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Joseph Luke Samuels

Shortland Street 20th anniversary
The Shortland Street 20th anniversary is an upcoming episode of the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.

Casting
At least 10 past characters were confirmed to return for the anniversary, some in major roles whilst others in cameos. The return of several previous characters depended on the availability of the actors. Despite the line; "You're not in Guatemala now Dr. Ropata" being one of the show's most iconic moments, Temuera Morrison (Hone Ropata) was confirmed not to be returning for the special. Karl Burnett, who portrayed longest running original character - Nick Harrison confirmed he was not asked to return via his Facebook status. During an interview with Woman's Day in April 2012, Anna Jullienne confirmed her character Maia Jeffries would be returning to the show to meet with unannounced members of the Jeffries family. A week later it was confirmed that the other surving members of the Jeffries family – Yvonne, Libby, Tania and Jay would be returning alongside Libby's husband Gerald Tippett throughout May. Fleur Saville (Libby Jeffries) said returning to the show was; like returning home! It was fantastic to see all my friends in the crew and cast and hear what everyone has been up to since I left 2 years ago." Anna Jullienne (Maia Jeffries) was happy to return for the momentous occasion, stating; "It's been great to be part of the 20th celebrations. Shortland Street was a huge part of my life for years and I'm happy to celebrate its great achievements." Producer – Steven Zanoski described his decision to bring the Jeffries back as; "When we began to look at who could return for the birthday week we debated long and hard on who would work. But when we found out that the Jeffries family were available we instantly knew we had it." On 7 May it was confirmed series original - Elizabeth McRae, would be returning as the character of Marj Brasch, the original receptionist. Zanoski explained Marj's return, stating; "With the return of Yvonne to the reception desk it was only a matter of course to have Marj back." Paul Gittins (Michael McKenna) jokingly stated that he was not asked to reprise his role as his character had been dead for 13 years. The Emergency Department location was notably missing a doctor and so writers decided to introduce a character in the 20th anniversary episodes to fulfil this. This lead to the creation of Josh Gallagher, who was described as; "an adrenalin junkie who loves the rush of ED and the precision and skill involved in surgical work. He's used to partying all night before sneaking in to start his shift" was created for this position Chris Tempest was cast in the role.

Production
In 2011 a special episode was announced of the show to air on the 20th anniversary. In March 2012 it was announced that the episode would be 90 minutes long and would likely focus on several returned characters. Producer - Steven Zanoski, was thrilled by the momentous episode saying; "It's been hugely exciting over the last couple of weeks as we see faces from the past come back through the studios, some for cameo appearances, others as pivotal parts of the storylines that are set to come." Zanoski also announced that there would be an extreme stunt taking place in the episode, saying; "We are also gearing up to film one of the biggest stunt sequences we have ever done. We have all sorts of amazing hardware being delivered to our art sheds and everything is being kept top secret. Viewers will have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of months." The episode's storyline was to feature a staff party where the doctors and nurses would don the original outfits worn in 1992. Actress - Rachel Blampied (Bree Hamilton) was glad to be part of the 20th anniversary shoot, calling it "nostalgic". Her onscreen sister - Beth Allen (Brooke Freeman) agreed stating; "With everything going on with the birthday, it's a really exciting time to be part of the show." The feature length episode was also announced to take place on 21 May as part of the Winter season. Zanoski described the episodes as "spectacular". After numerous mentions of a helipad on the hospital roof as the anniversary drew near, it soon was soon announced that the episodes would climax in a helicopter crash. The helicopter was sourced from one that crashed on the Auckland viaduct in 2011 and the scene took 11 hours to film. Numerous special effects were used and cast and crew speculated it would likely be the shows biggest stunt. The filming took night shoots and double shifts alongside stunt and technical work. Because of this Zanoski ensured the episode would be gripping and the show's "biggest ever episode". A storyline was devised where on of the show's primary characters would undergo a murder charge after killing off another character. Great deal of attention was put into how the character would be killed off and the concept of stabbing was decided upon. Medical researchers were also used heavily for the episodes, with crushing, drug addiction scars and heart surgery all being featured.

