Shane Ramsay
Encyclopedia
Shane Ramsay is a fictional character
from the Australian Network Ten
soap opera
Neighbours
, played by Peter O'Brien. He made his first appearance on-screen in the first Neighbours episode on 18 March 1985. Shane is the son of Max
and Maria Ramsay. His storylines included training to be an Olympic swimmer, being injured in two car accidents and his relationship with Daphne Lawrence. Shane departed on 3 March 1987.
, he was cast as the older Ramsay brother. O'Brien made his debut in Neighbours' first episode. Shane was one of Reg Watson
's original Neighbours characters. The role of Shane made O'Brien a household name in his home country of Australia and overseas. Stefan Dennis
originally auditioned for the role of Shane, but he was later cast as Paul Robinson
instead. In the video The Official Neighbours Special: The First Ten Years, released in 1995, O'Brien said that he was working in England at the time when he received the role of Shane and he was not expecting Neighbours to last more than two years.
O'Brien decided to leave Neighbours in 1986 as he had had enough of the show. The Grundy Organisation tried to convince O'Brien to stay, fearing that the show would suffer from his departure, but O'Brien was determined to move on.
as a "very together guy, despite being deprived of a normal childhood because of his father's obsession with his diving training". They also added that Shane had independence and an "inner strength". O'Brien described the character of Shane as "a bit of a misfit".
as a lodger. Shane was in a car accident with his younger brother Danny
and he was forced to give up any hope of taking part in the Olympics. Shane wanted to become an air steward like Paul, but the back injury from the accident meant he couldn't do the job. He then became a chauffeur for wealthy businesswoman, Linda Fielding.
Daphne ended the relationship with Shane when she realised she was in love with Des. Shane then started dating plumber, Terry Inglis. Terry told Shane that ex-husband was a bank robber and the man who crashed into Shane's car and caused his injury. Terry's ex turned up in Ramsay Street and threatened her and Max, but Shane alerted the police. Terry later got engaged to Paul and Shane began seeing Daphne again. Shane asked Daphne to move in with him, but Daphne realised that she still loved Des and they became engaged. Shane was sacked from his job when he used a limousine to take Daphne to the church on her wedding day and it was stolen by thief. He then formed a gardening service with Clive Gibbons. Shane became worried when their first client, Beth Travers began showering him with gifts after he slept with her. Shane was shocked when Beth locked him in her wine cellar. Beth later let him out and apologised.
When Daphne became single again, after Des jilted her at the altar, Shane was determined to win her back. Shane proposed to her, and she accepted. Shane became paranoid when Daphne went out to dinner with Des one evening. He waited for them to arrive home and began accusing them of cheating on him together. Daphne asked him to leave and handed back her engagement ring. Shane became low and lost his self confidence. Mike Young
asked Shane to coach him when he joined the school diving team and Shane even dived himself for the first time since the accident. Shane then chose to enrol in a business class and change his life.
When Max left Erinsborough for a reunion with Maria, Shane's uncle Tom
, aunt Madge
and her daughter Charlene
moved in. Shane was involved in another car accident, which resulted in the death of Tom's friend, Jean Richards. Shane was charged with the manslaughter of Jean, but the charges were later dropped. Madge's son, Henry moved in and tensions arose between him and Shane. Shane began to question what was left for him in Erinsborough and he eventually decided to leave. He left on his motorbike to travel around Australia.
Virgin Media branded the character as a retro soap hunk in a special feature reported on their website, stating: "Shane Ramsay in Neighbours possibly had the best mullet ever seen in soap history. But he was kind and was like an older brother but with the advantages of not being related." They also branded O'Brien as one of Neighbours most popular cast members in the history of the series for his portrayal of Shane. Lorna Cooper of MSN TV
listed Shane as one of Soap Opera's "forgotten characters" and also brands him as Neighbours' "first major hunk".
Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture
gave Shane a 3.5 out of 5 for his contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons". Deller said "The mullet-tastic Shane was the 'housewife's choice' back in the 80s, something that has served actor Peter O'Brien well over the years". She added "He was in love with Daphne (and for a while the actors playing them had a romance in real-life) and was heartbroken when she ended up with Des Clarke".
