Mitch McColl

Last updated

Mitch McColl
Home and Away character
Mitch McColl.jpg
Cameron Welsh as Mitch McColl
Portrayed by Cameron Welsh (1999–2005)
Mitchell McMahon (2000)
Duration1999–2001, 2005
First appearance15 July 1999
Last appearance8 July 2005
Classification Former; regular
Introduced byJohn Holmes (1999)
Julie McGuaran (2005)
In-universe information
OccupationStudent
MotherVicky McColl
Stepfather Rod Branson
UnclesMorrie Sanders

Mitchell McColl is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away , originally played by Cameron Welsh. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 15 July 1999. Welsh thought that the role of Mitch would be a guest part, but producers soon signed him onto a three-year contract. Welsh was diagnosed with an herniated disc and took a break from filming in 2000. Mitchell McMahon took over the role temporarily when producers decided that Mitch needed to remain part of a "big storyline". Welsh decided to leave Home and Away in November 2000 and Mitch departed on 9 March 2001. Welsh reprised the role in 2005 for the serial's 4000th episode. Mitch has been described as a "bad boy with a heart of gold" and likes to help people out. He is also "emotionally scarred and guarded" due to his upbringing.

Contents

Character development

Actor Cameron Welsh auditioned for a part in Home and Away with the predicate that it would only be a guest role. [1] Welsh was originally signed a three-year contract to appear in Home and Away. He began filming in May 1999 and his character Mitch debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 15 July. Welsh said that he viewed it as a "great opportunity" to learn the "technical aspect of acting". [2]

Mitch was initially described as a "motherless 16-year-old bad boy with a heart of gold" and "emotionally scarred and guarded". [3] [4] Welsh was given a "very clear starting point" with Mitch and he knew that he would develop well in the years that followed. Welsh said that playing Mitch was "weird" because he had to get into the mindset of a sixteen-year-old. Welsh looked older than his character, he said it worked well for Mitch because "he's seen a lot for his age, he's had a turbulent childhood, so it's okay to play him a lot wiser than the average kid." [2] Welsh later described Mitch as always being "a good guy with an interest in helping people out". [1] Welsh enjoyed playing the guitar, so producers decided to incorporate this into Mitch's character. Prior to Mitch's arrival media sources it was reported that he would become attracted to the character of Hayley Smith (Bec Cartwright). [5] Welsh said that because Mitch is a romantic "he was in town for all of five seconds before he caught a glimpse of Hayley." He opined that the two characters shared chemistry and said that viewers could expect "a few more sparks" between them. [4]

In 2000, Welsh was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back and was ordered to take bed rest. Producers granted Welsh a six-week break but decided to hire Mitchell McMahon to play Mitch in his absence. Welsh said it felt "weird" seeing another actor playing Mitch but as he was involved in a "big storyline" at the time, producers were left with no other option. Welsh said that McMahon looked different to him and had a different way of playing Mitch and said "it will be interesting to see how viewers react". [6] After his return, Welsh's scenes as Mitch started airing once again from 3 April 2000. [7]

Mitch was often used in "romantic" scenes and characterised as "a nice guy". Welsh said "I guess it's not the worst thing in the world to get down pat." In 2001, Welsh left Home and Away, Mitch's exit storyline was not dramatic as he left to visit his ill grandmother in New Zealand. [8]

In 2005, Welsh filmed a cameo for the serial's 4000th episode, which saw Mitch return for Alf Stewart's (Ray Meagher) birthday. [9] Welsh later became Home and Away's producer. He said that playing Mitch helped give him a better understanding when it came to producing the serial. [10]

Storylines

Mitch arrives in Summer Bay and hides out on Travis Nash's (Nic Testoni) boat. It is soon revealed that Mitch is a runaway who fled home after his stepfather, Rod Branson (Russell Newman) blamed him for causing his mother's death by accidentally hitting her in the chest with a cricket ball. Mitch is then fostered by Alf and Ailsa Stewart (Judy Nunn) and quickly becomes a big brother figure to their son, Duncan (Brendan McKensy). Mitch is accepted into the local high school and makes friends with Hayley, Will (Zac Drayson), Gypsy Nash (Kimberley Cooper), Peta Janossi (Aleetza Wood) and Edward Dunglass (Stephen James King).

