| Ned Parker | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Daniel O'Connor | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2005–2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 9 August 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 31 July 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Ric Pellizzeri | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ned Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours , played by Daniel O'Connor. He made his first appearance on screen on 9 August 2005, arriving to see his brother, Stuart. He departed on 31 July 2008.
Following his elimination from the 2004 series of Australian Idol, Daniel O'Connor was asked to join the cast of Neighbours as Ned Parker. [1] [2] O'Connor's agent informed him that someone from Neighbours had called and was interested in him doing an audition for the show. O'Connor had not considered acting and thought the offer to meet with casting director, Jan Russ was "ridiculous". [1] He said "I have no idea why they wanted me, I don't know what it was or what they saw in me. I got to number 11 in Idol, so I didn't even progress to the pointy end of the competition". [1] O'Connor add that Russ could sense he was "freaked out" during the audition and that he had to come back for a second one to perform some emotionally challenging scenes. [1] O'Connor said his first day on the set was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. [1]
In February 2008, it was announced that O'Connor was to leave Neighbours that year, along with co-stars David Hoflin (Oliver Barnes), Jesse Rosenfeld (Marco Silvani) and Sweeney Young (Riley Parker). [3] It was speculated that the departures were linked to the arrival of Susan Bower, who was appointed executive producer at the end of 2007. [3]
Ned is the younger brother of Stuart (Blair McDonough) and Steve Parker (Steve Bastoni). [1] Ned arrives in Erinsborough to attends Stuart's wedding to Sindi Watts (Marisa Warrington). [1] He later returns to check on Stuart after Sindi is sectioned and sent to a psychiatric hospital. Upon his arrival in Ramsay Street, Ned goes to the wrong house and takes a shower. Janelle Timmins (Nell Feeney) is shocked to see Ned in just a towel and she screams for help, Ned then drops his towel. Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) recognises Ned from the wedding and points him in the direction of Stuart's place. Stuart tells Ned that he doesn't want to discuss his situation with him, but Ned helps Stuart out and decides to stay in Ramsay Street. Ned quickly developed a crush on Isabelle Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) and became friends with Elle Robinson (Pippa Black).
When Ned became quite secretive, Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) jumped to the conclusion that Ned was gay. Stuart was shocked when Ned admitted that he was. However, he later tells Elle that he isn't and that he only told Toadie and Stuart he was, so he could audition for a musical in secret. Ned is given a role in Gino Esposito's (Shane McNamara) musical, but he struggles with the script. He finally admits to Elle that he is having trouble reading and they begin a relationship. Isabelle seduces Ned and he tells her that she has to leave Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and be with him. Isabelle later admits to Paul that she slept with Ned.
Ned teams up with Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) to form a children's band called "Oodles 'O' Noodles". They later split when Ned meets Justine Spensley (Alexis Porter) and she forces Karl to quit the group. However, Carmella Cammeniti (Natalie Blair) exposes Justine's plan and Ned and Karl reform the band. Ned then began a relationship with Carmella, but she ended it when she realised that they were spending too much time together. Ned then grew close to Katya Kinski (Dichen Lachman), and a jealous Carmella unsuccessfully tried to win him back. Ned ended his relationship with Katya when she was blackmailed into several crimes, even assaulting Ned when he caught her stealing a car.
Ned moved in with Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) when he was forced out of his home by his new housemates. Ned got into gambling and Paul lured Ned into a life of crime and his plan to destroy the Timmins family to help repay his debts. Ned later asks Elle to run away with him, but she returns to her father and Ned leaves by himself. On his return, Ned apologised to the Timmins family and began working at the garage with Janae Timmins (Eliza Taylor-Cotter).
Ned's high school girlfriend, Kirsten Gannon (Nikola Dubois) appears at his doorstep and informs him that he has an eight-year-old son, Mickey (Fletcher O'Leary). Kirsten leaves Mickey with Ned and he enlists Janae to help him raise his son. Janae later asks Ned to move in with her and they begin a relationship. Ned's older brother Steve and his family arrive in Ramsay Street and when Steve tells Ned that their new home has been flooded, Janae invites them to move in. Kirsten returns and Ned tells her that he will fight for main custody of Mickey. Kirsten tries to take Mickey away, but Mickey tells her that he would rather live with Ned and she returns him home. Ned and Janae's relationship comes to an end and Janae leaves Ramsay Street after kissing Darren Stark (Todd MacDonald). Ned then began to grow closer to Kirsten.
