Joel Samuels
Joel Samuels | |||||||||
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Neighbours character | |||||||||
Former; regular | |||||||||
Introduced by | Stanley Walsh (1998) Jason Herbison (2022) | ||||||||
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Joel Samuels is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Daniel MacPherson. MacPherson secured the role after auditioning for casting director Jan Russ, who suggested that the script producers write the part of Joel for him. He relocated to Melbourne for filming, and made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 May 1998. Joel was introduced as a friend of Malcolm Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) and comes to Erinsborough to stay with his family. MacPherson decided to leave Neighbours after four years and his exit scenes aired on 29 January 2002, as Joel leaves to work with a marine explorer. MacPherson reprised the role for the show final episodes, which aired in July 2022.
Creation and casting
Neighbours casting director Jan Russ auditioned MacPherson; she approached the script producers and suggested they write the role of Joel for him.[1] MacPherson joined the cast in February 1998, when he was seventeen, and he moved from Sydney to Melbourne for filming.[2] He later recalled: "I'm not ashamed to say I bawled my eyes out that night going, 'What the hell am I doing? I've never acted, I've never lived out of home, I've never been to Melbourne, I've never been on a TV set. What the hell am I thinking?'"[2]
Development
Characterisation
Whilst travelling, Joel meets and becomes friends with Malcolm Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) and he comes to Ramsay Street "out of the blue" to stay with Malcolm's family.[3] Upon his arrival, Joel was described as being "good-looking, down-to-earth, friendly and a champion triathlete."[4] Annette Dasey of Inside Soap called Joel a "heart-throb" and said that he appears to be Mr Perfect. However, MacPherson told her that Joel is unlucky in love, saying "A couple of the girls throw themselves at him, but he's so naïve he doesn't really notice."[4] The BBC said "Being a fit, young tri-athlete, Joel certainly set a few hearts a flutter among the Ramsay St girls."[3]
Accident
When Anne Wilkinson (Brooke Satchwell) crashes her car into a riverbank, Joel and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) are first on the scene and try to help her.[5] The car slides down the riverbank and Joel becomes trapped underneath the vehicle. A storm causes the water level to rise rapidly and Karl tries to help Joel breathe.[5] Filming for the stunt took three days and McPherson spent most of his time underwater. He said "Luckily, that meant I didn't have too many lines to learn, half the time I had to just sit under the water, hold my breath and wonder if they were still shooting!"[5] Joel is eventually rescued and taken to hospital and McPherson told Inside Soap that there is a chance that Joel may not be able to walk again due to his injuries.[6] The actor said "That is a tremendous shock. The triathlon is his life."[6] Joel tries to keep his injury from his sponsors, but Karl reveals to them that Joel may not walk again.[6] Joel is "absolutely furious" with Karl and McPherson said "I think in his heart of hearts, Joel knew they would find out eventually, but he hasn't learnt how to deal with the consequences yet."[6] Joel then faces a long recovery process, but he has a "good chance of pulling through."[6]
Relationships
Joel has a brief relationship with
Joel begins a relationship with
After their relationship ends, Dee is keen to remain friends with Joel, while Joel finds it awkward and wants them to get back together.
Departure
After four years of playing Joel, MacPherson decided to leave Neighbours.[11] He told Inside Soap's Jason Herbison: "I've learned a lot, worked with some amazing people, and got to travel. It really was the best possible way for me to break into the industry, and even though it's time for me to move on, I'll always be grateful for it."[11] MacPherson admitted that his final week on set was sad, especially when he filmed his last scenes at Number 30. He also called his final day "weird" because he only had to film one scene early in the morning.[11] MacPherson relocated to the United Kingdom to appear in a pantomime, followed by an appearance in a production of Godspell.[11] MacPherson's last scenes aired in January 2002.[12] The following year, MacPherson admitted that he occasionally watched the serial "just to see what everyone's doing." He also said that he would like to go back for a few days or weeks to see everyone.[12]
On-screen, Joel reunites with Dee and is offered the chance to travel the world, after securing a job working with marine explorer
Return
In May 2022, it was announced MacPherson would be reprising his role for the show's final episodes.[13] Of his return, the actor stated "Joining Neighbours at age 17, little did I know, was going to kick start a career that continues to be the adventure of a lifetime. To go back and play Joel one more time, was a small way to show my enormous gratitude to cast, crew and fans of the show."[13]
Storylines
Joel meets Malcolm Kennedy in London and the two quickly become friends. Malcolm tells Joel that he will always be welcome in Erinsborough, where his parents live. Not long after, Joel turns up at the Kennedy's house in Ramsay Street and introduces himself to Malcolm's mother Susan and younger brother, Billy (
When Joel decides to join the Ramsay Street teenagers at a campsite to celebrate the end of Year 12 and exams, Karl offers him a lift. When they drive by a river bank, they find Anne Wilkinson sitting in a bogged down ute by the riverbank crying. Joel and Karl stop to help and begin to push the vehicle from the front, but the vehicle slips down the bank and traps Joel's knee. As the water level rises due to drains bursting and a heavy downpour of rain, Karl battles to keep Joel breathing during the rise. Joel loses consciousness and Anne raises the alarm. After being airlifted to Erinsborough Hospital, Joel wakes up and Sally visits him. Joel thinks she wants to get back together, but she tells him of her attraction to his friend,
Joel is later discharged from hospital and moves back in with the Kennedys temporarily, as Toadie and Sarah are finding his mood swings difficult to live with. When Joel recovers, he takes part in a routine based on the movie
After helping Lance Wilkinson film a home-made Sci-Fi movie, where he and Felicity Scully are the leads who share a kiss, Joel agrees to be Flick's date to Erinsborough High's debutante ball. As the ball nears, Joel finds himself falling for Flick. At the after party Joel and Flick spend all night talking and they share a kiss the next morning by the pool. Joel and Flick try to keep their relationship a secret but gradually their neighbours and friends find out. Flick's father, Joe (Shane Connor) catches the couple together one evening and angrily confronts Joel and pushes him, injuring his shoulder. Flick refuses to return home after this and stays with Joel. When Flick opts to move out after Joe comes down hard on her, she suggests that she moves in with Joel. Joel realises things are moving too seriously and decides to join the Kennedys on a trip to London to attend Malcolm's wedding to Sarah's sister, Catherine O'Brien (Radha Mitchell).
