List of Home and Away characters introduced in 2005
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 2005, by order of appearance. They were all introduced by the show's series producer Julie McGuaran. The 18th season of Home and Away began airing on the Seven Network on 10 January 2005. The first introduction of year was Emily Perry as Eve Jacobsen. Isaac Gorman arrived as [|Ryan Baker] in March as did Sharni Vinson as Cassie Turner. Doug Scroope began playing [|Graham Walters] in April. Ryan's mother, Amanda Vale, played by Holly Brisley debuted in June. Todd Lasance began playing Aden Jefferies in August and The Holden family consisting of widower Tony and his two sons Jack and Lucas arrived in the same month. James Mitchell began playing Jonah Abraham and Linden Wilkinson joined the serial as Mumma Rose in November.
Eve Jacobsen
Eve Jacobsen, played by Emily Perry, made her first appearance on 21 January 2005. Perry's casting was publicised in the 25–31 December 2004 issue of TV Week. She had previously appeared in Home and Away as an extra. One of the magazine's writers thought the regular role of nurse Zoe would prove to be Perry's "biggest break yet." Of her casting, she stated "When I read for Zoe and saw the character breakdown, I just had to have the role. It will be a lot of fun playing her."Eve works as a nurse at a Psychiatric Institution and falls for one of her patients Sarah Lewis. When Sarah's boyfriend, Felix Walters dies of crystal meth overdose administered by Sarah, which she believes to be the result of a beating, she asks Eve to help her escape to get revenge. Sarah later shoots Noah Lawson dead before turning the gun on herself. Eve decides to take revenge on Summer Bay. She starts by murdering new Northern Districts hospital nurse Zoe McCallister and burning her body in a bushfire, before assuming her identity.
Eve then sets Noah's place alight, with his widow, Hayley still inside and plans further destruction by sabotaging a seaplane flight in order to kill the group on board but is only successfully in killing [|Benny Barron], the pilot. She then frames [|Marc Edwards] for her crimes and begins targeting Sally Fletcher after she refers to Sarah as a psycho. Eve tries to kill Sally on two occasions but fails.
After a bomb threat at a murder mystery party is nullified, Marc is released on bail and works out that Eve is the stalker but she hits him over the head with a crowbar several times, killing him and then frames him once more. Eve continues playing more psychotic games by threatening another attack at the "Miss Groper" beauty pageant but she is only toying with the police. Detective Peter Baker becomes convinced that Eve is Sarah returned from the dead and there is a confrontation at an abattoir. She begins playing further games with Peter and kidnaps Sally. Sally is rescued by the police before the building where she is held explodes with Eve inside.
Eve is later revealed to be alive and the body was that of Laura McPhearson, who disappeared on the same day Eve supposedly died. She continues baiting Peter and targets his apartment complex by moving in and assuming the identity of "Maxine Trood". She stages a bomb threat at the complex, forcing the area to be evacuated but it is only an alarm clock going off. Eve then sends a videotape to Jack Holden and Martha MacKenzie's engagement party and Peter is rattled. He solves the anagram but is still one step behind Eve. Peter receives an email telling him to arrive at the abandoned abattoir alone and he comes face to face with Eve but she overpowers him and tells him how she escaped the fire. Jack arrives on the scene and tackles Eve but she gets away. Peter and Jack separate in order to find her but Eve holds Jack over a balcony three stories above. Peter agrees to offer himself in exchange while Tracey Thompson and several others circle behind and apprehend Eve. At the station, Peter tells her he has won but when he leaves the room she smirks, plotting revenge. Eve reappears at Jack and Martha's wedding and takes Tracey hostage and Peter bargains with her in the same manner he did for Jack but Tracey reveals she is Eve's accomplice. A gas explosion trigged by a cake with sparklers occurs and Eve and Tracey are killed instantly.
The Summer Bay Stalker storyline featuring Eve was nominated for "Best Storyline" at the 2006 Inside Soap Awards. Eve ruining Jack and Martha's wedding day was nominated for "Best Storyline" at the 2007 Inside Soap Awards. Eve also featured as part of Digital Spy's Serial Killer Poll in 2012.
Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald hailed Eve's campaign of Terror against the Bay as "the storyline of the moment, discussed everywhere from the office canteen to the corridors of power." On Eve's revelation as the Summer Bay stalker, He opined "Of course, we knew all along. The clue? She was the only suspect not in the show's opening titles. Haven't you learnt your lessons? It's always the guest star." An Inside Soap reporter branded Eve plotting to blow up the murder mystery party a "bonkers – but nonetheless brilliant" storyline.
