Joe scully

[Nick]

Just out of interest..when the actor who played Joe Scully was fired...what reason did they give for his sudden dissapearance and non return...??

[RitaLittlewood]

He went up to work at his dad's farm I think and is still there. I dipped in and out then so not quite sure. But I think Lyn doesn't love Joe any more and is maybe divorced or getting one.

Patsy

[Nick]

sorted..Ta patsy

[gingercat]

This is from todays Waveguide

Neighbours - Drugs Problem

Former Neighbours actor Shane Connor had an amphetamine drug habit while appearing inn the Australian soap and apologised to the cast when confronted about his problem, a court in Melbourne has heard.

Connor performed for four years in the soap as Joe Scully, but was the subject of complaints about his behaviour from crew and cast, including his on-screen wife

Now Mr Connor is suing the show's producer, Grundy Television, for wrongful termination of his contract, and is seeking about £80,000.

He was sacked in September 2003, several months after receiving a written warning from producers and overcoming his amphetamine habit, Connor's lawyer, Dyson Hore-Lacy, told the court.

The court also heard that behind the on-screen marriage of Joe and Lyn Scully, played by Janet Andrewartha, there was on-going hostility between the actors.

Andrewartha, who still appears in Neighbours, was the source of the vast majority of complaints against Connor, Hore-Lacy said.

But Grundy has also outlined complaints from wardrobe workers, crew and directors about Connor's alleged surly and aggressive behaviour, his complaints about the lines he had to say and the clothes he had to wear, and his lateness that would cause delays to filming.

Connor, 46, joined the show in July 1999 and his contract was renewed several times.

By the time he was sacked, he was earning £1,500 a week to appear in three episodes of the show a week.

When his two-year contract was terminated it still had nine months remaining. It was due to expire on July 30, 2004.

The court heard Connor was a divorced father of twins, a boy and a girl who were aged four when he joined the cast, and he shared custody of them.

In June 2001, his older brother died and Connor was badly affected by this, his lawyer said.

"As a result he developed an increasing amphetamine problem," he added.

When the show's producers confronted him with his drug problem, he met with the cast in May 2003, admitted it to them and apologised, Hore-Lacy said.

His behaviour then improved, but he was dismissed at the end of September that year.

Justice Robert Osborn said he would be surprised if, in a cast of 20 or 30 people, Mr Connor was the only one using drugs.

Among the plaintiff's witnesses is Neighbours casting agent Jan Russ, who is expected to give evidence that Mr Connor was not the only actor on the show to have a drug habit, the court heard.

Grundy has raised concerns about this evidence and is negotiating to have it not identify another actor.

Other witnesses for Connor will include Alan Fletcher, who has played Dr Karl Kennedy on the show for 11 years, as well as New Zealand-born Jay Bunyan, who played Joe Scully's son Jack.

The trial is continuing.

[RitaLittlewood]

Oh dear. Get out the violins!

Patsy

[perfect55]

Can I just say that his exit storyline was very unrealistic
Doting Dad Joe dissaperes to a farm which has scarescely ever been mentioned before, leaving was then new born son and loving wife to fend for themselves
to top it all joes never mentioned and saintly lynn dated a married man 49 years her junior

[sootycat]

It would have been a lot easier all round if they had killed him off while he was working away.

[RitaLittlewood]

Same with all soaps though, perfect55. Change history, make things up just to fit storylines because they're far too lazy to look things up.

Patsy