User:Conquistador2k6/List of Neighbours characters (1995)

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 1995, by order of first appearance. Until the middle of the year, characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Stanley Walsh. Thereafter, they were introduced by his successor, Bill Searle. The 11th season of Neighbours began airing from 2nd January 1995. The first characters introduced were Angie Rebecchi, played by Lesley Baker and her youngest, son Toadfish, played by Ryan Moloney in January, Angie's husband Big Kev made his debut in February as did Jen Handley, played by Don Bridges and Alyce Platt, respectively. James Condon, Anne Haddy's real-life husband, returned to the serial in his second role as Reuben White, another love interest of Haddy's character Helen Daniels, in March. Bernard Curry joined the cast as Jen's brother, Luke in the same month. Emma Harrison began appearing as Joanna Hartman in May. Andrew Bibby began playing Lance Hails in August. Gerald Lepkowski arrived as estate agent Marty Hackman in October.

Angie Rebecchi
Angie Rebecchi, played by Lesley Baker. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 January 1995. Angie departed in 1996, but she returned for several weeks in 2002, then for her youngest son, Toadie's wedding to Dee Bliss in 2003. Angie continued to reppear in a recurring capacity for the next four years, including  a cameo in the 20th anniversary episode, which was broadcast in July 2005. The character returned again in 2008. Baker reprised her role in February 2013 and again in August 2015. After a brief appearance in the Summer Stories webisodes in January 2017, Angie made guest returns in April, December 2017 and 12 February 2018. Baker was initially brought into Neighbours for a couple of episodes, but when her character proved popular with viewers, she was taken on full-time. In 2002, Baker agreed to return to Neighbours for brief stint as part of "emergency storylines", which were written to cover Madeleine West's (Dee Bliss) sudden absence. Baker reprised her role for the soap's 20th anniversary episode, which was broadcast in July 2005. A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website described Angie as being "salt of the earth" and a "rough diamond". Inside Soap's Jason Herbison said Angie was the source of much comic relief in Neighbours. When Baker first left the show, fans of her character launched a "Bring back Angie" petition and she was eventually reinstated. A writer for the BBC said Angie's most notable moment was "Kissing the possom man, Mick Andrews."

Toadfish Rebecchi
Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi (commonly known as "Toadfish" or "Toadie") made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 January 1995. Moloney had previously auditioned for another role in the show and had played a minor character, before being cast as Toadie. The actor was originally scheduled to play Toadie in one scene, but he went on to become a recurring cast member. When Toadie became popular with viewers, Moloney was promoted to the regular cast. The character of Toadfish was created by writer Elizabeth Packett. Actor Ryan Moloney was cast in the role after previously auditioning for the role of Brett Stark and appearing as a minor character called Cyborg, who vandalised the Willis family's property. For his portrayal of Toadie, Moloney was nominated for a Rose d'Or award for Best Actor in a Soap in 2004. In 2010, Moloney won the very first Best Daytime Star award at the Inside Soap Awards. and won the award for a second and third time in 2011 and 2012 respectively. In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours '  25th anniversary Sky, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history.

Kevin Rebecchi
Kevin "Big Kev" Rebecchi, played by Don Bridges, made his first appearance on 8 February 1995. Kev returned in 2002, as part of a storyline along with co-star Lesley Baker to cover Madeleine West's absence and reappeared intermittently between 2002 and 2006. He returned in 2008 and 2018. A writer for The BBC Neighbours website described Kev's arguments with Angie Rebecchi as his most notable moment.

Originally hailing from West Waratah, Big Kev married Angie (Baker) 1972. He is the Father of Shane (Greg O'Meara; Nicholas Coghlan), Kevin Jr. (Stonie) and Jarrod (Toadie). He is a trucker by profession and has therefore spent long spells away from his family. When the Neighbours hear Angie refer mention Big Kev's name, they assume he is a burly trucker but to their surprise he is a tiny, thin wiry man. The family buy Number 32 Ramsay Street but within a week, they are forced to leave when Shane is unmasked as the Ramsay Street burglar. However, over the next few months the family begin reappearing. Kev has an argument with Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) when Toadie runs away with Billy Kennedy (Jesse Spencer). The boys are found and Kev and Angie send Toadie to live with his aunt Coral Reeves (Denise Scott) for a while.

While he is away, Angie and Kev's marriage is tested when Angie begin to fall for Mick Anderson (Mike Bishop), a pest controller. Angie assures Toadie that she is fully committed to his father, as she had been missing out on attention from Kev for so long. After Angie visits Kev, he suggests Angie moves up North to Port Keats with him and she agrees. Angie and Stonie leave Erinsborough to join Kev, leaving Toadie behind with the Kennedys.