When Steve tells Ned that their father was once a vicious drunk and a cheating husband, Ned refuses to believe him. Ned takes Kirsten and Mickey to Oakey to meet the family and he brings his father, Jim (Roger Oakley) back to Ramsay Street. Ned and Kirsten are caught in a bush fire. Kirsten is badly injured and Ned saves her. Ned later decides to leave Erinsborough with Mickey and Kirsten, so that Kirsten could get treatment for her burns.
O'Connor was nominated for 'Most Popular New Male Talent' at the 2006 Logie Awards for his portrayal of Ned. [4] In 2007, O'Connor and co-star Natalie Blair (Carmella Cammeniti) were named 'King and Queen of Teen' at Dolly magazine's Dolly Teen Choice Awards. [5]
Ned has received negative criticism from Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture.co.uk. In a feature specially dedicated to Ned called "Clearing out the dead wood", Deller expressed her delight that the character was leaving Neighbours. [6] She went on to say "Whilst Dan O'Connor's acting has been somewhat short of stellar, he can't take the sole blame for Ned's failure at becoming a character viewers took to their hearts. The scriptwriters never seemed to know what to do with him". [6] Deller added that Ned had been portrayed as being sometimes thick, sometimes kind and sometimes selfish. [6] She said "The only time he almost became likeable was when his son Mickey arrived, but seeing as the kid was only tolerable in scenes with Lou and Harold, that didn’t really work, either. He did get his kit off quite a lot though, so every cloud and all that". [6] She finished by saying that Ned was the least loved of the Parker brothers. [6]
In a feature on the best and worst soap characters of the decade, Ned was placed first on the worst characters list. [7] Deller said "Thick as two short planks, with their acting ability, Ned's storylines revolved around rubbish romances and being rubbish at a string of jobs. They even twisted the knife in by introducing more family members when Stu left in order to enable him to stick around even longer. The saddest thing about his departure was that they didn't even kill him off". [7] Describing Ned, media company Virgin Media state: "Life was action packed for Ramsay Street macho-man, Ned. As well as constantly showing off his buff bod, he also discovered he had a secret son with an ex-high school flame and got caught up in a love triangle with Katya Kinski and Carmella Cammeniti." [8] Katie Baillie writing for Metro included Ned on her list of the "worst Neighbours characters" ever. [9] Ed Jefferson from the Daily Mirror named Ned and Karl starting a children's musical "awful" pop group as one of the weirdest Neighbours storylines, calling the pop group. [10]
Lucinda "Elle" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Pippa Black. The character made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 September 2005. She was introduced as the daughter of established characters Paul and Gail Robinson.
Scott "Stingray" Timmins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ben Nicholas. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 March 2004. Stingray was introduced as Toadfish Rebecchi's cousin. The role earned Nicholas a Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent.
Dylan Timmins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Damien Bodie. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 February 2005. Dylan is introduced as part of the extended Timmins family, created around the established character Stingray Timmins. Dylan is characterised as a "bad boy" and often gets into trouble with his criminal behaviour. He is also very loyal and protects his family no matter the consequence. Dylan is portrayed as having a difficult relationship with his mother Janelle Timmins, who blames him for any problems in the family. His introduction into the series explored their mother/son dynamic as Dylan feels unloved by Janelle. Writers also created a "father figure" for Dylan, Paul Robinson and he becomes Paul's protégé carrying out jobs for him.
Katya Kinski is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Dichen Lachman. She made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 December 2005. Lachman originally auditioned for the role of Elle Robinson. But producers asked her to play Katya instead. Katya is characterised as a "bitchy nasty person" with a "dark past". She arrives in Erinsborough to visit her terminally-ill father Alex before he died. She reunites with her younger siblings Rachel and Zeke Kinski. Katya feuds with Susan Kennedy and Karl Kennedy over custody of her siblings. Lachman believed that her flawed character disliked Susan to justify her own failings as a sister.
Will Griggs is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Christian Clark. The character debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 12 October 2006. He was introduced into the serial as part of a group of four characters branded as "20 somethings". Clark quit the series prematurely to concentrate on a film career and Will departed on 23 January 2007. Upon his departure from the serial, his younger adoptive brother Oliver Barnes was written into storylines.