Telecommunications network Orange profiled past Neighbours characters, in this feature they joke about Shane's most memorable stating: "Being involved in a dramatic car crash, which shattered the talented diver’s dream of competing in the Olympics. Worse still, it meant soap fans never got to see Shane in his Speedos again. Sigh…"
In her book "Soap opera", Dorothy Hobson describes Shane and his family as "more working class than other characters", also stating: "They had working-class jobs but were not represented as cloth cap wearing or dowdy, they were bright and modern and representative of a vibrant and working population." Andrew Mercado in his book Super Aussie Soaps brands the Ramsay family as being the backbone of the serial during the early years.
Fictional character
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 Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
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,...
Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Peter O'Brien. He made his first appearance on-screen in the first Neighbours episode on 18 March 1985. Shane is the son of Max
Max Ramsay
Max Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Francis Bell. He made his first on-screen appearance in the show's pilot episode on 18 March 1985. Max was the patriarch of the Ramsay family and Ramsay Street is named after his grandfather...
and Maria Ramsay. His storylines included training to be an Olympic swimmer, being injured in two car accidents and his relationship with Daphne Lawrence. Shane departed on 3 March 1987.
Casting
Peter O'Brien auditioned for the role of Shane Ramsay twice in 1984 and following the cancellation of medical series Starting OutStarting Out
Starting Out is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983.The series was the network's replacement for The Young Doctors and was set at a medical college with an emphasis on young people getting their first experience of living away from...
, he was cast as the older Ramsay brother. O'Brien made his debut in Neighbours
Reg Watson
Reginald James "Reg" Watson AM is an Australian television producer, best known for creating soap operas like Prisoner and Neighbours.-Career:...
's original Neighbours characters. The role of Shane made O'Brien a household name in his home country of Australia and overseas. Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor, best known for playing the role of Paul Robinson in the soap opera, Neighbours, from its first episode in March 1985 to the present day...
originally auditioned for the role of Shane, but he was later cast as Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (Neighbours)
Paul Stewart Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, a long-running serial drama about social life in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. He is played by Stefan Dennis. Paul debuted in the serial's first episode in 1985 and appeared on a...
instead. In the video The Official Neighbours Special: The First Ten Years, released in 1995, O'Brien said that he was working in England at the time when he received the role of Shane and he was not expecting Neighbours to last more than two years.
O'Brien decided to leave Neighbours in 1986 as he had had enough of the show. The Grundy Organisation tried to convince O'Brien to stay, fearing that the show would suffer from his departure, but O'Brien was determined to move on.
Characterisation
Shane was described by Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
as a "very together guy, despite being deprived of a normal childhood because of his father's obsession with his diving training". They also added that Shane had independence and an "inner strength". O'Brien described the character of Shane as "a bit of a misfit".
Storylines
Shane Ramsay was born shortly after his parents moved to Ramsay Street and Shane became best friends with his next door neighbour, Paul Robinson. Shane enjoyed swimming and Max entered him into an Under-12s swimming team in the hope that Shane would make it to the Olympics one day. To Max's dismay, Shane's training regime was regularly interrupted by girls wanting to get a glimpse of him in his Speedos. Shane was only interested in casual relationships until he saw Daphne Lawrence. Shane asked her out to dinner and she agreed, they then began a relationship. Max was not happy that Shane was seeing Daphne and he was annoyed when she moved in with Des ClarkeDes Clarke (Neighbours)
Desmond Kingsley "Des" Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Paul Keane. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode.-Stroylines:...
as a lodger. Shane was in a car accident with his younger brother Danny
Danny Ramsay
Daniel "Danny" Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by David Clencie. He made his first on-screen appearance in Neighbours first episode on 18 March 1985. Danny became the first character to speak in the show...
and he was forced to give up any hope of taking part in the Olympics. Shane wanted to become an air steward like Paul, but the back injury from the accident meant he couldn't do the job. He then became a chauffeur for wealthy businesswoman, Linda Fielding.
