| Henry Ramsay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Craig McLachlan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Reg Watson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1987–89 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 February 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 23 November 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Gardener Coffee Shop assistant Disc jockey |
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Henry Ramsay (né Mitchell) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Craig McLachlan. He made his first on-screen appearance on 19 February 1987. Henry is the only son of Fred and Madge Mitchell and brother to Charlene and Sam Cole. Henry was known as a joker and was always coming up with schemes to make money. Henry dated Sue Parker and Melanie Pearson before beginning a relationship with Bronwyn Davies. He later moved to New Zealand to be a Disc jockey and married Bronwyn. He departed on 23 November 1989. McLachlan won three Logie Awards for his role as Henry during his time with Neighbours.
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Following the departure of Peter O'Brien (Shane Ramsay), producers began a search for a new "hunk" to keep the female viewers interested.[1] McLachlan was 21 when he auditioned for Neighbours and despite having no prior acting experience, he was cast as Henry Mitchell.[2] McLachlan said "I just flirted with the producers like a madman. I thought, if I can make them fall in love with me and tell some funny stories, what I lack in technical, you know, ability they might think, "Oh, no, the kid's got something."[2] Critics initially dismissed McLachlan as another "pretty boy" and he admitted that he had heard the comments. He said that while they might be right, there is some talent there too.[1] McLachlan initially signed on to Neighbours for six weeks.[3]
When McLachlan's contract came up for renewal a rival network made him an offer. McLachlan was no longer enjoying Neighbours and he signed the deal.[4] However, the owner of the network had tried to make an offer for MGM studios and when it fell through he fled Australia and McLachlan's new contract was cancelled. McLachlan then joined rival soap Home and Away.[5] Of his decision to leave Neighbours, McLachlan said that he had had his fill of the role and added "After being in Neighbours for three years Henry became...not easy to play."[6] In 2005, it was rumoured that McLachlan was to be one of the many ex-cast members who would be returning for the show's 20th anniversary, however, he did not appear.[7]
During an interview with TV Week McLachlan was asked if he would return to Neighbours and he said "If I had a dollar for every time fans of that era of the show ask if there's any chance that Henry will go back – even for the briefest cameo appearance! There is part of me that always thinks, "Oh, if I could somehow wrangle it and juggle it in with things, it would be so much fun!" But then part of me goes, "Nah". It would be terrible to go back and... none of the rest of the gang are there."[8]
Upon his arrival in Ramsay Street, Henry was described as "living under a cloud of suspicion" from the other neighbours after they learnt about his criminal record.[9] He was also described as being streetwise, irresistible and a ladies man.[9] Henry counteracted his "beefy image" by being a bit mischievous and "good for a laugh".[10] This led to him being called the "Punk who turned Hunk" by John Kercher in his 1989 Neighbours: facts, features, interviews with your favourite TV stars book.[10] McLachlan described his character as being "fun-loving" and "wacky".[11] He added "he always has a head full of plots and schemes which rarely pay off, but we are led to believe that beneath Henry's flirtatious banter there lies a guy who is genuinely lovable".[11] McLachlan was able to identify with certain elements of Henry's personality.[12] He said "He's a fairly zany guy who loves a practical joke and so do I. He has the same sense of humour as me".[12]
Henry is the eldest son of Fred and Madge Mitchell. He was born in Coff's Harbour with his sister Charlene. Henry was a prankster and was always coming up with new ideas to make some easy money, even though most of his plans failed. Henry fell in with a bad crowd when he was 19 and the gang took part in an armed robbery. Henry was framed as the ring leader of the gang and was sentenced to three years in prison. Upon his release, Henry decided to go to his mother's house in Erinsborough.
Madge was not happy to see Henry and sent him away. Just as Henry was leaving, Charlene came running after him and told him that Madge had changed her mind and he moved in. Henry found it hard to find a job because of his criminal record, so Henry decided to work for himself. When his cousin Shane (Peter O'Brien) left Erinsborough, Henry took over his gardening business.
