Lee), he regains the use of his legs and begins walking again. The Gottliebs then leave Erinsborough to run a record store in Ansons’s corner.

Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman, played by Kimberley Davies, made her debut during the episode broadcast on 15 January 1993 and departed on 31 January 1996. Davies reprised the role in July 2005. Neighbours producers spotted Davies when she was out one night with her then boyfriend, Scott Michaelson (who played Brad Willis). They believed she would be perfect for a role in the show and offered her the part of Annalise. In 1996 Davies decided to quit the serial to pursue other projects. In 2005 Davies was approached by producers to return for the 20th anniversary. Davies was initially unsure about returning, citing recently having had a baby, but she later made the decision to return, stating: "Then I thought back over my whole time there and remembered what a fun, positive experience it was. So I decided why not, it’ll be great to see everyone again." In her early days Annalise had manipulative tendencies and was used to getting what she wanted. The BBC said Annalise's most notable moment was "Being jilted at the altar by Mark Gottlieb who had decided to become a priest." To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Neighbours, satellite broadcasting company Sky profiled 25 characters which they believed were the most memorable in the series' history. Annalise was included in the list." Media company Virgin Media describe Annalise as a 'blonde bombshell' and stated in their opinion that she is best remembered for being jilted at the altar after fiancé Mark Gottlieb who decided to become a priest

Fiona Hartman
Fiona Hartman, played by Suzanne Dudley, made her first appearance on 22 January 1993 and departed on 5 May 1993. Fiona is the mother of Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies). Joe Julians of Radio Times described the character as "Conniving". The Independent described Fiona as "Heartless". Newstalk labeled her "Devious".

Fiona arrives in Ramsay Street looking for her daughter and is not happy when she learns that she is in a relationship with the much older Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). An angry Fiona tells a shocked Lou that Annalise is only Seventeen Years old and tells Annalise to end things with Lou and go on holiday with her. Annalise agrees to break up with Lou but refuses to go with Fiona.

Several weeks later, Fiona arrives when Philip Martin informs her that Annalise has run up a hefty bill at Lassiter's and Philip suggests to Fiona that Annalise works off the debt and she agrees. Annalise reluctantly agrees to go back to school. Fiona is further displeased when rumours concerning Annalise's relationship with her teacher Wayne Duncan (Jonathon Sammy-Lee) begin circulating. Jim Robinson (Alan Dale) urges Annalise to tell the truth and she and Fiona visit Principal Peter Knotts to clear Wayne's name. When Annalise finds some divorce papers and discovers the truth that her father Tony (Michael Carman) is still alive and Fiona is alive, she is angry. Fiona tells her that Tony couldn't handle the responsibilities of fatherhood and walked out and thought it would be best if Annalise believed he was dead. Fiona then begins a relationship with Jim, which does not sit well with Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy), Jim's former mother-in-law and Julie Martin (Julie Mullins), Jim's daughter.

There is friction all around, even Annalise warns Jim about Fiona but he will not listen. Further of examples of Fiona's behaviour are revealed when she wards off Pam Willis (Sue Jones) when she invites her and Jim around for a meal. Fiona's behaviour further alienates Jim's friends and family and he offers to sell his shares in order to finance a salon she wants to buy. Fiona contacts Jim's stockbroker Jeffrey Hockney (Jeff Keogh) but he refuses to sell without Jim's authorisation but Fiona presses him to do. Jim is annoyed but Fiona is able to convince him it is for the best. One afternoon, when Jim comes in after playing with his granddaughter, Hannah Martin (Rebecca Ritters), he suffers a heart attack and collapses. Fiona spots this and makes a feeble attempt at CPR and calls the ambulance but hangs up, leaving Jim to die. She then takes Jim's shares folder and contacts Jeffey and tells him Jim wants to liquid his second portfolio. Fiona then closes up the kitchen and is disturbed by Rosemary Daniels (Joy Chambers) who has come to see her mother, Helen. She tells her Helen is at the Martins and Jim is across the road.

Fiona then heads to the bank but is annoyed that she cannot draw against the cheque for five days. Fiona returns to Number 26 where Rosemary returns and lets her in. Rosemary discovers Jim's body and rushes to get Helen and Julie. Julie blames Fiona and they argue and Helen faints. When Jim's will is read, Fiona is incensed to discover the only thing Jim left her was the share in her own business. Helen agrees to let her stay for until the end of the week. Philip contacts Jeffrey and he explains about Jim's portfolio, Julie recalls Fiona being jumpy at the bank and the family become suspicious and grill Fiona, who denies everything. She then flees as the police close in and is confronted by Annalise who she offers $10,000 to buy her silence. A few months later, Annalise learns Fiona has died in a car crash.

