| Colby Thorne | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Tim Franklin | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2018–2021 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 6 February 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 11 February 2021 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Colby Thorne is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Tim Franklin. The actor learned from his agent that he had secured the role on his 27th birthday. He had previously made a guest appearance in the series as Azza Mason in 2015, but Colby is his first full-time television role. Franklin began filming in August 2017, and he made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 6 February 2018. The character was introduced as a replacement for Kat Chapman (Pia Miller), who died in the season finale, and his arrival was publicised in a trailer showcasing upcoming 2018 storylines.
Colby is portrayed as a stoic and loyal police constable. He had a "turbulent upbringing", and upon his arrival he was hiding a secret concerning his personal life, which was woven throughout his early storylines. Colby's introduction saw him try to break up a fight involving members of the show's River Boys surf gang. It soon emerges that he is a former gang member, and is friends with the leader Dean Thompson (Patrick O'Connor). Producers established a romantic relationship between Colby and nurse Jasmine Delaney (Sam Frost), which led to the revelation that Colby is searching for his younger sister, who was kidnapped by his violent stepfather.
After Colby shoots Boyd Easton (Steve Le Marquand) while on duty, he becomes the focus of a revenge plot by Boyd's sister Ebony Harding (Cariba Heine), which culminates in Colby being poisoned and left for dead. Producers introduced the character's former fiancée Chelsea Campbell (Ashleigh Brewer) later that year, as well as his sister Bella Nixon (Courtney Miller). After a reconciliation and a brief break up, Colby and Chelsea marry in the 2018 season finale. Following his conviction for murdering his stepfather, Colby is sent to prison. He departed during the episode broadcast on 11 February 2021. For his portrayal of Colby, Franklin received a nomination for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards.