Kennedy family (Neighbours)
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1994– |
| First appearance | 20 September 1994 |
The Kennedy family are a fictional family from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. They have been a large part of the show since 1994, when the five-strong family moved into Ramsay Street. Both Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) and his wife Susan (Jackie Woodburne) celebrated 20 years on the show in 2014, and are stalwarts of the fictional Erinsborough community, with Karl serving as the area's doctor and Susan as principal of Erinsborough High. They have earned multiple award nominations for their roles. The Kennedy family has expanded to introduce several others since its conception, although plays a relatively minor role as of 2014, with Karl and Susan as the only members of their family still residing in Ramsay Street.
Storylines of the Kennedy family have included troubles within Karl and Susan's marriage over their 20 years in the show, which included two separation periods in the 2000s and a divorce, teenage angst storylines for their three children Malcolm (Benjamin McNair), Billy (Jesse Spencer) and Libby (Kym Valentine), Karl's interaction with other Erinsborough residents through his job as a doctor, Susan's professions as school principal and also briefly editor of the Erinsborough News, and the death of Libby's husband in a riding accident shortly after the birth of their son.
In 1994, the "solid" Kennedy family was introduced in an attempt to bring the show back to its family-orientated roots. Father Karl was given the job of GP and mother Susan was chosen as the new Erinsborough High principal to give the characters immediate links with other characters. Alan Fletcher, who previously appeared on the show in a minor role in 1987, was cast as Karl, while former Prisoner actress Jackie Woodburne was cast as Susan. Benjamin McNair, Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer played Karl and Susan's three teenage children, Malcolm, Libby and Billy, respectively. They replaced the Willis family on the show and also as occupants of Number 28 Ramsay Street.
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