Carly Lucini
Encyclopedia
Carly Lucini is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera
Home and Away
. The character was played by actress Sharyn Hodgson
appearing in its pilot episode in 1988. She remained a regular until 1991, and has made numerous guest appearances since this time.
.
Carly's rape, which occurred while she was hitchhiking
in 1988, was one of the soap's first controversial story lines. Andrew Mercado, author of Super Aussie Soaps, has commented that "although the word 'rape' was never actually uttered on-screen, savvy viewers caught on. In the aftermath of her assault, Carly began drinking heavily and the ratings continued to grow. From a low of 9, Home and Away slowly built its audience until the show was scoring 25 by the end of its first year. The serial was finally a hit". In the storyline, Carly kept the rape a secret initially, but after the truth came out the residents of Summer Bay "were shown to be divided as to whether or not Carly had contributed to the situation through reckless behaviour". The aftermath of the event explored Carly's descent into alcoholism and drug abuse, which has been described as "very brave territory for a prime-time soap [...] the Carly Morris storyline pointed to the fact that if there were feathers to be ruffled, Home and Away would ruffle them." During the time of the rape's airing, various protests were launched by the viewing public and the Australian media, who believed it should not have been broadcast. In an interview in 1989, Hodgson defended the storyline, saying "In Home and Away we show life as it really happens. It's not irresponsible to show attacks, unwanted pregnancies or people turning to alcohol. It's realistic and it shows we are confronting these problems. The thing about having a foster family as the main characters is that they do have trauma in their lives. Seeing how they cope must help people". Hodgson researched the storyline by calling the Rape Crisis Centre, reading articles and watching documentaries.
Since being written out of the serial, Carly has made numerous appearances as a guest character to visit her foster family or attend important events in Summer Bay
. The character has since appeared in 1997; 1998; 2000; 2001; 2002 & 2008. Carly's return in 2002 was part of Home and Away producers' attempt to counter a ratings slump, said to have resulted from the "unexpected success" of rival network's reality TV show Big Brother, which was aired opposite the soap at 7pm weekdays. Hodgson was one of numerous returning cast members, brought back especially for the storyline to mark the 150th anniversary of settlement in Summer Bay. The majority of the cast was boarded onto a ferry boat for a night cruise; however, a "freak storm" ruined the celebrations, leading the boat to sink. The storyline was heavily promoted with the tag "Who Will Survive?". According to Mercado, "Big Brother 2 crumbled against the competition [...]". Carly's last appearance, in 2008, was part of the leaving storyline of her foster sister Sally Fletcher
, played by actor Kate Ritchie
, an original character who departed the serial after 20 years.
Carly came from an abusive home. Her father used to beat her, and she had a tempestuous relationship with her twin sister Samanatha. Following the death of her mother, she was placed in foster care with the Fletcher family and moved with them to Summer Bay in 1988, aged 16. A problematic, selfish teenager, Carly was frequently in trouble at school, and she feuded with her foster sister Bobby Simpson, though they later patched up their differences and became close friends. Carly attracted the attention of local boy Martin Dibble
, but she rebuffed his advances preferring surfer Matt Wilson, though her attempts to attract his attention went unnoticed, and she nearly drowned when she set up a ploy for him to rescue her from the sea.
Whilst hitch-hiking home from a party in 1988, Carly was raped. Unable to cope with what had happened to her, Carly began drinking alcohol heavily and using drugs, but curtailed the problem via counseling. Despite an unrequited crush on her teacher Andrew Foley and a brief dalliance with Adam Cameron
, Carly's most serious relationship was with Italian soldier Ben Lucini, in 1990. Ben left the army to be with Carly and they married in 1991. Ben attempted a career as a farmer, but money was tight for the couple, and when Ben decided to move away for better career opportunities, Carly agonised but decided to leave with him. They departed in 1991 and have had three children.
Carly returned numerous times between 1997 and 2002 for occasions like Sally's non-wedding to Keiran Fletcher and the Summer Bay 150th anniversary celebrations. Carly alongside foster brother Steven Matheson
returned for their foster sister Sally Fletcher
's tearful farewell concert in 2008.
, was released in 1990. Called Carly Morris Story and Steven Matheson Story, the novel chronicled the characters' lives before being fostered by the Fletcher family, outling their backstories of child abuse and hardship, as well as Carly's history with her malicious twin sister. Another tie-in novel featuring the character includes Carly's Crisis, which covers her alcohol problems shown in episodes up to 1989, written by Trish Howarth.
Hodgson as Carly was one of several Home and Away cast-members to star in a stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK
in 1991. Julian McMahon, Justine Clarke
, Mouche Phillips and Adam Willits
also starred.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
. The character was played by actress Sharyn Hodgson
Sharyn Hodgson
Sharyn Hodgson is an Australian actress, best known for playing the role of Carly Lucini in the popular soap opera, Home and Away ....
appearing in its pilot episode in 1988. She remained a regular until 1991, and has made numerous guest appearances since this time.
