Ferndale Strangler
| Joey Henderson | |||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Johnny Barker | ||||
| Duration | 2007–2008 | ||||
| First appearance | 18 June 2007 | ||||
| Last appearance | 2 December 2008 | ||||
| Introduced by | Jason Daniel | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Other names | The Ferndale Strangler | ||||
| Occupation | Nurse | ||||
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| Mother | Kath Bennett |
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| Sisters | Lauren Henderson |
Joseph James "Joey" Henderson is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Johnny Barker from mid 2007 to early 2008.
Arriving in June 2007 as an eager yet awkward newbie nurse, Joey was a potential love interest for Claire Solomon (Emily Robins). However Claire ended up murdered by an unknown assailant and for the next 6 months, Shortland Street underwent its largest and most dramatic whodunit storyline in its history. After 5 characters were killed off at the hands of a serial killer dubbed "The Ferndale Strangler", Joey was finally unveiled as the murderer in a dramatic season cliffhanger that saw Joey attempt to murder fan favourite, Tania Jeffries (Faye Smythe). The 2008 season donned the title of "The Killer Season" and the Joey storyline finished in three dramatic episodes airing in early March 2008. Since then Joey has appeared in two flashbacks.
The Ferndale Strangler storyline was hugely praised, with both critics and audiences tuning in to witness the dramatic 9 months that unfolded. Barker was nominated for several awards for his portrayal and the character's death was singled out in a bid for suicide prevention. The Ferndale Strangler storyline has since gone down as one of the most iconic moments of the show.
Producers decided to embark on a whodunit storyline that not only would draw ratings and celebrate the show's 15th anniversary, but also cut out characters that were proving useless and cast that requested to leave. In May 2007 it was announced that Joey would be arriving the following month, he was described as "proficient and eager - some would say over-eager - newbie nurse. Enthusiastic and co-operative, Joey is hungry for approval. He is less confident socially, but sure to be a hit with the ladies of Shortland Street." Barker auditioned for the role and was curious when producers told him to act calm and nice, but on another take asked him to be mean and menacing. Barker enjoyed taking on the role, stating; "He's a little socially inept in not being able to communicate publicly – kind of like me." He made his first appearance on 18 June 2007 with his first line being: "The thing is, I really want to be a doctor." Barker was told at the audition that there would be a question mark hanging over Joey and when Claire died, he realized Joey was the killer. He was officially told four months before the killer reveal.
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