Carmella Cammeniti is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Natalie Blair. She appeared on a recurring basis from 2003 to 2005, then became a main character from 2006 to 2008, before making a final guest appearance in 2011. Carmella was created as a replacement for Nina Tucker, portrayed by Delta Goodrem, who was written out of the series when Goodrem became ill. Her early storylines, including a romance with Connor O'Neill, were originally intended for Nina. The daughter of a protective gangster father, Carmella was initially a "fun, feisty" character. She gradually became "tortured [and] depressive", with storylines which saw her attract the attention of a stalker, become a nun, suffer facial scarring, develop an addiction to prescription medication and lose her husband after a bushfire.
Frazer Yeats is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Ben Lawson. The character was introduced into the serial as part of a group of four characters branded as "20 somethings". He debuted in the episode airing on 12 October 2006. He departed the serial 25 April 2008 after Lawson quit. He was central to notable storylines such as gambling, paralysis, pseudocyesis and causing the accidental death of his younger brother as a minor.
Oliver Barnes is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by David Hoflin. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 January 2007. Oliver is the oldest son of Rebecca Napier and the brother of Declan Napier. Some of Oliver's biggest storylines included discovering that he was adopted, finding his birth parents and becoming a father. Oliver departed the show on 8 August 2008. Hoflin and his co-star Natalie Blair reprised their roles in March 2011 to help facilitate Hall's departure from the show.
Steve Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Steve Bastoni. In 2007, Neighbours decided to return to focusing more on family dynamics and the characters of Steve and his family were created and introduced to help boost falling ratings in Australia. Steve made his first on-screen appearance on 23 July 2007 along with his wife, Miranda Parker, and their daughter Bridget Parker. The family moved into Ramsay Street and Steve opened a veterinary practice in the Lassiters complex. His storylines included taking the blame for the death of Chris Knight, being kissed and poisoned by Nicola West, breaking up and later reuniting with Miranda, becoming a grandfather and the death of his daughter. In March 2009, the decision was taken to write the Parker family out of the show after Bastoni and Eloise Mignon quit. Steve departed on 24 July 2009 with his wife, following Bridget's funeral.
Miranda Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Nikki Coghill. In 2007, the show's focus returned to focus more on family dynamics and the characters of Miranda and her family were created and introduced to help boost falling ratings in Australia. Miranda made her first screen appearance on 23 July 2007, along with her husband, Steve Parker and her daughter Bridget. The family moved into Ramsay Street and Miranda became friends with many of her neighbours and was employed at both Erinsborough High and Lassiter's Hotel. Her storylines included the arrival of her sister Nicola, breaking up and later reuniting with Steve, having an affair with her old university lecturer, becoming a grandmother and the death of her daughter. In March 2009, the decision was taken to write the Parker family out of the show after Mignon and Bastoni quit. Miranda departed on 24 July 2009 with her husband, following their daughter's funeral.
Rosetta "Rosie" Cammeniti is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Natalie Saleeba. The character was introduced into the serial as part of a group of four "20 somethings." Saleeba began filming in July and she made her first on-screen appearance on 12 October 2006. Rosetta's storylines included an arranged marriage, a same-sex kiss and pseudocyesis. She departed on 25 April 2008.
Janae Timmins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Eliza Taylor-Cotter. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 April 2005. The character was created by executive producer Ric Pellizzeri as part of the new Timmins family, joining the established character Stingray Timmins. Janae is characterised as a feisty character who is unafraid of physical confrontation. She has low self-esteem due to her father Kim Timmins being absent during her childhood. Janae is featured in various storylines including having her drink spiked with rohypnol, an HIV scare and the victim of an attempted sexual assault.
Marco Silvani is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jesse Rosenfeld. He made his first on-screen appearance on 19 October 2007. Marco began a relationship with a pregnant Carmella Cammeniti, which caused tensions between himself and the baby's father, Oliver Barnes. Marco later asked Carmella to marry him and on the same day, he was injured in a bush fire. Marco died from his injuries shortly after and he departed on-screen on 2 July 2008.
Kirsten Gannon is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Nikola Dubois. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 June 2007. Kirsten was introduced into the series as the mother of Mickey Gannon and former partner of Ned Parker. As one of Neighbours' recurring characters, Kirsten appeared constantly for more than one year. She is characterised as manipulative and a "trouble maker". Kirsten's stories have included a custody battle over Mickey and her subsequent feud with Janae Timmins. The latter resulted in a blackmail scheme and her various attempts to ruin Janae's relationship with Ned. Writers also created an affair story with Paul Robinson. Dubois has stated that her relationship with Paul showed her character to be a "lonely woman" rather than a "home wrecker". Kirsten's final storylines saw her suffering from severe burns after being caught in a bush fire. The character departed the show on 31 July 2008.