When Joel returns, problems still have not eased and things don't get any easier when Flick moves in temporarily much to the annoyance of Toadie and Dee. After an argument with Flick on her 18th birthday about spending so much time with Dee, Joel breaks up with her and is chastized by Dee and Joe for doing so on Flick's birthday of all days. Flick later begs Joel to take her back but he tells her they are not right for each other. Joel and Dee become close again and begin dating. This is nearly wrecked when Joel accidentally tells Dee's former boyfriend, Darcy Tyler that she miscarried his baby. Dee is furious but forgives Joel. Joel begins diving with marine biologist Vernon Wells, who soon offers him a job in Queensland. Dee agrees to go with him but on the day Joel leaves, she changes her mind and they share one final kiss at the docks and Joel walks away and sets off on his journey.
Twenty years later, Toadie finds a present on his dining table that contains an empty pizza box and some dead flower clippings, and he immediately calls out for Joel to make himself present. Joel runs into the room and hugs Toadie, then meets Toadie's fiancée, Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden). Joel gives Toadie and Melanie an update on his life and explains that he is working and has two children, but is divorced. Joel also apologises to them for not being able to make it to their wedding. Having learned about their old friend Amy Greenwood's (Jacinta Stapleton) declaration of love to Toadie, Joel tracks her down in Cairns and helps her realise that she is mistaken, prompting her to return for Toadie's wedding. Despite having believed himself unable to attend the wedding, Joel briefly appears at the reception on Ramsay Street.
Reception
Upon Joel's arrival, Robin Oliver of The Sydney Morning Herald said "We sent them Jason and Kylie and now the Poms have sent us Daniel Macpherson, who plays newcomer Joel Samuels and has survived the first week of coaching at the pool. Just what Erinsborough needs, a Pom to teach Aussies how to swim. But no doubt it'll give the UK ratings a lift. Joel was told by best pal Mal Kennedy to stay at his parents' place, but Mal forgot to tell anybody, so the week has been spent clearing that up. Stretch things thin, don't they?"[14]
In 1999, MacPherson received a
The BBC said Joel's most notable moment was "Almost dying while being pinned under a ute in a river."[17] Viewers voted Joel's rescue from beneath the car in the river the "Best storyline of 1999" in the Neighbours.com Awards.[18] Inside Soap called the storyline one of the show's "most dramatic moments."[6]
In 2010, Joel was included in a TV Week poll to find the Top twenty-five Neighbours characters.[19] The character was popular in terms of his appearance. Nick Levine of media and entertainment website Digital Spy included MacPherson in a picture feature on male soap stars.[20] Holy Soap called Joel a "beefcake."[21] Lorna Cooper of MSN also commented on Joel's "Hunky" appearance, saying "In effect, he was Neighbours' major piece of totty. Joel's sporty prowess was put to good use on the show; I've lost count of the number of times his toned physique was on display."[22]
References
- ^ Houston, Melinda (27 April 2006). "Street of Dreams". The Age. p. 34. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ ACP Magazines. Archived from the originalon 19 April 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Character: Joel Samuels". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 April 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ^ a b Dasey, Annette (5–18 September 1998). "Mr Wonderful". Inside Soap. No. 109. p. 15.
- ^ a b c "Action stations". Inside Soap. No. 123. 20 March – 2 April 1999. pp. 32–33.
- ^ a b c d e f "Picking up the pieces". Inside Soap. No. 124. 3–16 April 1999. p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e Baker, Tina (March 2000). "Toying with love". Soaplife. No. 8. p. 37.
- ^ a b c d e f Herbison, Jason (April 2000). "Who's a naughty boy?". Soaplife. No. 7. p. 38.
- ^ a b c "Daddy Dearest". Neighbours.com. July 2000. Archived from the original on 11 January 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Hot Stuff". Neighbours.com. November 2000. Archived from the original on 6 March 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Herbison, Jason (16 February – 1 March 2002). "Onwards and upwards". Inside Soap. No. 199. pp. 32–33.
- ^ Newsround. BBC. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- ^ a b Seddon, Dan (7 May 2022). "Neighbours officially announces 23 returnees for final ever episodes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Oliver, Robin (11 May 1998). "Thumbs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- Yahoo!7. Archived from the originalon 14 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ Courtis, Brian (22 April 2001). "Time for hottest show in town". The Age. p. 12. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Character: Joel Samuels". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 December 2003. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Neighbours.com Awards". Neighbours.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2000. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ACP Magazines: 5. 23–27 August 2010.
- ^ Levine, Nick (20 January 2008). "Gay Spy picture special: Soap Stars part 3". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
- Channel 5. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cooper, Lorna (20 September 2010). "Soap's forgotten characters". MSN. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.