| Ryan McLachlan | |||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Richard Norton | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Don Battye | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1990–1991 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 15 February 1990 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 21 March 1991 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student Daphne's Coffee Shop Assistant Soldier |
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Ryan McLachlan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Richard Norton. He made his first on-screen appearance on 15 February 1990 and remained on the show until 1991.
In 1990, Richard Norton, then aged 20 spoke of his imminent departure from Neighbours to TV week magazine. Norton spoke of how the role of Ryan McLachlan was his first television experience and how he was thrust into the character with little background. “You can’t see where your character’s going, why he’s doing what he’s doing or where he’s been. He’s just there, at that moment. What I found out later is that you’ve got to grab the character at the start and decide on something then.” Norton then stated that while he wasn't unhappy with what he done, he would have liked a little more communication with the writers and directors about his character.[1]
Ryan arrives in Erinsborough after being expelled from private school. After an initially frosty start, he soon makes friends with Nick Page (Mark Stevens), Sharon Davies (Jessica Muschamp), Matt Robinson (Ashley Paske) and Lee Maloney (Maree Ackhurst). Sharon takes a shine to Ryan but he is oblivious to this, instead asking her if a friend of hers is interested in him.
When Ryan's aunt, Dorothy Burke (Maggie Dence) becomes principal of Erinsborough High, he finds it hard to swallow and receives some teasing about it.
Gemma Ramsay (Beth Buchanan) moves with her aunt Madge (Anne Charleston and uncle Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and both Matt and Ryan are taken with her. Ryan is disappointed when Gemma chooses Matt but isn't crushed for long. Ryan's parents Russell and Petra go overseas and he moves in with Dorothy.
After doing a little digging, Ryan uncovers the truth about his uncle Colin (Robert Alexander) being in prison rather than being dead as Dorothy had led him to believe. After Colin is paroled, he and Dorothy give their marriage another chance but it falls apart when Colin is discovered having an affair with Rosemary Daniels (Joy Chambers). Ryan then stands by Dorothy during the fallout.
Ryan later passes his HSC and decides to become a postman. During one of his rounds he begins an illicit affair with married woman Virginia Wenham (Kristie Grant) but it ends quickly when her husband almost catches them one day. After listening to Jim Robinson's (Alan Dale) Vietnam War stories, Ryan decides to enlist in the army. This decision shocks Ryan's friends and Dorothy but they agree to support him all the way and Ryan leaves Erinsborough.
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