Billy Kennedy
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Kennedy is a fictional character
from the Australian Network Ten
soap opera Neighbours
, played by Jesse Spencer
. He made his first appearance on 27 September 1994 arriving in Ramsay Street
with his family. He departed on 5 April 2000 and made a small cameo in Annalise Hartman
's documentary on Ramsay Street in 2005.
' storyliners decided to introduce the "solid" Kennedy family. They felt that they needed to take the show back to its roots when it seemed that all the houses on Ramsay Street were populated with misfits and distant relatives. Spencer successfully auditioned for the role of Billy Kennedy in 1994 and joined the cast of Neighbours as the youngest son of Karl
(Alan Fletcher) and Susan Kennedy
(Jackie Woodburne
) and brother to Malcolm
(Benjamin McNair
) and Libby
(Kym Valentine
). Spencer's looks made him a teen idol during his time with series.
Spencer chose to depart Neighbours in November 1999. Speaking of his decision to leave, Spencer said "I'd been in Neighbours for five years and I'd had enough. The storylines were boring and I wasn't enjoying it any more. When I said I was leaving, I hoped they would make Bill's departure interesting - but he just moves away from Erinsborough, there's no drama to it. It's disappointing and typical of the last two years of storylines." Spencer revealed that the door had been left open for a possible return in the future. Spencer later said that Neighbours had been "a launchpad" for him.
In 2005, Spencer reprised his role of Billy and became one of many ex-cast members who made a return to Neighbours to appear in an episode celebrating the show's 20th anniversary. Four years later, Spencer revealed that he had been approached about a return to the show and said he would not rule out a one off appearance.
(Ryan Moloney
) and Hannah Martin
(Rebecca Ritters
) and met his first girlfriend, Melissa Drenth (Aimee Robertson). Billy broke up with Melissa when she revealed her homophobia towards his teacher, who was trying to help him after he was diagnosed with dyslexia
. Billy and Toadie became best friends and created a pirate radio station together. When Amy Greenwood
(Jacinta Stapleton
) arrived and the Wilkinson twins, Lance
(Andrew Bibby
) and Anne
(Brooke Satchwell
), a new group of friends was born. Billy and Anne fell in love with some help from Lance and Toadie and they became inseparable. Billy joined the local pool as a life guard and took Anne there one night for a romantic date. The couple also entered a 'Perfect Couple' competition, but Billy got cold feet when it came to the photoshoot and Lance had to fill in for him. When Anne's half-brother's sister, Caitlin Atkins
(Emily Milburn), arrived she wasted no time in admitting her feelings for Billy and they even shared a kiss.
Billy planned to leave school and move out of home, but Anne and his parents were not keen on his ideas. Shortly after, Billy and Anne received letters for university placements and Anne was placed in Queensland
. Billy missed Anne while she was away and entered a kissing contest with Amy to win the prize money and fund a trip to see her. Billy later realised that he had a talent for carpentry and Karl gave him a loan to start his own business. Billy and Anne drifted apart and she moved into an artist's studio. When Billy's workshop was trashed, he realised that he had left the door unlocked and would not be covered by the insurance. Billy then began work on a building site, but after a near-death accident he spoke out about the safety of the site. This made Anne proud and they began to repair their friendship, but when Anne told Billy she would go out with another man, Billy decided to get her out of his system.
Felicity Scully
(Holly Valance
) took an interest in Billy, but realised that he was not over Anne and quickly backed off. Billy created a new kitchen table for the Scully family and, despite Joe Scully
's (Shane Connor
) protests, the table stayed in the Scully kitchen. Billy was then offered an apprenticeship by a woodworker in Queensland. Toadie arranged a trip to Luna Park for the old gang and they all said their goodbyes. Anne was sad that Billy had left and they tried to have a long-distance relationship. It did not work out and Anne transferred to a nearby university instead and she surprised Billy at the train station. The couple then vowed that they would stay together forever. Susan and Karl became grandparents for the second time following the news that Anne had given birth to a son, Jackson. Two years later it was announced that Anne and Billy had had twins.
s in 1998
and 1999
. Website Virgin Media
called Billy a teen heartthrob during a feature called 'Who is soapland's hottest hunk?'. During a feature called "Neighbours stars make it big", British TV channel, Five said "Billy's gorgeous looks and sweet romance with Anne Wilkinson ensured his popularity among Neighbours fans".