Creation and casting
Following the resignation of Robbie Magasiva as the character of Maxwell Avia, writers felt an absence in the Emergency Department set of the soap opera and it was decided that a new doctor would be created. The character of Josh was created, an adrenalin junkie drawn to ED due to its fast paced performance. Storylines decided to characterize Josh as a mysterious character, working with the idea that his parents were naturopaths. It was decided that Josh would debut in the shows 20th anniversary and as such, a dramatic stunt was planned so as to demonstrate the characters key elements such as efficiency under pressure. 5 actors got callbacks for the part of Josh, with Chris Tempest eventually securing the role. British Tempest was familiar with the show through daytime television as a teenager but was unaware as to it's impact in New Zealand, "It doesn't even feel real to be honest. Especially coming over here and seeing how much Shortland Street is part of the Kiwi culture and how high a regard people hold it. It hasn't settled in yet."

Relationships
Tempest described Josh as an accidental ladies man, "The thing about Josh is he's never trying to be a ladies man. But as it turns out, chicks really dig that." Upon his arrival to the show, Josh was placed in scenes with the returned character of Paige Munroe (Rachel Foreman) and a partnership was established between the two. Tempest believed that the characters got on well due to both having checkered pasts, Josh having lost his fiancé to a drug overdose and Paige having recovered from a drug addiction that saw the death of Jill Kingsbury (Natalie Medlock). Foreman explained, "The two definitely cross paths, and theres a connection, but Paige can't put her finger on it. There are a lot of mixed feelings. It's quickly very clear that Josh doesn't want to reveal himself to anyone, so that makes getting into a relationship difficult. But it's all part of his charm." Tempest believed the characters backgrounds incidentally lead them to each other, "There is what seems like flirting, but it's really just a lot of awkwardness. Both of them are wary about getting into a relationship. Paige has her issues and Josh has his." Foreman agreed with Tempest's view, "I think Josh and Paige are quite similar but just cursed by their respective pasts. They both have baggage and aren't very good at acknowledging it!" Josh and Paige briefly dated but in August, Josh started to develop feelings for Lana Jacobs (Brooke Williams), much to the angst of her ex boyfriend, Daniel Potts (Ido Drent). Lana warned Josh that she was too preoccupied for a serious romance but he promised there would be little strings attached. However shortly into the relationship in what Tempest described a shortened "honeymoon period", Lana began to shut Josh off in favour of mingling with her recently arrived friends Emma Franklin (Amy Usherwood) and Kylie Brown (Kerry-Lee Dewing). Tempest compared this to how Josh treated Paige, "Its almost like karma. Josh was stand offish with Paige and now he's getting a taste of his own medicine. The roles are reversed and he doesn't like being on the receiving end." Josh soon realized the three girls were starting a smear campaign against Boyd Rolleston (Sam Bunkall) and began to question if Lana was who he wanted to date. Williams didn't think Lana and Josh were well suited together, describing Josh as being "mean" to Lana and not "loose" or "kind" enough. Josh initially clashed with his boss TK Samuels' (Benjamin Mitchell) wife Roimata (Shavaughn Ruakrere), but following her becoming victim of a sexual assault, Josh offered her comfort and support when TK couldn't. Suspicious of his behavior, TK began to suspect Josh of assaulting Roimata. Ruakere explained Roimata's bond with Josh, "Ever since the attack, Roimata has trusted Josh and turned to him for guidance. She can't understand why anyone would think he would be the culprit." Roimata was insulted by TK suspecting Josh of the attack, "Roimata feels TK is undermining her by blaming her pillar of support. Just when she needs TK the most, he can't control his anger". However when Josh broke up with Lana and announced he had fallen for Roimata, she too suspected he may be the attacker. Roimata soon started to develop feelings for Josh, much to TK's ignorance; Mitchell stated, "Roimata is always reassuring TK that she loves him. But he's starting to wonder how much she means it." In May, Roimata gave into her feelings and began a love affair with Josh.