Ryan Baker
Ryan Baker, played by Isaac Gorman, first appeared on 16 March 2005 and departed in 2007. He made guest returns in 2008 and 2009. Gorman previously guested on the serial as Riley Edwards in 2002.Ryan arrives ahead of his father Dan's wedding to Leah Patterson. He is pleasant to Leah in front of Dan but later makes his dislike of her known. He spills a drink on Leah and is frequently rude to her. Dan, oblivious to this, argues with Leah when she sends Ryan to his room. Ryan then fakes illness to stop Dan and Leah shopping for rings and is quickly exposed by Leah. As revenge, Ryan destroys Leah's wedding dress. The final straw for Ryan's bad behaviour comes when he burns the invitations after learning his mother Amanda Vale is not invited. Leah's son VJ puts his hand in the ashes and burns himself. VJ's burns are mild but both Dan and Leah are furious with Ryan. He then packs his bags and runs away but is found on the wharf by his uncle Peter who tells him Dan and Amanda will not be getting back together. Ryan then apologises to Dan and Leah and replaces the wedding invitations before returning to Amanda in America. Ryan returns for the wedding as a ring bearer.
Dan later decides Amanda is a bad influence on Ryan and has him move with him and Leah. However, after an argument with Dan, Amanda takes Ryan back to Los Angeles. Amanda returns with Ryan several months later and they settle in the bay into a mansion. They are joined by Belle Taylor, Amanda's long-lost daughter and Ryan's half-sister. Ryan is happy when Amanda and Peter get engaged but after the marriage encounters difficulties he returns to live with Dan and Leah. Peter and Amanda reconcile and relocate to the city but Ryan remains with Dan and Leah. Dan gets a job in America and is keen for the whole family to move but Ryan makes it clear he does not want to leave and begins misbehaving. He admits he misses Amanda so Dan takes him to the city to live with her and Peter. When Dan dies in an abseiling accident while in America, Amanda and Ryan return for his memorial service. Ryan worries that Leah and VJ will not see him as part of their family but Leah reassures him that he always will be. Ryan and Amanda return for Belle's wedding to Aden Jefferies and for Belle's last few hours before her death of cancer. They attend her funeral before returning home to the city.
For his portrayal of Ryan, Gorman was nominated for Best Young Actor at the 2006 Inside Soap Awards.
Cassie Turner
Cassie Turner, played by Sharni Vinson, debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 18 March 2005 and departed on 2 April 2008. Vinson previously appeared in 2001 and 2003, as guest characters named Tonya and Summer respectively. In 2004, Vinson's agent submitted her to audition for the role of Martha MacKenzie. Vinson received a re-call for the role and was also handed scripts for another character, Cassie Turner. However, fellow actress Jodi Gordon went on to secure the role of Martha. In July 2007, media outlets reported that Vinson wanted to quit the serial in order to pursue other projects in Los Angeles. That November, it was confirmed that Vinson had quit Home and Away so she could move to Los Angeles to be with her boyfriend. However, the serial refused to comment on her departure because Cassie would still be seen on-screen into 2008. Cassie has been described as having a "fiercely independent and headstrong" persona. While she is able to learn from her mistakes and has a knack when it comes to "winning friends and influencing people". For her portrayal of Cassie, Vinson as nominated in the category of "Most Popular New Female Talent" at the 2006 Logie Awards. A columnist for the Sunday Mirror said that Cassie "set pulses racing" and branded her a "sexy soap siren". They also opined that Vinson herself was a "sexy Home & Away starlet" and that her departure was "bad news" and "disappointing" for men who watch the serial.Graham Walters
Graham Walters, played by Doug Scroope, made his first appearance on 22 April 2005 and departed following the character's death on 3 March 2006Graeme arrives in Summer Bay for his grandson Robbie Hunter's 18th birthday. There is some visible tension between him and his daughter Beth. Beth confronts Graham about his distant and aloof behaviour. He breaks down explaining that he had been deeply effected by his time in the Vietnam War and was left too scared to be close to anyone. He later sells his farm and attempts to build bridges with his daughter and grandchildren. Graham becomes attracted to the much younger Amanda Vale . Amanda seduces him much to his family's disgust and he moves in with her. Beth voices her disapproval but Graham and Amanda marry much to the shock of the Bay.
It becomes clear Amanda is using Graham but he refuses to believe it but after she repeatedly makes excuses to avoid consummating the marriage and frequently dumping her son Ryan Baker and confronts her about it. He then enlists Morag Bellingham's help in exposing Josh's illegal Project 56. He confronts Amanda about it but suffers a heart attack in the process. Amanda phones for the ambulance but ultimately leaves Graham to die. He is rushed to hospital and pronounced brain dead. Amanda and Graham's family battle over switching off the life support machine. Robbie takes matters into his own hands and turns off the machine, ending Graham's life. Amanda inherits Graham's estate and holds a wake for him which people snub in favour of the Hunter family. Amanda later returns Graham's war medals to Beth and after Robbie confesses to turning the machine off, he stands trial and is found Guilty but is not imprisoned.