Duration 1993, 2016— Classification Present; regular Uncle Guy Warner | First appearance 11 October 1993 Father Chris Warner Grandfather Bruce Warner | |
Portrayed by Uncredited actor (1993)
Lukas Whiting (2016—) Introduced by Brian Lenanne (1993)
Simon Bennett (2016) Other names Finbar Burton (birth name) Similar Bruce Warner, Joe Hudson, Moira Crombie, David Kearney, Phoenix Raynor | ||
Dr. Finbar "Finn" Connelly (né Burton) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. Born onscreen, Finn was originally played by an uncredited baby actor in 1993 before Lukas Whiting took over the role in 2016.
Contents
Creation and casting
The character of Finn was introduced in 1993 during a plot in which "robo nurse" Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden) fell pregnant after receiving 3 different sperm donations from central characters. This was billed as a "whodunit" with nurse Steve Mills (Andrew Binns), Guy Warner (Craig Parker), Dr. Hone Ropata (Temuera Morrison) and Dr. Chris Warner (Michael Galvin) all potentially being the father. The character made his first appearance on 11 October 1993, when Carrie gave birth to him and his triplet siblings. The birth was used as a storyline to write off the character of Carrie, and she departed with her triplets on 11 November 1993. In 2015 producers contacted the agents of Australian actor, Lukas Whiting. Whiting was unaware of the show, "I had to do a whole lot of research quickly, I watched a coupe of episodes on YouTube, shot what we call a 'self tape' and a couple of weeks later got a call from my agent saying you start in a couple of weeks!" The character was reintroduced under a different name in 2016 in a storyline that saw him billed as "the new Dr. Love" and raised questions on his relation to Chris Warner. Whiting began filming in late 2015. Whiting appreciated being able to work alongside Galvin [Chris Warner] and Angela Bloomfield [Rachel McKenna], noting his storylines allowed him to "make good friends with some of the younger cast as well as some of the older." Finn made his reappearance on 28 March 2016.
Storylines
Desperate to have children but with no stable partner in her life, Shortland Street clinic's head of nursing Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden) accepted sperm donations from nurse Steve Mills (Andrew Binns), Guy Warner (Craig Parker), Dr. Hone Ropata (Temuera Morrison) and Dr. Chris Warner (Michael Galvin); refusing to disclose whose sperm she used. She fell pregnant and married Steve's father Declan Kennedy (Kevin J. Wilson). Carrie gave birth to triplets during good friend Meredith Fleming's (Stephanie Wilkin) leaving party and named them, Finbar, Frank, and Sarah. Declan proved to be a useless father and ended up fleeing the country to escape criminal associates he had, leaving Steve to be a surrogate parent. It turned out Sarah had a hole in her heart and came close to death during surgery. Carrie decided to flee Ferndale after receiving threats from Declan's criminal past, taking her triplets with her and leaving Steve (who had decided the children were likely his) heart broken. Several months later Steve was devastated to realise Chris had discovered he was the father and had been visiting Carrie and the triplets in Australia. This caused a rivalry between the two that ultimately lead to Steve driving off the road and dying in an explosion. In November 1995 Chris visited Carrie and the triplets so that he could introduce his father Bruce (Ken Blackburn) to them before he succumbed to terminal cancer.
In 2016, Shortland Street CEO Rachel McKenna (Angela Bloomfield) hired Finn Connelly as the newest surgeon at the hospital and he instantly turned heads for his playboy ways, landing the title "Dr. Love". On his first day on the job, Finn shockingly introduced himself to Chris as one of his long lost triplets. After his mother died, he had decided to get to know his father. After initially clashing with Rachel, Finn moved in with the Warner's and entered a love triangle, when he began to date Esther Samuels (Ngahuia Piripi) much to the annoyance of her recent ex-boyfriend Curtis Hannah (Jayden Daniels). Finn and Esther's relationship was rocky, due to Esther's financial problems which she was embarrassed about. After taking a break in the relationship, Finn and Esther got back together. Finn's sister Sass Connelly arrived in Ferndale in September and Finn wasn't happy about her landing a permanent job in the hospital. Sass has since been causing trouble in Finn and Esther's relationship, with her being jealous of Esther spending time with her brother.
Reception
The addition of Carrie's triplet storyline was praised for showing a "softer side" to the otherwise "stern matron". The return of Finn and his siblings was said to "delight" Shortland Street fans. Upon arrival in 2016, Finn was labelled a "hearthrob" and the show's "number one hunk". Tara Ward from The Spinoff website announced that Finn's arrival had turned the show into "peak stud". Whiting had not been aware of the level of popularity of the show but came to realise it quickly, "After the first week I started to get recognised - it's quite a lot of fun - you get your good fans and bad fans but it's always fun getting photos and having a chat on the streets."