Mitch is attracted to Hayley and she is attracted to him but she is dating Sam Marshall (Ryan Clark). Mitch dates Gypsy instead and sleeps with her. After Hayley and Sam break up, Mitch gets together with Hayley but they briefly separate when she learns that he lied about Gypsy. They reconcile when Mitch confronts Hayley's employer Brian Rogers (Gerry Tacovsky) sets about making inappropriate advances towards her.

One morning, Mitch finds the body of Sarah McKay, a teenage girl who had run away and drowned while sleeping in a storm drain. After realising he could have easily suffered the same fate as Sarah, Mitch is compelled to set up a Drop-in Centre. His idea comes to fruition after his friends and the local adults battle the council for permission and name the centre after Sarah, whose [parents attend the grand opening. When the centre is up and running, Mitch feels a little annoyed when the newly arrived Shelley Sutherland (Paula Forrest) and Gypsy begin running the centre but eventually relents. Brodie Hanson (Susie Rugg) begins staying at the centre after fleeing her abusive mother, Jan (Genevieve Sulway) and Mitch forms a close friendship with her. Hayley is annoyed when she finds Mitch is dating Brodie, as she hoped to reconcile with him as they had broken up after her father Ken (Anthony Phelan) died.

After Mitch wins a charity talent contest with a self-composed musical number, he is approached by Morrie Sanders (Peter Brownie), who reveals he is his uncle and explains that Mitch's grandfather had thrown Vicky out of home when he learned she was going to marry Mitch's father. Morrie tells Mitch that his grandmother, Morrie and Vicky's mother is dying and wants to see him before she dies and Mitch agrees to go to New Zealand with Morrie. When Mitch returns to the Bay, he feels he has changed and his relationship with Alf in the wake of Ailsa's death sours. He then moves in with Gypsy and Vinnie Patterson (Ryan Kwanten). Mitch then decides to leave for New Zealand permanently and before leaving reconciles with Alf and shares an emotional farewell with Brodie.

Four years later, Mitch returns to Summer Bay briefly for Alf’s 60th birthday party. Whilst his part in the events was minimal, a deleted scene revealed that he was a music teacher at a high school and was engaged to a woman named Kylie.

Reception

For his portrayal of Mitch, Welsh was nominated for the "Best New Male Talent" Logie Award in 2000. [11] James Joyce of The Newcastle Herald said that Mitch made a big impact in his first episode on-screen. [3] He later opined that Mitch and Hayley's first kiss was "long-awaited" and had that the pair had "lustful eyes" for one another. When they face "frustration" after the kiss, he added that fans "crave this sort of teasing". [12] A columnist for the Daily Record chose Mitch's exit as one of their TV highlights of the week. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alf Stewart</span> Fictional character from Home and Away

Alfred James "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. Alf was created as one of the show's eighteen original characters. Meagher auditioned for the role of Tom Fletcher, before being cast as Alf. He made his first appearance during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. As of 2017, Meagher is the sole remaining original cast member and he holds a Guinness World Record for being the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial. For his portrayal of Alf, Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television in 2010.

Hayley Smith (<i>Home and Away</i>) Soap opera character

Hayley Rose Smith is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was portrayed from September 1998 to September 2005 by actress Rebecca Cartwright and from September to November 2005 by Ella Scott Lynch, after Cartwright left the show for personal reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse McGregor</span> Soap opera character

Jesse McGregor is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Ben Unwin. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 May 1996. The actor departed in 2000, but returned in 2002 and departed once again on 26 July 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Lawson</span> Fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away

Noah Lawson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Beau Brady. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 September 2000.

Sam Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by former actor Ryan Clark. He made his first on screen appearance on 3 April 1991. Sam remained in Home and Away until 2001. He later returned for brief stints in 2002 and 2005.

Josh West (<i>Home and Away</i>) Soap opera character

Joshua "Josh" West is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Daniel Collopy. He debuted on-screen on 21 November 2001. West left the series on 30 April 2003 upon departing for two years, but made reappearances before departing on 31 October 2003. He returned on 23 September 2005. He then made his final on-screen appearance on 16 May 2006, when he was killed off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brodie Hanson</span> Soap opera character

Brodie Hanson is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by actress Susie Rugg. She made her first appearance on 20 July 2000 and departed on 7 November 2002, she briefly returned in February 2004.

Will Smith (<i>Home and Away</i>) Home and Away character

William Smith is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Zac Drayson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 February 1998. Will was a regular on the show from 1998 to 2002. He continued to make frequent guest appearances until 2005. In 2010, it was announced that the character and Drayson would be returning to the show. Will returned to the series as a guest with his daughter on 14 October 2010. On 7 February 2011, Will was finally revealed to have been the murderer of Penn Graham after a long running storyline. He left the series on 8 February 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gypsy Nash</span> Fictional character

Gypsy Nash is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Kimberley Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 18 February 1998. Gypsy and her on-screen family the Nashes were introduced to fill the void of Debra Lawrance's departure as Pippa Ross, to form the main family at the caravan park home, often described as "the centre of Summer Bay". Cooper quit the serial in 2001 and last appeared on 15 February 2002. Cooper has won two awards for her portrayal of Gypsy and is often referred to as a "sex symbol" of the serial. In June 2011, it was announced that Cooper had reprised her role as Gypsy. She returned on 9 September 2011 and departed on 13 October 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Welsh</span> Australian actor, writer, producer and director

Cameron Welsh is an Australian actor, writer, producer and director, best known for his role as Mitch McColl on Australian soap opera Home and Away from 1999 until 2001; he then went on to become the series producer from 2007 until 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morag Bellingham</span> Fictional character in Home & Away

Morag Buckton QC is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Cornelia Frances. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 June 1988. She appeared until 1989 and briefly appeared in 1993. She returned yearly from 2001 until 2009, again from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2017. Before she died, Frances had expressed her desire to once again become a permanent cast member. Morag has been described as an antagonistic, independent and cold character. Morag is portrayed as a tough lawyer. She has been involved in storylines such as adopting out her illegitimate daughter Bobby Simpson, being widowed, helping her brother Alf Stewart through his many legal battles and a friendship with troubled teen Aden Jefferies. She has been well received by certain critics for her feisty persona, whilst others have criticised her professional skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dani Sutherland</span> Soap opera character

Danielle "Dani" Sutherland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Tammin Sursok. The actress successfully auditioned for the role of Dani in 1999 and she called the experience incredible. Sursok considered herself lucky to get the part, as the audition was the first one she had had since acquiring an agent. She made her first screen appearance as Dani during the episode broadcast on 19 June 2000. After four years in the role, Sursok made the decision to leave Home and Away in 2004 to pursue a music career and other acting opportunities and as a result Dani departed the series on 12 November 2004. She later explained that she had also become frustrated with the serial's producers. Sursok was glad that her character was written out of the show without anything bad happening to her.

Frank Morgan (<i>Home and Away</i>) Fictional character in Home and Away

Frank Jonathan Morgan is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Alex Papps. Frank debuted on-screen in the serial's pilot episode and was the first character to appear. Frank is one of the five foster children of Pippa and Tom Fletcher who move to Summer Bay to begin a new life. The serial's creator Alan Bateman thought of the idea while observing the locals of a rural town in New South Wales opposing the idea of foster children living in the area. Papps was cast into the role and immediately began receiving fan mail. Frank has been played by actors Bradley Pilato and Michael Scilusa during flashback sequences.

References

  1. 1 2 Barnier, Linda (19 May 2001). "Where are they now?". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 Everton, Denise (16 July 1999). "A star in the making". Illawarra Mercury . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  3. 1 2 Joyce, James (16 July 1999). "Tunedin". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  4. 1 2 Joyce, James (23 July 1999). "Home boy". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Joyce, James (2 July 1999). "Valley boy scores soap stint". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  6. ↑ Herbison, Jason (March 2000). "Spot the difference". All About Soap (6). Attic Futura UK Ltd: 38.
  7. ↑ Joyce, James (7 April 2000). "Back in the limelight". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  8. ↑ Watson, Chad; Barnier, Linda (14 May 2001). "Bay of plenty". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  9. ↑ "Home and Away celebrates 4000 episodes with a special episode to air on Friday". The Gold Coast Bulletin . News Limited. 30 June 2005. p. 6.
  10. ↑ Rowe, Darren (26 June 2009). "Cameron Welsh (Series Producer, 'Home and Away')". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "Will McCune make history at Logies?". Illawarra Mercury . (Fairfax Media). 29 April 2000. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Joyce, James (5 November 1999). "Kissed but not home and hosed". The Newcastle Herald . (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  13. ↑ "Highlights: the week ahead". Daily Record . (Trinity Mirror). 16 February 2002. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.