| Jack Callahan | |||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Andrew Morley | ||||||||
| Duration | 2016–2018, 2020 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 4 April 2016 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 20 March 2020 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Herbison | ||||||||
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Jack Callahan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Andrew Morley. The actor was cast in late 2015 and landed the regular role of Jack. Morley had previously played Spencer Harrington in fellow soap opera Home and Away for two years. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 April 2016. The character departed on 30 March 2018, but Morley later reprised the role and returned on 26 February 2020, as part of the show's 35th anniversary celebrations.
When Jack first arrives, he is involved in the explosion at Lassiters hotel and left unable to recall his identity. Morley described the character as one with a "clean slate" due to his amnesia and lack of family ties or connections to Erinsborough. Two months after his arrival, his name and identity as a Catholic priest was revealed. His storylines have subsequently focused on the conflict of his religious vocation and relationship with Paige Smith (Olympia Valance).
His storylines have also focused on his rivalry with Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) despite Morley stating that Jack has a lot of respect for him and feels that he is a good role model for his son. The character made a tough decision over leaving the priesthood and viewers have expressed negative feelings towards his relationship with Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) with one calling their relationship "disgusting" and another seeing the coupling as "random". Katie Baillie from Metro UK showed her compassion for Jack but later felt that he didn't act like an adult when he gets into a fight with Mark.