Wayne Duncan
Wayne Duncan, played by Jonathon Sammy-Lee, played by Jonathon Sammy-Lee, He made his first screen appearance as Wayne during the episode broadcast on 4 February 1993. Sammy-Lee secured the role of Wayne following two years of training to be an actor. Sammy-Lee decided to leave Neighbours and Wayne departed in 1994. He told Josephine Monroe that he never intended to remain in the role long and feared becoming type-cast as a soap actor. Writers planned Wayne's exit to coincide with stories leading to Sarah Vandenbergh's exit as Lauren Carpenter. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Neighbours, the BBC asked readers to nominate their twenty favourite obscure characters. Wayne came in third place and the readers said "How's about Wayne Duncan? He lived at the Robinson house, went out with Gabby Willis for a while and could open "stubbies" using only the fold between his upper arm and forearm. What a guy". Matthew Clifton, writing for entertainment website Heckler Spray, included Wayne in his list of "The Best Ever Mid-90s Neighbours Characters".

Lauren Carpenter
Lauren Carpenter made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 February 1993. Lauren was introduced as the "vivacious" daughter of Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). Vandenbergh described her as being happy, headstrong and into horses. Vandenbergh joined the cast of Neighbours in 1993 to play the "vivacious" daughter of Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). It was her first major television role and she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne for filming. Vandenbergh told Sue Malins of Soaplife that her workload was gruelling and she had a crazy work schedule during her time on the show. The actress said it was tough for the younger cast members who had come straight from school, but as she was twenty, she could deal with it. During an October 2012 interview with a What's on TV writer, Oliver hinted that Lauren would be coming back to Neighbours, but without Vandenbergh in the role. On 4 November 2012, it was confirmed that the character would be returning and actress Kate Kendall had taken over the part. Lauren made her return during the episode broadcast on 7 February 2013. Lauren returned to Erinsborough along with her husband, Matt Turner (Josef Brown), and their three children; Mason (Taylor Glockner), Amber (Jenna Rosenow) and Bailey (Calen Mackenzie). On 27 March 2017, it was confirmed that Kendall would be leaving the show. She departed on 7 April.

Bert Willis
Bert Willis, played by Bud Tingwell, made his first screen appearance on 18 February 1993. Bert is Doug (Terence Donovan) and Faye's (Lorraine Bayly) father. He walked out on his wife and children when they were young, leading to a falling out with Doug that lasted for many years. Bert's granddaughter, Gaby (Rachel Blakely), got in touch with him and they began a correspondence. She and her mother later invited Bert to stay with them, although Doug was against the idea. An Inside Soap writer commented "He won't tell them what the problem is, and they think that whatever it is, they can re-build the relationship. But they've got to work fast because times's not on their side."

Bert is asked to come and stay with his family in Erinsborough by his granddaughter Gaby. Bert tries to explain and apologise to his son, Doug, for walking out on him and the family. However, Doug is unable to forgive his and asks that he leave. While speaking to Wayne Duncan (Jonathan Sammy Lee), Bert reveals that he is dying and Wayne realises that he came to make amends before he died. He eventually tells Doug about Bert's condition and Doug manages to stop his father from leaving on a boat, before making up with him. Bert is grateful to Wayne for his part in the reunion with Doug. He tells Gaby that his dying wish is to see her and Wayne get together as a couple.

The episode featuring Bert's revelation about his terminal cancer was nominated for the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Episode in a Television Drama Serial in 1993.

Russell Butler
Russell Butler, played by Stephen Whittaker, made his first appearance on 1 April 1993 and departed on 11 June 1993.