Reception
When reviewing the shows 20th anniversary feature length episode, Lydia Jenkin pointed out how it had become traditional to introduce a new character during the annual 90 minute episodes and pondered which female character would fall victim to Josh's good looks and charm. One of the shows writers, Rebecca Barry Hill, listed the Shortland Street 20th anniversary as one of the highlights of New Zealand television in 2012 and specifically noted Josh's introduction. Paul Casserly of The New Zealand Herald believed that by casting unlikeable characters on TV shows, producers were in effect pulling in viewers who consumed the product simply to hate the character. He noted Josh as an example of this on Shortland Street and referenced a friend who believed Josh was the, "worst character, worst actor".

==20th anniversary==

Galvin praised the storyline, It's a real reversal for Chris and I can honestly say it's a situation that he's never found himself in. The writers on our show just do a fantastic job. The fact that 20 years in they can throw something at Chris that's never happened to him before, it's a great credit to them and it's been extremely satisfying to play."

Creation and casting
At a time when producers were structuring Shortland Street as a soap with a culturally diverse cast, the character of Grace Kwan was created - a hard working Asian doctor. In 1994, Lynette Forday joined the cast as the part of Grace. After 3 years on the soap, Forday left the soap with Grace making her final appearance in 1997. In 2013 Forday was offered to reprise the role after 16 years off screen, to which she was happy to agree. She signed an initial "Major Recurring Guest" contract. Forday described returning to the set as "odd" but also "wonderful". Forday had considered the idea of returning to play Grace as a "no-brainer" and was happy to work alongside her former co worker, Michael Galvin (Dr. Chris Warner), "It was very surreal ... We have been doing a lot of work together and he's just lovely. He's been very helpful and is amazing."

Storylines
Following the departure of Simon Hilton-Jones (John Wraight) from Shortland Street clinic, Chief Executive Officer Michael McKenna (Paul Gittins) decided to poach Grace from his rival Sir. Bruce Warner's (Ken Blackburn) clinic through the recommendation of Grace's best friend, Ellen Crozier (Robyn Malcolm). Bruce was devastated to hear Grace was leaving and made a hugely public announcement of his love for her in the Kennedy's bar, to which she rejected him. Grace began work at Shortland Street though her naturally flirtatious manner led many to believe she was having an affair with both Bruce and Michael - even Michael's wife Alex (Liddy Holloway). Grace dated Darryl Neilson (Mark Ferguson) but soon came to realize he was stealing her eggs and selling them off, leading to a break up. She subsequently had a brief relationship with Zac Smith (Mike Edward) but ended up deciding to flee Ferndale after reconciling with Darryl. However Darryl's dead body was found in the Auckland harbor. The following year Grace fell in love with Lionel Skeggins (John Leigh) but instead took up with Minnie's (Katrina Devine) father, Ryan Birch (Robert Harte). However she soon came to realize Ryan had in fact raped Ellen several years beforehand and they broke up. Grace finally got together with Lionel but the romance was short lived and she moved onto Frank Malone (Christopher Hobbs). In 1997 whilst cooking, Grace accidentally severed her finger however luckily managed to reattach it. Shortly after, Grace got a job in Australia and departed Ferndale.

Reception
The character of Grace was criticized by columnist Tze Ming Mok who although praised Shortland Street for involving Asian characters, found her very unrepresentative of Asian culture. He did however point out that the character was a more favorable portrayal than the later character of Li Mei Chen (Li Ming Hu). Michael Galvin (Chris Warner) pointed out the storyline that saw Grace give Chris an emergency tracheotomy with her Star Trek pen in 1994 as one of the most memorable moments of the soap opera.

Damo Johnson
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/92183905/shortland-streets-grant-lobban-is-far-from-his-cowardly-character https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/89721829/being-damo-shortland-street-actors-awkward-encounter-with-diehard-fan https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/tv-guide/98910617/lifeanddeath-fight-for-shortland-street-actor-grant-lobban (creation and casting) http://stoppress.co.nz/news/bowel-cancer-new-zealand-pairs-shortland-street-raise-awareness-tbwa

Sass
"It was literally one of those 'my life has changed over night' situations".