Dean Thompson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Patrick O'Connor. The character made his first screen appearance on 1 February 2018. The character was introduced as one of Home and Away's new River Boys, who are a fictional criminal gang that reside in Mangrove River. The show had previously included actors playing the River Boys in their regular cast, most notably the Braxton brothers. They became popular with viewers and were led by actor Steve Peacocke as Darryl Braxton. When O'Connor joined the show he felt pressured to live up to the "legacy" Peacocke had created on the show. He watched old episodes and researched the role with two former cast members who played River Boys. Dean is characterised as "extremely loyal" and "protective" of his family and friends. He likes to try to be "the top dog" of his gang. Dean's affiliation with the River Boys meant that writers could develop crime stories for the character. He was given immediate links to other characters, such as his friend Ash (George Mason) and his ex-girlfriend Willow Harris (Sarah Roberts). The show also introduced a fellow River Boy, Colby Thorne (Tim Franklin) who left the gang to join the police force. Their troubled past and friendship is prominently featured in Dean's story. Writers paired Dean with Willow and her gambling addiction leads Dean into committing credit card fraud and robberies and leaving him in debt to a loan shark. To explore his backstory producers introduced Dean's family, which included his troubled mother Karen Thompson (Georgia Adamson), his long-lost father Rick Booth (Mark Lee) and a half-sister Kayla Booth (Audrey Blyde).