Daniel Potts (Shortland Street)

Daniel Potts
Shortland Street character
Portrayed by	Jarred Blakiston (2004–07) Ido Drent (2009–12)
Duration	2004–05, 2007, 2009–12
First appearance	29 September 2004
Last appearance	17 September 2012
Introduced by	Harriet Crampton (2004) Jason Daniel (2007) Steven Zanoski (2009)
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Student (2010) Orderly (2010, 2011–12) Software engineer (2011) Entrepreneur (2012)
Daniel in 2005 as portrayed by Jarred Blakiston
Father Tim Coombes Mother Sarah Potts Stepmother Theresa Coombes Half-sisters Grace Coombes Matilda Potts Grandfathers Morgan Potts Grandmothers Pam Potts

Daniel Joshua Potts is a fictional character in the soap opera Shortland Street. The role was originated by actor Jarred Blakiston from 2004–2005 and again briefly in 2007 before Ido Drent took over in 2009. The character departed in mid-2012.

The character arrived to the show in a high-profile storyline that saw Daniel revealed as his "sister" Sarah's (Amanda Billing) illegitimate son. Daniel departed in 2005 to live with his newly discovered father Tim Coombes (Millen Baird) before returning briefly in 2007 to attend Sarah's wedding. His return in 2009 saw Daniel adopt a more antagonistic role that saw Daniel participate in a bullying storyline. Renowned for his intellect and computing skills, Daniel storylines went on to feature internet entrepreneurism, government introduced bootcamps, abortion, homelessness and brain trauma.

The character was originally played by Jarred Blakiston from 2004 to 2005 and again for a guest role in 2007. When producers decided to reintroduce the character, the decision was made to recast him and Ido Drent won the role. He stated, "It’s been such a great experience and challenge already. Everyone at Shortland Street has been incredibly supportive and encouraging. It’s very close knit and there’s a great vibe ... I feel so lucky to be where I am." The character returned onscreen in March 2009 in a storyline that was set to accurately portray bullying on screen and Drent promised the storyline would, "have an element of romance to it." Drent returned to the show after a 10-week break in mid-2010. In 2012 Drent quit the role to pursue job opportunities in Australia. He commented: "For me, broadening myself as an actor, it was imperative that I move on, even if it meant losing a bit of security and taking a big risk." When reading Daniel's final scripts, Drent was brought to tears at the conclusion of his hard work and how the storyline resembled his own life. Daniel made his last appearance on 17 September 2012. Drent was asked to reprise the role in 2014 for his onscreen mothers funeral but was unavailable.

Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing) was delighted upon her arrival to Ferndale that she could be closer to her brother, Daniel, but it was shockingly revealed to Craig Valentine (Renato Bartolomei) that Daniel was in reality, her illegitimate son. Daniel struggled with the news and when he moved in with Sarah, clashed with her partner, Andrew (Paolo Rotondo). In 2005 Daniel finally met his dad Tim (Millen Baird) and after Tim's initial hesitation, the two grew close. Despite Sarah's reluctance, Daniel eventually went to live with his father in Samoa. He returned in 2007 for Sarah's wedding to TK (Benjamin Mitchell) but got into trouble when he stole Sarah's car. Daniel returned to live with Sarah in 2009 and after falling in with a bad crowd, began to date Sophie McKay (Kimberley Crossman). His illegal business of selling stolen goods saw his friend die in a car crash and Daniel was sent to bootcamp and later took up boxing, something that nearly saw him beaten to death by a gang.