Kev and Angie return six years later for a meal to celebrate their 30th anniversay with Toadie, who throws them a surprise party. It soon becomes clear the is tension between the couple, who come to stay with Toadie and his housemate Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough) at Number 30. Toadie tries to resolve their issues by talking about it on UniFm, Eden Hills University's radio station. Kev and Angie are enraged and arrive to confront their son but Toadie turns up the faders and their marital woes are overheard by listeners. During the argument, Kev overhears the lottery and realises that the lottery results featured are the same numbers Angie always plays. He then keeps the news of the win to himself and apologises to Angie for his behaviour and seduces her and steals the ticket from her bra and cashes it in. Kev then leaves Angie a note telling her he will see her in Rio. However, Kev's conscience gets the better of him and he apologises to Angie who later plays him at his own game and takes the money for herself. Eventually, Angie returns having used the money to buy a camper van for them to tour Australia in. Kev is resistant but realises the holiday may just get their marriage back on track and they leave.

Kev, Stonie and Angie return for Toadie's wedding to Dee Bliss (West), but tragedy strikes when Toadie and Dee's car veers off a cliff into the sea and Dee disappears, leaving Toadie disappears. They comfort Toadie but decide to leave when they realise there is little they can do. Three years later, Kev returns after he and Angie have another argument as Angie is fed up running the roadhouse while Kev is on the road and she moves in with Toadie, Stuart and Connor O'Neill (Patrick Harvey). Kev and Angie make up once again and set off on the road, offering to drop Stuart off at his parents' farm in Oakey. A few months later, Kev and Angie return for Kev's sister Janelle Timmins' (Nell Feeney) remarriage to her ex-husband, Kim (Brett Swain). Kev organises the stag party but gets drunk, rendering himself too hungover to attend the wedding much to Angie's annoyance.

Kev and Angie return again in 2008, Toadie's wedding to Steph Scully (Carla Bonner) which does not go ahead. In 2018, Kev and Angie return for a Toadie's belated 21st birthday celebrations.

Jen Handley
Jen Handley is played by Alyce Platt. She made her first on-screen appearance on 14 February 1995 and departed on 6 March 1996. In December 1994, Rachel Browne of The Sun-Herald reported Platt had joined the cast of Neighbours as Jen Handley, a mature age medical student. Platt's introduction coincided with Network Ten's relaunch of the soap. The network decided to add new faces and sexier storylines in a bid to improve ratings. Jen was Platt's first full-time screen part since she left Sons and Daughters in 1985. The actress revealed she found getting back into the "swing of acting" a tough challenge and she was dissatisfied with her early performance. Platt's first scenes as Jen began airing from early 1995. Jen is described as being easy-going, laid back and fun loving. The BBC said Jen's most notable moment was "Offering a kidney to her cousin." In 1996, a columnist for Inside Soap said Jen brought a "breath of fresh air into Erinsborough the day she arrived". They added Jen had become one of the brightest, most popular personalities to appear for a while.

Reuben White
Reuben White played by James Condon, made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 March 1995. Reuben was introduced of a new love interest of Helen Daniels, played by Condon's real life wife, Anne Haddy. . Condon previously guested in serial a decade earlier as con artist Douglas Blake, who was also a love interest of Helen. Josephine Monroe, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, describes Reuben as a "sophisticated and urbane gent".

Reuben purchases one of Helen's paintings from Marlene Kratz's (Moya O'Sullivan) brick-a-brack shop. Helen is dismayed as she had left it in the shop to dry when Marlene's assistant, Val Pomerantz (Deidre Oliver) had sold it. Sam Kratz (Richard Grieve) and Bianca Zanotti (Annie Gagliardi) track Reuben down and explain to him about the painting and he is understanding and returns it. Reuben praises Helen's artwork and they get along well. There is a clear attraction between them and they begin a relationship. Following a holiday to Venice, Reuben proposes and Helen accepts. Helen tells her grandson-in-law Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings) that Reuben is suffering from a terminal heart condition and only has a short while to live. Reuben's son, Garnet (Richard Moss) meets Helen and accuses her of being after Reuben' money as he is rich, which upsets her. When Helen tells Reuben not to leave her anything in his will, he refuses her request. Garnet is shocked to learn that Reuben has a short time to live but attends the wedding as Reuben's best man.