Russell answers Stpehen Gottlieb (Lochie Daddo) and Phoebe Gottlieb's (Simone Robertson) advertisement for a lodger at Number 30. He offers to pay the Gottliebs a month's rent in advance and they tell him they'll be in touch. Russell puts off another candidate who sees the advert by saying the room is already taken. Russell moves in the following day and is cagey about his belongings and will not let Stephen touch them. Phoebe begins to feel uneasy when Russell begins spending a lot of time in his room but Stephen tells her not to worry. When Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings) has problems with the computers at Lassiter's, he hires Russell to fix them and is satisfied with the reasonable rate Russell has chareged him. Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell) asks Russell to have a look at the computers at the Erinsborough News which have a virus. Phoebe becomes suspicious of this as Russell conveniently happened to be around. In order to make Russell feel more welcome, Stephen invites Annalise Hartman (Kimberly Davies) to meet Russell and he is taken with her but quickly loses interest in her much to Annalise's annoyance.

Russell tidies the living room as gratitude toward Phoebe and she offers to do his laundry and he refuses and is resistant. However, he relents. When Phoebe is vaccuming Russell's room, she discovers his Identification card from Elliot Park Rehabilition Clinic. Russell catches her and tells Phoebe to stay out of his room in future. Stephen tells Phoebe to apologise but finds Russell has padlocked the door. Phoebe is disturbed further when she hears Russell shouting in his room. Russell agrees to babysite Phoebe's daughter Hope (Laura Pearson). Stephen becomes wary and Phoebe tells him he is over-reacting. Russell causes further irritation when he monopolizes the phone and is a suspect when Wayne Duncan's (Jonathon Sammy-Lee) rifle goes missing. The rifle eventually turns up and Russell is exonerated. He then gives Phoebe a massage when they are alone and moves into kiss her, much to her shock. Russell apologises but Phoebe is worried and begins find excuses to avoid him. Stephen is annoyed when Russell buys Hope new baby clothes when he can hardly pay his rent. Russell causes panic when he takes Hope out for a walk and angers Stephen when he racks up a huge phone.

Stephen contacts Warren Maxwell (Terry Brittingham), Russell's caseworker who comes to see how Russell is coping in a family environment. When Warren leaves, Russell is enraged and threatens Stephen. Russell apologises to Annalise and they go on a date, but he is disappointed when Phoebe does not react in the way he hopes. Stephen then orders Russell to leave but Phoebe, after learning about Russell's ex-girlfriend Megan from Annalise, tells him to reconsider. Knowing he is about to be evicted, Russell tells Annalise Stephen is having an affair with Lauren Carpenter (Sarah Vandenberg). Phoebe soon learns of this and tells Russell, it is not true. Gaby Willis (Rachel Blakely) tells Phoebe Russell tried to make advances on her when she came over. Stephen changes the locks and refuses to let Russell in. Russell then feigns remorse and agrees to move out. Phoebe lets him in to collect his things but he grabs her and holds her and hope hostage. Phoebe calls Russell out on his behaviour and flees when he is distracted. The police are called but unable to do anything. Stephen's frustrations boil over culminating in him punching Russell, leading to his arrest. After Philip pays Russell a minimum for dealing with computer maintenance, Russell puts a virus on the computers at Lassiter's out of spite.

Russell causes further trouble but putting cockroaches in the coffee shop. Stephen is pushed to breaking point, having to deal with Russell alone while Phoebe and Hope are away and asks Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) for some help. Lou arranges for some bikers to scare Russell off. Phoebe tells Stephen he has gone too far and tells him to call the bikers off but is unable to and they are too late. Further surprises ensue when Russell is found to be home without a scratch. Gaby worries her brother Brad (Scott Michaelson) may have been beaten as he has not been home but the victim is found to be Wayne. Russell realizes that he was the intended target of the bikers. Rusell then holds hope hostage and explains to Phoebe about Megan taking his baby away. Russell later flees and Warren arrives and tells the Gottliebs that Russell is manic depressive and goes through cycles of not taking his medication.

The Lim Family
 The Lim family made their first appearances on 9 June 1993, beginning with parents Raymond (T.S. Kong) and Jenny (Diane Bakar-Coleclough), their children appeared the following week; daughter Sarah on 16 June 1993 and sons Tommy (David Tong) and Jonathon (Alvin Chong) on 17 June 1993, respectively. The Lims were the first Chinese family to be introduced into the serial. A writer from the Northern Echo was critical of their casting, stating the serial’s producers had got it very, very wrong”. and commented on the Lims’ brevity “ They left Erinsborough hurriedly two months after first appearing on screen. Hardly surprising, given the storyline that introduced them - they were accused of eating a neighbour's dog.”.