Development
She was one of the soap's original female protagonists, appearing as one of the Fletchers' foster children in the pilot episode on January 17, 1988. The soap's primary focus was placed upon the Fletchers and their gang of foster children, moving as outsiders to a caravan park in the seaside town of Summer Bay. Carly remained in the serial as a regular character until 1991, covering issues such as rape, alcoholism and child abuse, as well as a problematic marriage to soldier Ben Lucini, played by actor Julian McMahonJulian McMahon
Julian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
.
Carly's rape, which occurred while she was hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
in 1988, was one of the soap's first controversial story lines. Andrew Mercado, author of Super Aussie Soaps, has commented that "although the word 'rape' was never actually uttered on-screen, savvy viewers caught on. In the aftermath of her assault, Carly began drinking heavily and the ratings continued to grow. From a low of 9, Home and Away slowly built its audience until the show was scoring 25 by the end of its first year. The serial was finally a hit". In the storyline, Carly kept the rape a secret initially, but after the truth came out the residents of Summer Bay "were shown to be divided as to whether or not Carly had contributed to the situation through reckless behaviour". The aftermath of the event explored Carly's descent into alcoholism and drug abuse, which has been described as "very brave territory for a prime-time soap [...] the Carly Morris storyline pointed to the fact that if there were feathers to be ruffled, Home and Away would ruffle them." During the time of the rape's airing, various protests were launched by the viewing public and the Australian media, who believed it should not have been broadcast. In an interview in 1989, Hodgson defended the storyline, saying "In Home and Away we show life as it really happens. It's not irresponsible to show attacks, unwanted pregnancies or people turning to alcohol. It's realistic and it shows we are confronting these problems. The thing about having a foster family as the main characters is that they do have trauma in their lives. Seeing how they cope must help people". Hodgson researched the storyline by calling the Rape Crisis Centre, reading articles and watching documentaries.
Since being written out of the serial, Carly has made numerous appearances as a guest character to visit her foster family or attend important events in Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
. The character has since appeared in 1997; 1998; 2000; 2001; 2002 & 2008. Carly's return in 2002 was part of Home and Away producers' attempt to counter a ratings slump, said to have resulted from the "unexpected success" of rival network's reality TV show Big Brother, which was aired opposite the soap at 7pm weekdays. Hodgson was one of numerous returning cast members, brought back especially for the storyline to mark the 150th anniversary of settlement in Summer Bay. The majority of the cast was boarded onto a ferry boat for a night cruise; however, a "freak storm" ruined the celebrations, leading the boat to sink. The storyline was heavily promoted with the tag "Who Will Survive?". According to Mercado, "Big Brother 2 crumbled against the competition [...]". Carly's last appearance, in 2008, was part of the leaving storyline of her foster sister Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
, played by actor Kate Ritchie
Kate Ritchie
Katherine "Kate" Ritchie is an Australian actress, best known for her long-running role as Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera Home and Away. She played the character for 20 years from 1988–2008...
, an original character who departed the serial after 20 years.
Storylines
Martin Dibble
Martin Dibble is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Craig Thompson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode...
, but she rebuffed his advances preferring surfer Matt Wilson, though her attempts to attract his attention went unnoticed, and she nearly drowned when she set up a ploy for him to rescue her from the sea.
Whilst hitch-hiking home from a party in 1988, Carly was raped. Unable to cope with what had happened to her, Carly began drinking alcohol heavily and using drugs, but curtailed the problem via counseling. Despite an unrequited crush on her teacher Andrew Foley and a brief dalliance with Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron is a fictional character from Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Mat Stevenson. Adam first appeared during the episode airing on 23 June 1989 and departed on 2 March 1994. He returned in July 1999 for a two month guest stint....
, Carly's most serious relationship was with Italian soldier Ben Lucini, in 1990. Ben left the army to be with Carly and they married in 1991. Ben attempted a career as a farmer, but money was tight for the couple, and when Ben decided to move away for better career opportunities, Carly agonised but decided to leave with him. They departed in 1991 and have had three children.
Carly returned numerous times between 1997 and 2002 for occasions like Sally's non-wedding to Keiran Fletcher and the Summer Bay 150th anniversary celebrations. Carly alongside foster brother Steven Matheson
Steven Matheson
Steven "Stevo" 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...
returned for their foster sister Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
's tearful farewell concert in 2008.
In other media
A tie-in novel, written by Sharon Clarke, concentrating on Carly Morris and her foster brother Steven MathesonSteven Matheson
Steven "Stevo" 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...
, was released in 1990. Called Carly Morris Story and Steven Matheson Story, the novel chronicled the characters' lives before being fostered by the Fletcher family, outling their backstories of child abuse and hardship, as well as Carly's history with her malicious twin sister. Another tie-in novel featuring the character includes Carly's Crisis, which covers her alcohol problems shown in episodes up to 1989, written by Trish Howarth.
Hodgson as Carly was one of several Home and Away cast-members to star in a stage musical about the soap, which toured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1991. Julian McMahon, Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke is an Australian actor and singer. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows...
, Mouche Phillips and Adam Willits
Adam Willits
Adam Willits is an Australian actor, best known for being an original cast member of the television soap opera Home and Away as Steven Matheson from 1988 to 1991...
also starred.