Following their honeymoon, Reuben and Helen move into Reuben's place. Helen urges him to talk to Garnet about his condition and Reuben agrees despite his uneasy relationship with Garnet. Reuben and Garnett lay the past to rest and watch some old home movies, which Reuben gives to Garnet. The next day, when Helen is gardening, she tries to wake Reuben from his nap but it suddenly dawns on her that he has died peacefully Monroe 1996, p.49. and she lays a pink rose on his chest. Following Reuben's death, Helen hangs his portrait in the living room of Number 26 as a reminder of their time togehter.

Luke Handley
Luke Handley is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Bernard Curry. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 March 1995. Luke's storylines included a brief fling with Libby Kennedy, a relationship with Serendipity Gottlieb, suffering a breakdown, being diagnosed with cancer and starting a relationship with Danni Stark. He departed on 17 December 1996, but Curry reprised the role in 2005 for the 20th anniversary. In 1995, Curry was told his contract was not being renewed and his character was written out. However, the producers asked Curry to return seven weeks later and he accepted. In August 1996, it was announced that Curry had quit Neighbours for good. Curry said "I'm moving on because I just think I'd like to challenge myself further. I've got some big storylines coming up, but then I'll be leaving." He finished filming in October. Curry spent just over a year in total playing Luke. In 2005, it was confirmed that Curry would be reprising his role of Luke for a cameo appearance in the show's 20th anniversary episode "Friends for Twenty Years". Luke's cancer story was nominated for "Most Dramatic Storyline of the Last Year" and Curry for "Best Actor" at the 1997 Inside Soap Awards. A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website stated that Luke's most notable moment was "Posing as Sarah Beaumont's boyfriend when her ex visited from the UK."

Joanna Hartman
Joanna Evans (also Hartman), played by Emma Harrison. Joanna was introduced as the younger half-sister of established character, Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies). She made her first on screen appearance on 26 May 1995. Following Davies' departure from Neighbours in 1996, rumours began that Harrison's character would be written out of the show. However, the actress signed a new long-term contract with Neighbours a few months later. In February 1997, producers decided to write Joanna out of the show. A reporter for the Daily Mirror said Harrison was written out due to rows with the producers over her poor acting. Joanna departed on screen on 15 April 1997. The character of Joanna was Harrison's first major television role, following a successful modelling career. She relocated from Queensland to Melbourne for the part. In February 1997, producers told Harrison they were writing her out of Neighbours. In 2005, Harrison was invited back to Neighbours for the 20th anniversary episode, but she did not appear. For her portrayal of Joanna, Harrison earned a nomination for Most Popular New Talent at the 1996 Logie Awards. At the Inside Soap Awards, Harrison was nominated for Best Newcomer, while Joanna was nominated for Biggest Bitch in Soap. The BBC said Joanna's most notable moment was "Her marriage to Rob Evans."

Lance Hails
Lance Wilkinson (also Hails), played by Andrew Bibby, made his first on-screen appearance on 9 August 1995. Bibby was cast in the recurring role of Lance after an audition. Neighbours was Bibby's first major long-term role. Bibby said he went for a general audition, where there were five parts available. Bibby was given the role of Lance, a three-month occasional role. A year later, Bibby auditioned for another character called John, who the writers decided to turn into Lance. During the audition, Bibby had to share a scene with various girls to see how they looked together as twins. Brooke Satchwell, an actress Bibby had met before, came in and was given the role of Lance's sister, Anne. In April 2005, it was announced that Bibby had reprised his role for Neighbours '  20th anniversary. His return aired in July of that year.. In 17 January 2018, it was announced that Bibby had reprised the role again, along with several other returning cast members, for a feature-length special episode, which first aired on 12 February 2018. The episode centres on a belated 21st birthday party for Toadie. A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website said Lance's most notable moment was "discovering that a possum had pooed in the veggie ragout" on a camping trip.

Marty Hackman
Marty Hackman played by Gerald Lepkowski, made his first appearance on 19 October 1995. The Daily Record reported Lepkowski's casting ahead of his character's appearance on British screens. . Writer John Millar described Marty as "creepy" and "a character fans will love to hate".

Marty begins flirting with Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies) and then later makes a pass at her sister Joanna (Emma Harrison). Marty is a real estate agent who Annalise and Joanna talk to about renting some office space at Lassiter's for their business, AnnaJo Promotions. Marty agrees to a 15% rent reduction if the sisters pay monthly in advance and they agree to the deal. Marty, after asking Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan) about Joanna brings her some flowers and she is flattered but Annalise is wary of him. When Marty gets too close, Joanna is horrified. Mark confronts Marty, but he shrugs it off and calls Joanna a tease, causing Mark to become rough with him and threaten him. Mark tells Marty to respect Joanna and he does.