The Lims were seen as unsuccessful attempt at diversity in response to criticism in the early 1990s of “whitewashing” on the serial In 2018, Digital Spy ranked the family being accused of eating The Martin family’s dog, Holly at Number 2 in their “10 Times Neighbours went completely nuts” feature. Lisa Anthony from BIG! magazine said branded the storyline as "one of the most bizarre storylines ever".

Gaby Willis (Rachel Blakely) shows Raymond and Jenny Number 22 Ramsay Street, but is shocked to find her brother, Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson) and Lauren Carpenter (Sarah Vandenbergh) there under a blanket. Gaby is left mortified but Lims agree to rent the house and move in the following week with their three children Jonathon, Sarah and Tommy. and introduce themselves to the neighbours. Julie Martin (Julie Mullins) is shocked to find the Lims are Asian and her prejudices become evident. Sarah makes friends with Debbie Martin (Marnie Reece-Wilmore) and Tommy does so with Hannah (Rebecca Ritters). Debbie gives Sarah a makeover, which makes Jenny angry and she complains to Julie and they clash over parenting styles. Jenny tells Julie to keep her children away from hers. Helen Daniels’ invites the Lims to dinner but when Julie and her husband, Philip (Ian Rawlings) arrive too, there is still some tension between Julie and Jenny and things are not helped when both exchange comments about Australia being unsafe. Jenny manages to offend Wayne Duncan, Julie’s relative by suggesting he is not a suitable teacher for her children, as he is accused of murdering local biker, Cactus and that Australia is dangerous after Raymond’s car was vandalized earlier. The final straw comes when Julie suggests that Jenny goes back to Hong Kong. Insulted, Jenny and Raymond leave.

When Hannah’s pet dog, Holly goes missing, Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) jokes that The Lims have cooked and eaten her, which Julie takes seriously and accuses them of doing so. Jenny does admit Holly wandered into her yard and is appalled that Julie is making such an accusation against her family. Philip forces Julie to apologises to the Lims, much to her irritation. Julie then Debbie to stop seeing Jonathan, who is her study partner. Sarah makes friends with Rick Alessi (Dan Falzon) and he asks her the school dance and she accepts, much to the chagrin of Debbie who recently broke up with Rick. Debbie and her friend Kelly (Bernadette Walsh), set Sarah up to get in trouble with Wayne at school. Raymond is called in and tells Sarah she is forbidden to see Rick. In spite of Debbie confessing, Raymond is unmoved. After Helen mediates with the Lims, Jenny and Raymond agree to lift Sarah’s grounding unaware she has snuck out to the dance with Rick. Jonathan arrives at the dance and tells Sarah to go home and she is able to sneak back in without being noticed and Jenny agrees. Tommy is bullied at school and some boys steal his handheld game but he is able to steal it back. The boys later corner him at Lassiter’s and attempt to throw him in the lake but are foiled by Philip, who tells Tommy that bullies need to be stood up to, Tommy the advice and find it works. As the holidays begin, Jenny relaxes her stance and lets Jonathan and Sarah go to the cinema with Rick and Debbie. Raymond tells the family the house in Eden Hills is complete and ready for them to move in. The Lims pack up and say goodbye and Sarah and Debbie agree to keep in touch.

In 2015, Raymond contacts Doug Willis’ (Terence Donovan) daughter-in-law Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and tells her that Doug had missed a catch-up they had planned.

Darren Stark
Darren Stark made his first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1993 and was originally played by Scott Major. When the character was released from prison in 1996, Todd MacDonald took over the role and remained with the show until 1998. MacDonald has since returned twice for guest stints, plus a cameo appearance in the serial's twentieth anniversary episode. Major was cast as Darren in 1993 and he remained until the character's departure later that year. Major would later return to Neighbours as Lucas Fitzgerald. When the producers decided to bring back the character in 1996, they held auditions and thousands of actors turned up for the part. Todd MacDonald was 19 when he was cast and was said to be "thrilled" about winning the role. MacDonald remained with the show until 1998, but returned seven years later for a ten-week guest stint. In April 2005, Kris Green of Digital Spy revealed that MacDonald would be reprising his role to join many ex-cast members returning for the show's 20th anniversary episode. In November 2007, David Knox of TV Tonight reported MacDonald had returned to Neighbours once again. British weekly magazine NOW brand Darren a "bad boy" type character.

