| Saul Bennett | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home and Away character | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Portrayed by | David Ritchie | ||||||
| Duration | 1995–1997, 1999 | ||||||
| First appearance | 21 November 1995 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 23 February 1999 | ||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||
| Introduced by | John Holmes | ||||||
| |||||||
Saul Bennett is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by David Ritchie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 1995.
Saul is a leader of a religious cult and attempts to lure Selina Cook (Tempany Deckert) into joining the cause. [1] He tells Selina that he wants to help the young people of Yabbie Creek who have lost their way in life and she accepts. But Saul has other plans for Selina. Deckert told a reporter from Inside Soap that "luckily, after only a short while, she realises that all the lines Saul's been feeding her are just lies, so that he can satisfy his filthy needs." [1] However, when Saul's son Alex (Nick Freedman) and Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) express their concern, she refuses to listen and becomes "brainwashed" by Saul. The actress added that by telling everyone to leave her alone because she "knows what she is doing" - she ultimately "backed herself into a corner". [1] Then Saul hits Selina and it changes the situation again. Deckert branded Saul a "real weirdo", but felt the storyline was realistic. She explained that many young people are just "looking for something and that's why they get caught up with these sort of things". [1]
Saul first appears after Selina suffers a miscarriage and influences her with his spirituality and convinces her to join his commune. Saul later kidnaps Selina but is foiled by his son Alex and is later jailed. After being released from jail, Saul Kidnaps Selina again when she and his other son, Joey Rainbow (Alex O'Han) go looking for Irene's surrogate child, Paul at the commune. Saul attempts to murder Selina and himself by setting a room on fire. The whole place is set alight, Selina escapes after being rescued by Joey and Jesse McGregor (Ben Unwin) but Saul is presumed dead.
On Selina and Steven's wedding day, Saul, who has apparently managed to survive the fire kidnaps Selina, while posing as a chauffeur driving the bridal limousine. Saul hold Selina hostage in a remote hunting lodge in the bush but falls sick. The situation comes to an end when police surround the lodge and rescue Selina. Constable Terri Garner (Alison Standen) arrests Saul but when he reaches inside his pocket she shoots him dead. Saul briefly returns two years later as a ghostly vision on Joey's computer screen when he is suffering from Schizophrenia, instructing him to murder Irene but Joey relents.
Of Saul, Tina Baker writing for Soaplife said, "Home and Away's cult leader Saul was nice Joey Rainbow's dad, but that didn't stop him from brainwashing his devotees, stealing Irene's baby, kidnapping Selina on her wedding day, and trying to force her to have his child...as you do." [2] A columnist from Inside Soap said that Saul was "nuttier than a veggie roast" and cults and fires "go hand-in-hand" in soap operas. [3] They opined Saul was no exception because he was a walking fire hazzard due to his "long white beard and flowing robes". They added that Saul looked just like Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings . [3] Channel 5 viewers in the UK chose the episode in which Joey tries to save Saul following the commune fire as one of its favourite ever Home and Away episodes. [4] A reporter from TV Week said that Saul was one of the show's "worst ever baddies" who had the "biggest death" of 1997. [5] They said that Saul "upped his creepy factor" when he kidnapped Selina, adding that it was the "biggest shock" of 1996. [6]
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.
Curtis Reed is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Shane Ammann. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 September 1994. He was introduced alongside his adopted sister, Shannon Reed. He departed on 15 April 1997.
Shannon Reed is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Isla Fisher. She made her first on screen appearance on 16 September 1994. She departed on 6 August 1997. Ashley Murray played a young Shannon in flashbacks.
Chloe Richards is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Kristy Wright. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 28 June 1995. Chloe left in 1999, making a short return stint in 2005 when she died from the resulting injuries of a car crash. Chloe has relationships with Jack Wilson, Curtis Reed, Lachlan Fraser, James Fraser and Jesse McGregor.
