Ben Fitzgerald

Ben Ian Fitzgerald (né Kirk) is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Blake O'Leary. The character was previously played by Noah Sutherland and Sean Berends. He made his first on-screen appearance on 14 December 2001. Ben is the son of Libby Kennedy and Drew Kirk. Ben and Libby departed Ramsay Street in 2003 after Libby decided to moved to Shepparton with Darren Stark. The family returned briefly in 2004 and in 2007, they returned permanently. In August 2010, it was announced that Ben would be departing Neighbours the following month.

Character development

In 2001, Libby Kennedy (Kym Valentine) gave birth to her and husband, Drew Kirk's (Dan Paris) son. The birth placed Libby's life in danger and she was rushed to intensive care with blood loss.^[1] Paris said "All their worst fears are realised, they both knew the birth would be risky for both Libby and the child – and while the baby is alright, Libby is still fighting for her life".^[1] Libby makes a recovery and she is allowed to hold her son for the first time. Valentine said "It's a wonderful moment when Libby holds her new-born baby".^[1] Off set, Valentine and Paris both bonded with Noah Sutherland who played their on-screen baby. Valentine told TV Week that Sutherland was "a complete natural" and that she had bonded with him "straight away".^[1] Paris admitted that he was a little nervous around the baby, saying "Working with Noah has been quite daunting – it's unfamiliar territory to me.^[1]

Libby and Drew struggle to name their new son and after a debate, they decide on Ben.^[1] Valentine revealed that she asked the producers to name the baby Ben after a close friend of hers who had died a few years before.^[1] Ben's middle name, Ian, is a tribute to Neighbours writer Ian Coughlan.^[2] The couple were then seen arguing over Ben's surname, with Libby unconvinced that Ben should be a Kirk.^[1] They later decide that he should be Ben K, until they resolve the situation.^[1]

Following a brief appearance in 2004, the character and his mother returned permanently in 2007. Blake O'Leary originally auditioned for the role of Mickey Gannon, but his elder brother Fletcher O'Leary was handed the role instead.^[3] A few months later auditions for the character of Ben Kirk came up and O'Leary was cast in the role.^[3] Network Ten describe Ben as being "his mother's biggest supporter and her rock" following his father's death.^[4] They also say that Ben is a "loyal friend".^[4]

In August 2010, it was announced that O'Leary and Ben would be leaving the show in September.^[5][6] The character could be recast at a later date, but as of August 2010, there are currently no plans for him to return.^[5] Of the reason for Ben's departure, a spokesperson said "The Ben character is younger than the other main kids, Sophie and Callum. They are now in high school, but Ben is still in junior school, so it was tricky to come up with storylines which involve all the kids".^[7]

Storylines

Background

After Libby and Steph Scully had their bike accident everyone on Ramsay Street thought Libby could never fall pregnant. It was a shock to all when Libby discovered she was pregnant. Ben's birth was very dramatic. Libby, Drew and Karl Kennedy were at a Rodeo in Drew's home town of Oakey. Libby got locked in a barn and went into labour. Eventually Karl and Drew found her and she was airlifted to hospital. Ben was born safely, but Libby almost died.

2001–10

After his birth, Ben almost dies when he is locked in Libby and Drew's house whilst it is being fumigated. Ben is saved by Summer Hoyland (Marissa Siketa) who opens the back door. Libby, Drew and Ben go to visit Drew's father up in Oakey. Whilst out riding, Drew falls from his horse and he dies, leaving Ben without a father.

Libby begins a relationship with Darren Stark (Todd MacDonald) and they leave Ramsay Street to live in Shepparton. Libby and Ben return without Darren three years later and Libby explains that Darren cheated on her. Darren arrives and tells Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Karl (Alan Fletcher) that Libby constantly told him that he was not Ben's father. He ends up leaving the Street alone. Darren and Libby's split hurt Ben as Darren had been the only father he had known. Libby enrolls Ben at Erinsborough Primary and he becomes friends with neighbour Mickey Gannon (Fletcher O'Leary).

Libby meets Daniel Fitzgerald (Brett Tucker) and they start a relationship. Ben begins to look up to Dan and sees him as a father figure. Libby and Dan marry and Ben is a page boy at their wedding. Libby also finds out she is pregnant and Ben is excited to have a younger brother or sister around. However, Libby loses the baby, which makes Ben sad. Ben starts to feel out of place in his family as he is was the only one with a different surname. Libby allows Ben to change his name to Fitzgerald, but this causes friction between Libby and Steph. Ben tells Steph that he will leave his name the way it is, but Steph realises that it is none of her business and Ben changes his name.

Dan becomes a good stepfather to Ben and he does all the "blokey" stuff with him. Ben and Dan's relationship goes through a rough patch when Dan threatens to hit Ben for misbehaving. Susan agrees to carry Libby and Dan's child and she becomes pregnant. However, she miscarries the baby and Libby has to tell Ben that he would not be a big brother. Libby and Dan decide to separate, leaving Ben without a father figure again. This hurts Ben and he asks Libby and Steph why no one wants him. Steph reassures him that Drew never wanted to leave. Ben continues to have a good relationship with Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major). Lucas helps Ben out with school, takes him on his motorbike and helps coach the soccer team.

Ben joins a band with Callum Jones (Morgan Baker), Mickey and Charlie Hoyland (Jacob Brito). Ty Harper (Dean Geyer) teaches them how to play as a band before his departure. When he leaves the Street, the band sing for Ty. Ben later becomes friends with Sophie Ramsay (Kaiya Jones) too. Ben, Callum and Sophie join the soccer team and are trained by Andrew Robinson (Jordan Smith), until he is banned from training them. Libby takes over, which embarrasses Ben, as she does not know anything about soccer. Libby takes the kids to Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer) to practice some dancing and Ben decides that he wants to be a dancer. Sophie supports him and so does Callum, despite joking that it was girly.

Ben is confused and hurt when Steph's baby secret comes out and Libby tries to keep it from him. Libby also tries to keep Ben away from Callum's birthday party, but she eventually lets him go. Ben tells Libby that his teacher is not letting him give a speech to the class as she believes that he did not write his assignment. He says that he did not cheat and that his teacher does not like him. Libby meets with his teacher, Elaine Rushmore (Soula Alexander), and she learns that Ben has been writing lots of stories, but they are not about subjects Elaine has set. Libby tells Susan and Karl that she is going to get Ben tested as she thinks he is bright and his writing is good. Ben passes the test and he is accepted into an arts school in the country.

Reception

For his portrayal of Ben, O'Leary was nominated for "Best Young Actor" at the 2009 Inside Soap Awards.^[8] The BBC said that Ben's most notable moment was "Almost being born in a barn."^[9]

The character of Ben has been received negatively by Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture.^[10] She said "It's hard to believe something so evil is the child of Drew. One can only assume his father's horse-related death traumatised the child terribly, as otherwise there is no excuse for the brat's whining. Hopefully there'll be some sort of Ben gets redeemed storyline, because right now, he's fast threatening to overtake Hannah 'Button' Martin as the most irritating child to ever hit Ramsay Street".^[10] Deller has further commented on Ben stating: Ben has long been a contender for the most annoying child in Erinsborough award [...] He’s been acting like a three year old despite being about ten putting on cutesy voices when making shite presents for 'the baby'. But worst of all, he idolises Fitzy, who isn’t even the good Fitzgerald brother, and wants to get rid of the saintly Drew's surname, who (despite being long dead) any normal child would surely prefer to be named after."^[11]

References

External links

• Character Profile on the Neighbours Official AU website