Cheryl Stark
Cheryl Stark made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 July 1993. The character of Cheryl was created in 1993 as the head of the new Stark family. She was given an immediate link to already existing character and son Darren Stark (Scott Major). Actress Caroline Gillmer successfully auditioned for the role. In 1995, Gillmer fell ill, during a time Cheryl was written to be a central figure in key storylines. Producers felt they had no alternative, but to temporarily recast her with former Prisoner actress Colette Mann. This made producers nervous that viewing figures might decrease, so they implemented a series of plots to keep viewers interested. Mann took over the role for eight weeks. She revealed that she was hired on a Friday and started filming on the following Monday. Gillmer chose to leave the show after winning a green card to work in the United States. She also wanted to capitalise on the success of feature film Hotel Sorrento, in which she appears. Producers chose to kill off Gillmer's character, a development that the actress welcomed. " A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website said Cheryl's most notable moment was "Confessing that she had an affair with one of the hostages she was kidnapped with." In 1996, Network Ten cut five seconds from the episode in which Cheryl was seen being hit by a truck, while she tried to save her daughter.

Mark Gottlieb
Mark Gottlieb, played by Bruce Samazan, made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 August 1993. Samazan joined the cast of Neighbours as Mark, shortly after the cancellation of rival soap E Street in which he starred as Max Simmons. Samazan told Shelli-Anne Couch of The Sydney Morning Herald that he hoped a stint on Neighbours would help him further his aspirations of becoming a popular Australian actor. Samazan initially signed a six-month contract, but he wanted to extend it to make it a year and then decide whether he would continue in the role or look for a new acting job. Joining Neighbours meant Samazan had to relocate to Melbourne from Sydney for filming. On 24 November 2019, Neighbours confirmed that Samazan had reprised the role for the serial's 35th anniversary celebrations. A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website said Mark's most notable moment was "Calling off his wedding to become a priest." Matthew Clifton, writing for entertainment website Heckler Spray included Mark in his list of "The Best Ever Mid-90s Neighbours Characters." A columnist for All About Soap placed Annalise and Mark's wedding at number eight on their twenty greatest soap weddings list.

Brett Stark
Brett Stark, played by Brett Blewitt. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 November 1993, along with his sister, Danni Stark and remained as a regular in the show until 8 March 1996. Blewitt returned as Brett for five weeks after the death of his on-screen mother, Cheryl. He departed along with Danni on 13 November 1996 and made a further cameo appearance in 2005 during Annalise Hartman's documentary about Ramsay Street, as part of Neighbours twenty-fifth anniversary. Brett has been portrayed as an extremely kind and caring character. He is a geek and bookish and knows plenty of trivia about wild animals. He always supported his family in their time of need, he was also approving of his mother's relationship with Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) because he wanted everyone to be happy, whereas the rest of his family were not. Brett was positively received for his "kindly nature" by Josephine Monroe in her book "Neighbours: The first 10 years", she further described him stating: "Brett is the sort of boy most girls call a nerd. He's not particularly good-looking, is bookish, knows lots of useless information about the life-cycle of fruit flies and gets tongue-twisted in the presence of girls." Entertainment website Hecklerspray profiled their favourite characters from the serial, one of them was Brett. Commenting on him they stated: "With a cleft chin of glory and a more intelligent persona than the average Ramsay Street resident (read: geek), Brett was old beyond his years."

Danni Stark
Danielle "Danni" Stark, played by Eliza Szonert, made her debut during the episode broadcast on 30 November 1993 and remained in the show until 13 November 1996, with a brief cameo in 2005 as part of the serial's twentieth anniversary. Danni is Cheryl Stark's daughter and suffered from diabetes. She had a complex, long-term relationship with Malcolm Kennedy. Danni arrives in Ramsay Street with Brett after they are both expelled from boarding school. Upon her arrival, Danni was described as being a "tearaway" and having a "devil-may-care" attitude. Of her character, Szonert said "Danni like to get what she wants and she can be a right little schemer. She likes to concoct plans to get her own way and can be real troublemaker." Szonert decided to leave the show after playing Danni for two and a half years. She felt it was time for her to move on and look for new roles. " In early 2005, Szonert was asked to return to Neighbours for a guest appearance as part of the show's 20th anniversary. She accepted and was one of many ex-cast members who made an appearance in the episode "Friends for Twenty Years", which was broadcast on 27 July. A writer for the BBC Online said Danni's most notable moment was "Being caught with Michael Martin in Lou and Cheryl's bed."