Henry met up with his former cellmate Kenny Larkin (Russell Crowe) at The Waterhole, where Madge worked. Her boss, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) accused Madge of theft. Henry had paid for a round of drinks with a $50 bill, when Kenny went to buy the second round, he claimed to have paid with another $50 note. Madge checked the till and only found one $50 note, the one from Henry. Kenny proved that he had given her $50 by reciting the last three digits on the note and this caused Paul to suspect Henry and Madge of being part of a scam. Henry, determined to prove his innocence, tracked down Kenny's sister and she revealed that reciting the last three digits of Henry's note was part of a regular scam that Kenny performed.
After Charlene's wedding to Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan), Henry and Madge changed their surnames from Mitchell to Ramsay after Fred's debts began to be passed on to them. Madge later married her childhood sweetheart, Harold Bishop (Ian Smith). Henry got on well with Harold and enjoyed playing jokes on him. Henry dated both Sue Parker (Kate Gorman) and Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) before falling for Sally Wells (Rowena Mohr). Henry competed with mechanic, Tony Romeo (Nick Carrafa) for Sally, but Henry won and they began a relationship. Despite Henry proposing to Sally, she left Erinsborough to go to Europe. Henry brought a metal detector after his grandfather Dan Ramsay (Syd Conabere) told him there was gold in the creek at the bottom of the Ramsay garden. He didn't find anything, but began searching the other gardens in Ramsay Street. Henry found a gun in Mrs. Mangel's (Vivean Gray) garden that belonged to her son, Joe (Mark Little).
Henry fell for Bronwyn Davies (Rachel Friend) when she came to live in Ramsay Street. Bronwyn liked Henry, but as a friend and she began dating Mike Young (Guy Pearce). Bronwyn and Mike eventually ended their relationship, but it took months before she and Henry would admit they loved each other. After Bronwyn accidentally pushed Henry down some stairs, Bronwyn confessed her love for him and they began a relationship. The couple found it difficult to be alone together, especially when Bronwyn's sister was staying with her and Harold's daughter Kerry (Linda Hartley) and her daughter Sky (Miranda Fryer) moved into the Ramsay house. They decided to move in together, but were unable to afford a place of their own. Madge later agreed to let them move in with her.
Henry proposed to Bronwyn and they planned to marry in a double ceremony with Joe Mangel and Kerry. Bronwyn's father Gordon (Tim Robertson) tried talking her out of marrying Henry and Bronwyn tried to convince her father that she loved Henry. Bronwyn decided to postpone the wedding for a few months and Henry was heartbroken. However, he was comforted by the fact that she wasn't ending their relationship. Henry became a DJ on the Erinsborough Community Radio and over a few months he gathered many listeners and became very popular. Henry was offered a high paying job as a DJ in New Zealand and he and Bronwyn decided that he should take the job. He said goodbye to Madge and Bronwyn and left Erinsborough. Bronwyn joined him a few months later when she got a job as a vet in New Zealand and they married not long after that.
In 1989, McLachlan's portrayal of Henry saw him win the Logie Award for 'Most Popular Actor'.[13] He was also nominated for 'Most Popular Personality'. The following year he won the 'Most Popular Actor' award again and 'Most Popular Personality'.[14] In the UK, 16.6 million viewers watched Henry leave Ramsay Street in 1991.[15]
In an AOL Entertainment feature called "Old Neighbours" they said "Shamefully, we used to get quite excited at the prospect of Henry from Neighbours in his dungarees. Oh yes. Craig McLachlan is still – wait for it – a cracker".[16] Entertainment website Virgin Media hosted a special feature on 'retro soap hunks', profiling a select amount of fictional characters they believed were popular.[17] They included Henry, branding him a retro hunk and calling him a cheeky prankster.[17] They also stated: "His boyish charm meant he usually got away with murder. He was a bit of beefcake and paraded around in singlets and shorts, showing off his muscles."[17] Orange.co.uk branded Henry's appearance as that of a "mulleted larrikin".[18]
Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture gave Henry a four out of five for his contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons".[19] Deller said "Long before Toadie, Ramsay Street's favourite DJ, prankster and most frequently caught in the nude resident was poodle-permed Henry (although, arguably before him it was Clive Gibbons). Madge's eldest son was often used as a comic foil rather than someone at the centre of dramatic plot lines".[19] Sky Showbiz branded Henry as "uber curly-haired" and joked that fans would be over joyed to see his return if they were some of the ones who spent "many an afternoon of their youth fancying Henry Ramsey in his dungarees."[20]
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