Jack Scully is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Neighbours

Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...

, played by Jay Bunyan. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 April 2001. The character was initially played by Paul Pantano in a guest role. When he returned in 2002, Bunyan had taken over the role. Jack is the first son of Joe

Joe Scully

Joe Scully is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Shane Connor. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 October 1999, along with his family.-Casting:...

 and Lyn Scully

Lyn Scully

Lynette "Lyn" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Janet Andrewartha. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 21 October 1999, along with her family and remained a prominent feature within the show until late 2006...

. He departed on 8 December 2004, but made an appearance on 11 January 2005.

Casting

Bunyan was nineteen when he joined the cast of Neighbours in 2002 as Jack. Bunyan decided to leave the show in 2004. He admitted that he wanted to finish on the show as he had had enough. He said that the producers wanted him to sign a contract for another few years to keep the Scully family alive on the show.

Storylines

Jack first arrives in Ramsay Street, much to the surprise and relief of his parents who had been notified by his coach in London that he has gone AWOL. Jack is on hand to support his sister Stephanie

Stephanie Scully

Stephanie Jo "Steph" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Carla Bonner. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 October 1999. Stephanie is the eldest daughter of Joe and Lyn Scully and the mother to a son, Charlie...

 (Carla Bonner

Carla Bonner

Carla Bonner is an Australian actress best known for playing the role of Steph Scully in the soap opera Neighbours, a role she played from 1999 to 2010...

) when her boyfriend Larry "Woody" Woodhouse (Andrew Curry

Andrew Curry

Andrew Curry is an Australian comedian and actor who has appeared in many television drama and comedy series, and in feature films....

) is forced to go into witness protection. When Jack tells his parents that he wants to give up the soccer and return to Australia permanently and follow his father Joe into the building trade, Joe devises a plan to make Jack change his mind. After realising he is not ideal for his father's line of work, Jack returns to London.

The following year Jack returns, followed by his girlfriend Lori Lee

Lori Lee

Lori Lee is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Michelle Ang. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 November 2002. Ang departed in 2003, but she returned the following year to reprise her role as Lori...

 (Michelle Ang

Michelle Ang

Michelle Ang is a New Zealand film and television actress.-Life and career:Ang was born in Christchurch of maylandn descent. She got her start in television at a young age through the hit family series McDonald's Young Entertainers. Here she got to show her skills at singing and dancing, much like...

) and they settle into the Scully house. Not long after their arrival, Jack becomes attracted to Michelle

Michelle Scully

Michelle Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kate Keltie. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 October 1999 when she and her family moved into Ramsay Street...

's (Kate Keltie

Kate Keltie

Kate Keltie is an Australian actress.Born in Melbourne, Keltie played the role of Michelle Scully in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours between 1999 and 2003, as well as a brief return in 2004. She also appeared in Thunderstone and as Bec Cleary in Blue Heelers in 2004.-External links:...

) friend Nina Tucker

Nina Tucker

Nina Tucker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Delta Goodrem. She made her first on-screen appearance on 11 June 2002. Goodrem was approached by producers after they saw her video for her debut single. Goodrem, who had just signed a record deal, almost...

 (Delta Goodrem

Delta Goodrem

Delta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...

) when he and several other teens go on schoolies

Schoolies week

Schoolies or schoolies week refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December."Toolies" refers to older revelers who participate in Schoolies week but are...

.

Jack unwittingly lands the lead in Harold Bishop

Harold Bishop

Harold Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ian Smith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 January 1987. Smith was offered a role by Neighbours creator and executive producer Reg Watson...

's (Ian Smith

Ian Smith

Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...

) play Mission Erinsborough, which is directed by Lori and is cast opposite Nina, who is dating Taj Coppin (Jaime Robbie Reyne

Jaime Robbie Reyne

Jaime Robbie Reyne is an Australian singer/songwriter and actor.-Personal life:Reyne's parents are the rock singer James Reyne and English-born model/stylist Kim Ellmer. He is the nephew of television presenter and singer David Reyne...