In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary Sky
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Billy is in the list and describing him they state: "Easygoing Billy didn't take life as seriously as the rest of his family did, preferring to hang with Hannah in the club house and get into scrapes with best mate Toadie. Though troubled by dyslexia and asthma, he was a hard worker, spending lots of time swimming. This somewhat inevitably helped him to, ahem, 'fill out', and lead to lots of him, Ben's sister Caitlin and spontaneous lodger Joel wondering around the Kennedy house with very few clothes on. He eventually left the Street with boring sweetheart Anne."
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 Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
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 Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
. He made his first appearance on 27 September 1994 arriving in Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre around the residents of the Street, which was named after the...
with his family. He departed on 5 April 2000 and made a small cameo in Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kimberley Davies. She debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 15 January 1993 and departed in 1996, and a brief return in 2005. Annalise has often been portrayed as having a conniving persona...
's documentary on Ramsay Street in 2005.
Character creation and casting
In 1994, NeighboursKarl Kennedy
Karl Raymond Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Fletcher. The character and his family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Karl made his first on-screen appearance on 20 September 1994 along with his...
(Alan Fletcher) and Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy , is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 along...
(Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...
) and brother to Malcolm
Malcolm Kennedy
Malcolm George "Mal" Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Benjamin McNair. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 arriving to live in Ramsay Street with his family...
(Benjamin McNair
Benjamin McNair
Benjamin John McNair is an Australian actor. McNair is perhaps best known for his role as Malcolm Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours which he played from 1994–97 returning briefly in 2002, 2004 and 2011 with a cameo appearance in 2005.-Early life:McNair moved to Australia with his family when he...
) and Libby
Libby Kennedy
Elizabeth Grace "Libby" Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 and departed in 2004, before returning on 12 November 2007. Libby is the only daughter of Karl and Susan Kennedy...
(Kym Valentine
Kym Valentine
Kym Valentine is a Maltese Australian actress best known for her portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
). Spencer's looks made him a teen idol during his time with series.
Spencer chose to depart Neighbours in November 1999. Speaking of his decision to leave, Spencer said "I'd been in Neighbours for five years and I'd had enough. The storylines were boring and I wasn't enjoying it any more. When I said I was leaving, I hoped they would make Bill's departure interesting - but he just moves away from Erinsborough, there's no drama to it. It's disappointing and typical of the last two years of storylines." Spencer revealed that the door had been left open for a possible return in the future. Spencer later said that Neighbours had been "a launchpad" for him.
In 2005, Spencer reprised his role of Billy and became one of many ex-cast members who made a return to Neighbours to appear in an episode celebrating the show's 20th anniversary. Four years later, Spencer revealed that he had been approached about a return to the show and said he would not rule out a one off appearance.
Storylines
Billy Kennedy arrived in Ramsay Street with his family after Karl bought No. 28 at an auction. Billy soon made friends with Toadfish RebecchiToadfish Rebecchi
Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Ryan Moloney. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 February 1995....
(Ryan Moloney
Ryan Moloney
Ryan Moloney is an Australian actor best known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Before Neighbours:...
) and Hannah Martin
Hannah Martin
Hannah Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Rebecca Ritters. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1992. Hannah is the only child of Philip and Julie Martin and the younger sister to Michael and Debbie. The Martin family were written out...
(Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters is an Australian actress, mostly known for her role as Hannah Martin in the soap opera Neighbours. She first appeared in the show in 1992 when she was eight years old and remained in the show for a further seven years...
) and met his first girlfriend, Melissa Drenth (Aimee Robertson). Billy broke up with Melissa when she revealed her homophobia towards his teacher, who was trying to help him after he was diagnosed with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. Billy and Toadie became best friends and created a pirate radio station together. When Amy Greenwood
Amy Greenwood
Amy Greenwood is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jacinta Stapleton. She made her first on-screen appearance on 10 July 1997. Amy was flirtatious and ditzy, especially interested in fashion and gossip. Throughout most of her time in the show Amy was...
(Jacinta Stapleton
Jacinta Stapleton
Jacinta Stapelton is an Australian actress. Her most notable acting role was Amy Greenwood in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours from 1997 to 2000.-Early life:...
) arrived and the Wilkinson twins, Lance
Lance Wilkinson
Lance Charles Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Andrew Bibby. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1995. Bibby was cast in the recurring role of Lance after an audition. After a year, Bibby auditioned for another character called...
(Andrew Bibby
Andrew Bibby
Andrew Bibby , in Melbourne, Victoria, is an Australian actor who played Lance Wilkinson on the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1995, 1996–2001 and in 2005...
