Josh Barrett is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Jackson Gallagher. The actor was initially hesitant about auditioning for the role, as he believed he was too old to portray a 16-year-old. However, three days after attending the audition, he learnt he was successful. Gallagher relocated to Sydney for filming. His character was introduced along with his on-screen brother Andy Barrett (Tai Hara) through a series of online webisodes titled Home and Away Extras. He then made his debut appearance in Home and Away during the episode broadcast on 27 August 2013. Gallagher's departure from Home and Away was announced in May 2016, and Josh's last scenes aired on 5 July 2016. Josh is portrayed as being troubled, but also someone who tries to do the right thing. Gallagher thought Josh was a lovable character deep down and someone who did not want his past to define his future. Several of Josh's storylines has centred around his relationships with Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi) and Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast), the latter whom he became engaged to. He has also been involved in Andy's feud with the Braxton family, shot by his mother, held hostage and coward punched by Tank Snelgrove (Reece Milne), which almost ended his life and left him temporarily blind. In May 2016, Josh was revealed to be Charlotte King's (Erika Heynatz) killer, ending months of speculation. After confessing to Charlotte's murder, Josh fled Summer Bay with Andy before he was sent to prison.