Daphne ended the relationship with Shane when she realised she was in love with Des. Shane then started dating plumber, Terry Inglis. Terry told Shane that ex-husband was a bank robber and the man who crashed into Shane's car and caused his injury. Terry's ex turned up in Ramsay Street and threatened her and Max, but Shane alerted the police. Terry later got engaged to Paul and Shane began seeing Daphne again. Shane asked Daphne to move in with him, but Daphne realised that she still loved Des and they became engaged. Shane was sacked from his job when he used a limousine to take Daphne to the church on her wedding day and it was stolen by thief. He then formed a gardening service with Clive Gibbons. Shane became worried when their first client, Beth Travers began showering him with gifts after he slept with her. Shane was shocked when Beth locked him in her wine cellar. Beth later let him out and apologised.
When Daphne became single again, after Des jilted her at the altar, Shane was determined to win her back. Shane proposed to her, and she accepted. Shane became paranoid when Daphne went out to dinner with Des one evening. He waited for them to arrive home and began accusing them of cheating on him together. Daphne asked him to leave and handed back her engagement ring. Shane became low and lost his self confidence. Mike Young
Mike Young (Neighbours)
Michael James "Mike" Young is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Guy Pearce. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986...
asked Shane to coach him when he joined the school diving team and Shane even dived himself for the first time since the accident. Shane then chose to enrol in a business class and change his life.
When Max left Erinsborough for a reunion with Maria, Shane's uncle Tom
Tom Ramsay
Tom Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Gary Files. He made his first on-screen appearance on 12 May 1986. Tom is the middle child of Dan and Edna Ramsay and brother to Max and Madge. He departed on 2 February 1991.-Casting:In 1986,...
, aunt Madge
Madge Bishop
Margaret Mary "Madge" Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anne Charleston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986. Madge was one of the matriarchs of the Ramsay family. She departed in 1992, before making a return in 1996...
and her daughter Charlene
Charlene Robinson
Charlene Edna Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 1986 when she came to join her mother Madge in Ramsay Street. Charlene was a tomboy and later worked as a Mechanic...
moved in. Shane was involved in another car accident, which resulted in the death of Tom's friend, Jean Richards. Shane was charged with the manslaughter of Jean, but the charges were later dropped. Madge's son, Henry moved in and tensions arose between him and Shane. Shane began to question what was left for him in Erinsborough and he eventually decided to leave. He left on his motorbike to travel around Australia.
Reception
For his portrayal of Shane Ramsay, O'Brien won the 'Most Popular New Talent' award at the 1986 Logie Awards The following year, O'Brien won the 'Most Popular Actor' award.Virgin Media branded the character as a retro soap hunk in a special feature reported on their website, stating: "Shane Ramsay in Neighbours possibly had the best mullet ever seen in soap history. But he was kind and was like an older brother but with the advantages of not being related." They also branded O'Brien as one of Neighbours most popular cast members in the history of the series for his portrayal of Shane. Lorna Cooper of MSN TV
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
listed Shane as one of Soap Opera's "forgotten characters" and also brands him as Neighbours' "first major hunk".
Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture
Lowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
gave Shane a 3.5 out of 5 for his contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons". Deller said "The mullet-tastic Shane was the 'housewife's choice' back in the 80s, something that has served actor Peter O'Brien well over the years". She added "He was in love with Daphne (and for a while the actors playing them had a romance in real-life) and was heartbroken when she ended up with Des Clarke".
Telecommunications network Orange profiled past Neighbours characters, in this feature they joke about Shane's most memorable stating: "Being involved in a dramatic car crash, which shattered the talented diver’s dream of competing in the Olympics. Worse still, it meant soap fans never got to see Shane in his Speedos again. Sigh…"
In her book "Soap opera", Dorothy Hobson describes Shane and his family as "more working class than other characters", also stating: "They had working-class jobs but were not represented as cloth cap wearing or dowdy, they were bright and modern and representative of a vibrant and working population." Andrew Mercado in his book Super Aussie Soaps brands the Ramsay family as being the backbone of the serial during the early years.