) and Anne
Anne Wilkinson
Anne Wilkinson , is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brooke Satchwell. She made her first on screen appearance on 19 November 1996. Satchwell quit the role in 1999 and the character departed on 5 April 2000.-Casting:After completing an advert for Just...
(Brooke Satchwell
Brooke Satchwell
Brooke Kerith Satchwell is an Australian actress, model, and environmental spokesperson.-Early life:The first of two children of Andrew Satchwell, a real estate agent and Jane Satchwell, a school teacher. Satchwell has lived on the Mornington Peninsula for most of her life...
), a new group of friends was born. Billy and Anne fell in love with some help from Lance and Toadie and they became inseparable. Billy joined the local pool as a life guard and took Anne there one night for a romantic date. The couple also entered a 'Perfect Couple' competition, but Billy got cold feet when it came to the photoshoot and Lance had to fill in for him. When Anne's half-brother's sister, Caitlin Atkins
Caitlin Atkins
Caitlin Atkins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Emily Milburn. She made her first on-screen appearance on 29 September 1997 and departed on 24 June 1998.-Casting:...
(Emily Milburn), arrived she wasted no time in admitting her feelings for Billy and they even shared a kiss.
Billy planned to leave school and move out of home, but Anne and his parents were not keen on his ideas. Shortly after, Billy and Anne received letters for university placements and Anne was placed in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Billy missed Anne while she was away and entered a kissing contest with Amy to win the prize money and fund a trip to see her. Billy later realised that he had a talent for carpentry and Karl gave him a loan to start his own business. Billy and Anne drifted apart and she moved into an artist's studio. When Billy's workshop was trashed, he realised that he had left the door unlocked and would not be covered by the insurance. Billy then began work on a building site, but after a near-death accident he spoke out about the safety of the site. This made Anne proud and they began to repair their friendship, but when Anne told Billy she would go out with another man, Billy decided to get her out of his system.
Felicity Scully
Felicity Scully
Felicity Jane "Flick" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Holly Valance. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 October 1999 and she departed on 28 November 2002....
(Holly Valance
Holly Valance
Holly Valance is an Australian actress, singer, and model, who has dual United Kingdom citizenship. Valance began her career as Felicity "Flick" Scully on the Australian soap opera Neighbours...
) took an interest in Billy, but realised that he was not over Anne and quickly backed off. Billy created a new kitchen table for the Scully family and, despite Joe Scully
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:...
's (Shane Connor
Shane Connor
Shane Connor is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in both stage and film productions.-Background:Shane Connor graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s...
) protests, the table stayed in the Scully kitchen. Billy was then offered an apprenticeship by a woodworker in Queensland. Toadie arranged a trip to Luna Park for the old gang and they all said their goodbyes. Anne was sad that Billy had left and they tried to have a long-distance relationship. It did not work out and Anne transferred to a nearby university instead and she surprised Billy at the train station. The couple then vowed that they would stay together forever. Susan and Karl became grandparents for the second time following the news that Anne had given birth to a son, Jackson. Two years later it was announced that Anne and Billy had had twins.
Reception
Spencer's portrayal of Billy led him to be nominated for "Most Popular Actor" twice at the annual Logie AwardLogie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
s in 1998
Logie Awards of 1998
The 40th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Sunday 19 April 1998 at Crown Casino in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Daryl Somers from Hey Hey It's Saturday was the Master of Ceremonies for the third year in a row...
and 1999
Logie Awards of 1999
The 41st Annual TV Week Logie Awards were presented on Sunday 11 April 1999 at Crown Casino in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Andrew Denton from the ABC was the Master of Ceremonies...
. Website Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
called Billy a teen heartthrob during a feature called 'Who is soapland's hottest hunk?'. During a feature called "Neighbours stars make it big", British TV channel, Five said "Billy's gorgeous looks and sweet romance with Anne Wilkinson ensured his popularity among Neighbours fans".
In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Billy is in the list and describing him they state: "Easygoing Billy didn't take life as seriously as the rest of his family did, preferring to hang with Hannah in the club house and get into scrapes with best mate Toadie. Though troubled by dyslexia and asthma, he was a hard worker, spending lots of time swimming. This somewhat inevitably helped him to, ahem, 'fill out', and lead to lots of him, Ben's sister Caitlin and spontaneous lodger Joel wondering around the Kennedy house with very few clothes on. He eventually left the Street with boring sweetheart Anne."