page_title: Ned Willis
section_title: Characterisation
hierarchical_section_title: Ned Willis / Development / Characterisation
caption_attribution_description: English: Kip Gamblin at the Australian premiere of The Sapphires at State Theatre in Sydney, Australia.
context_page_description: Ned Willis is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Ben Hall. The character was created in the early 90s, but he was not seen on-screen. Over twenty years later, the show's UK broadcaster Channel 5 confirmed that Hall had been cast in the role and would make a short guest appearance. He made his debut in the episode broadcast on 6 April 2016. Series producer Jason Herbison had plans to promote Hall to the regular cast, but he was unsure about making a long-term commitment to the show. Following his initial guest stint, Hall returned twice in August and November 2016.
  Ned is often portrayed as a complex, manipulative character, but he is a good person at heart. He tries to do things for the right reasons, but often goes about it in the wrong way. Hall thought Ned was close to becoming a bad boy at times, a trait he enjoyed playing. The character was introduced during the Hotel Death Trap storyline, in which the boiler room at Lassiters Hotel explodes killing his half-brother and grandfather.
context_section_description: Hall explained that in Ned's fictional backstory, he was left with Beth after her marriage to Brad ended and they moved to Sydney. Some time later, Beth sent Ned to live with his grandparents Pam (Sue Jones) and Doug Willis (Terence Donovan) in Darwin. Hall also said that Ned has "a bit of history" with Doug due to a recent event. Hall liked that Ned is a tattoo artist, deeming the job "cool". He also believed that there had been very few tattoo artists in the show's history. Hall commented that Ned's occupation would lead to some "mischief".
  Ahead of his arrival on-screen, Hall described Ned as being a "very complex" and "quite manipulative" character because "he has had a bit to deal with". Hall said his favourite aspect of Ned's personality was that he "prefers actions over words". Ned would rather go and do something about the issue instead of just talking about it. Hall continued, "He shows his feelings through actions rather than just saying meaningless words." Hall also liked that Ned tries to "better himself", but remains conflicted on the inside. Ned often finds that his anger gets the better of him, especially when it comes to Brad.
  In an interview with Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap, Hall thought Ned had the potential to be a bad boy character, and he enjoyed playing him when he flirted with that line. But he also called Ned "quite a good person at heart", as he does not act out of spite and is not deliberately malicious. He continued, "He genuinely tries to do things for the right reasons – although he goes about it in the wrong way. But let's just say I wouldn't want him to become too much of a goody two-shoes!"
caption: Upon his introduction, Ned had a fractured relationship with his father Brad, played by Kip Gamblin (pictured).
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