| Shane Rebecchi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Greg O'Meara (1994–1995) Nicholas Coghlan (2017–2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1994–1995, 2017–2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 8 September 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 30 March 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh (1994) Bill Searle (1995) Jason Herbison (2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shane Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was originally played by Greg O'Meara from his first appearance on 8 September 1994. Shane was introduced along with his parents and two younger brothers. His first stint in the show ends with him going to prison after committing a string of robberies, before escaping and trying to convince his brother Stonefish Rebecchi (Anthony Engelman) to hide him. Shane's exit scenes aired on 25 July 1995. The character was reintroduced 22 years later on 17 April 2017, with actor Nicholas Coghlan cast in the role. He was introduced along with his wife Dipi Rebecchi (Sharon Johal) and daughters Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) and Kirsha Rebecchi (Vani Dhir), as part of a big expansion of the Rebecchi family. Executive producer Jason Herbison called Shane "one of the great untapped characters from Neighbours history".[1]
Shane's fictional backstory details his rehabilitation from prison and subsequent move to Bourke, where he raised his family. Coghlan used his own personal experiences as "a bad boy" to help him with the role and he believed Shane had matured since his first stint. Shane is also portrayed as being calmer, fun loving and protective. He returns to Erinsborough to support his brother Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) through his marital issues, and is accompanied by his sister-in-law Mishti Sharma (Scarlet Vas), with whom he has a close friendship. The new Rebecchis were given immediate links with the show's characters, as Shane rents Number 32 Ramsay Street and takes over the lease of Harold's Café. Writers scripted a feud between Shane and neighbour Gary Canning (Damien Richardson), which begins when Gary loses Shane a potential investor. Gary later attacks Dipi, before befriending her, leading to jealousy from Shane.
Writers later established a friendship between Shane and his younger co-worker Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson), after she confides in him about being a donor match for David Tanaka (Takaya Honda). Anderson thought the friendship was unexpected and called it "an odd match", but said that Shane allows Roxy to be herself. The friendship is soon tested when Roxy kisses Shane and then tells Dipi. Johal said her character feels betrayed by Shane and that the kiss caused a breach of trust within Shane and Dipi's marriage. In 2020, the character was used to portray the problems of drug addiction. Shane takes amphetamines to help him keep up with his university coursework and cope with everyday life, as he suffers from low self-esteem. Coghlan was glad of the chance to take on a larger, more serious storyline. Roxy also becomes involved and Coghlan said Shane abuses their friendship, calling his actions towards her brutal and cruel. Coghlan's departure from the show was announced in March 2021, alongside Johal's.