Jack Wilson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Daniel Amalm. He made his first appearance on 1 April 1994. Jack was introduced as a new foster child for the characters of Michael and Pippa Ross. Amalm auditioned for the role in the place of his friend, who could not attend. Many actors auditioned to play Jack, but Amalm was eventually cast. Jack is characterised as a "bad boy" and a "wild child" and Amalm enjoyed playing the role of the "baddie". Jack's storylines feature racial abuse, rebellious behaviour, joy riding and various romances. In 1996, Amalm quit the series to concentrate on a music career. The actor did not like the monotony that accompanied playing the same role, but he remained open minded about a future return. He did so in 2000, when Jack returned as part of episodes centred on foster sister Sally Fletcher wedding.
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.
Steven Matheson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Adam Willits. Steven was created by Alan Bateman as one of the serial's original characters and he first appeared in the pilot episode. Willits received the role after being one of over three hundred actors to audition for the roles of the serial's foster children. He was a regular cast member from 1988 to 1991 and again between 1995 and 1996. He has continued to make guest appearances in from 1997 until 2008.
Selina Cook is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Tempany Deckert. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 May 1994. Deckert was given the role of Selina after her third audition for the show. In 1996, Deckert fell ill and Louise Crawford played Selina in her absence. In 1997, Deckert decided to leave the serial, however briefly returned in 1998. Her return was filmed in Ironbridge, Shropshire, as part of the serial's first ever overseas location filming. Selina's last appearance to date was on 30 March 1998, where she agreed to marry Steven.
Rob Storey is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Matthew Lilley. He appeared in the series from 13 July 1994 until 12 May 1995.
Aden Jefferies is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Todd Lasance. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 4 August 2005. Aden was introduced in 2005 as a recurring character and as part of Cassie Turner's storylines. Lasance was offered the role after previously auditioning for a separate character. In 2007, Lasance was asked to return on another guest contract, though was promoted to the regular cast soon after.
Damian Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Matt Doran. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 November 1991, and departed on 15 March 1996. Ben Hamilton played a young Damian in flashbacks in 1997.
Joey Rainbow is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Alex O'Han. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 June 1996. O'Han joined the serial while he was still in high school and was assisted by an on-set tutor. His decision to quit the serial three years later was based on the decision to concentrate on his education. Joey departed on 11 May 1999.
Thomas "Tom" Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Graeme Squires. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 18 February 1998. Tom was introduced to Home and Away along with his family. Zac Drayson was originally cast in the role, but when the producers thought he would be more suitable for Will Smith, Squires received the part. The actor decided to leave Home and Away in early 2000 after two years and he made his screen exit on 16 May 2000. Squires returned to film the show's 3,000th episode special in 2001.
Vincent Alexandros "VJ" Patterson, Jr. is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. VJ has been portrayed by various child actors since his introduction. Felix Dean played the role from 2007 until it was recast in 2014, and Matthew Little took over. VJ made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 November 2001. He departed on 23 November 2017. He made a final appearance over video footage on 5 February 2018.
Willow Harris is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Sarah Roberts. The character made her first screen appearance on 14 November 2017. Roberts had auditioned for the roles of both Kat Chapman and Scarlett Snow prior to playing Willow. She auditioned successfully and attended screen testing with James Stewart who play's Willow's love interest Justin Morgan. Willow was originally going to be named Amber. She is characterised as a tough female who was raised in a broken home and has subsequently learned to look after herself. Roberts has said that she admires the character's strong personality. Willow is introduced into the show wearing leather, chains and riding a motorbike. This added to her image as a powerful female character.
Colby Thorne is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Tim Franklin. The actor learned from his agent that he had secured the role on his 27th birthday. He had previously made a guest appearance in the series as Azza Mason in 2015, but Colby is his first full-time television role. Franklin began filming in August 2017, and he made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 6 February 2018. The character was introduced as a replacement for Kat Chapman, who died in the season finale, and his arrival was publicised in a trailer showcasing upcoming 2018 storylines.
Alex Bennett is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Nick Freedman. The serial's producers thought of Freedman for the role of "easy-going hippy" Alex, having seen his previous work in other television dramas. Freedman was hesitant about accepting the role due to his career as a musician, so he only signed a year-long contract. He found the demands of filming the weekly serial intense, especially as he was used to late nights while performing with his band. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 October 1995.