. Jack and Nina begin meeting in secret and though both feel guilty, they can not resist the temptation. The truth is revealed after Nina dumps Taj and there is ill feeling for a while between the boys. A while later, Nina reveals to Jack she is still a virgin and wants him to be her first. However, Edwina Valdez (Lucia Smyrk

Lucia Smyrk

Lucia Smyrk is an Australian actress who has appeared in a number of Australian television series, including Short Cuts, Pirate Islands and Neighbours as Edwina Valdez.-External links:...

) arrives on the scene and seduces Jack. Taj unwittingly informs Nina – who he assumed already knew. Nina then ends things with Jack.

Jack and Taj later contemplating cheating on their VCE by using stolen exam papers a friend of Taj's managed to obtain. The boys use the paper and get an attack of conscience when a story is leaked about stolen exam papers and panic that Taj's friend will turn them in. In the end, the boys own up. After leaving school, Jack has a second try at labouring on the site with Joe. After being generally ribbed and mocked, Jack manages to perserve.

When Lori returns with her and Connor O'Neill

Connor O'Neill

Connor O'Neill is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Patrick Harvey. He made his first on-screen appearance on 19 April 2002. He is best known for his friendships with Toadie Rebecchi and Stu Parker with whom he lived at No.30, now better known as...

's (Patrick Harvey

Patrick Harvey

Patrick Harvey is an Irish/Australian actor. He played Northern Irish immigrant Connor O'Neill on the television soap opera Neighbours. His first appearance on the soap was in April 2002...

)'s daughter, Madeleine (Madison Lu), Jack decides to stand by her. Lyn, Jack's mother warns Lori of her son's nature and arranges for her to take a job at a salon in Lorne. Jack later meets Olivia McPherson (Silvia de Crespigny) while out clubbing and she introduces him to drugs. As Jack's party lifestyle starts to take over, he begins making mistakes on the site and he and Olivia steal tools to make some money. Olivia suggests framing Darren Stark

Darren Stark

Darren Stark is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Todd MacDonald. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1993 and was originally played by Scott Major. When the character was released from prison in 1996, MacDonald took over the role and remained...

 (Todd MacDonald

Todd MacDonald

Todd MacDonald is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera Neighbours and the drama series The Secret Life of Us and Rush....

), who is working as an electrician, for the site robbery as Darren has prior convictions. This backfires as Jack's drugged-out behaviour comes to a head when he crashes his car into a power pylon, knocking out all the power in the local area. He is then charged with driving under the influence

Driving under the influence

Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...

. Jack finds out that Olivia is a crooked police officer and she is later exposed by colleague Stuart Parker

Stuart Parker (Neighbours)

Stuart Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Blair McDonough. He made his first appearance on 13 December 2001. Stuart lived with Toadfish Rebecchi and Connor O'Neill at number 30, during which time the house became known as "The House of Trouser"...

 (Blair McDonough

Blair McDonough

Blair McDonough is an actor who is best known for playing the role of Stuart Parker in the Australian TV soap opera Neighbours. He first shot to fame in 2001, when he finished runner-up in the inaugural season of the reality TV series Big Brother Australia...

).

Charlie Cassidy (Cliff Ellen

Cliff Ellen

Cliff Ellen is an Australian actor who played a prominent guest role on soap opera Neighbours as Charlie Cassidy. His first role was in Homicide. His credits include Crackerjack, Garbo, and Phar Lap...

), Jack's grandfather arrives to spend what is to be his last christmas with the family, and advises Jack to join Nina in America, even paying for the ticket. Jack checks into a hotel in Los Angeles to find Nina preparing the room and the two reunite. It has since been mentioned by Lyn that Jack and Nina are engaged, but have had no mention of a wedding.

Reception

For his portrayal of Jack, Bunyan was nominated for "Most Popular New Male Talent" at the 2003 Logie Awards

Logie Awards of 2003

The 45th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Sunday 11 May 2003 at Crown Casino in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Eddie McGuire from the Nine Network was all Master of Ceremonies...

.

The character was popular in terms of his appearance. Nick Levine of media and entertainment website Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

claimed in a section aimed specifically at gay readers, that "Neighbours' Jack Scully (Jay Bunyan) was in pretty good shape, wasn't he? Must have been all that soccer training...".