Home and Away is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2015, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Lucy Addario. The 28th season of Home and Away began airing from 2 February 2015. Katarina Chapman and Ryan Kelly were introduced in the same month. Martin Ashford's sister, Billie Ashford arrived in April, while Charlotte King made her first appearance in June. James Edmunds and Charlotte's teenage son Hunter King made their debuts in July. September saw the arrival of Tank Snelgrove, while Trystan Powell was introduced in October. Skye Peters made her first appearance in November.
Katarina Chapman
Katarina "Kat" Chapman, played by Pia Miller, made her first screen appearance on 5 February 2015. The character and Miller's casting was announced on 4 August 2014. Miller auditioned for the role two weeks before the announcement and she began filming from 5 August. Of joining Home and Away, Miller said "I'm feeling very excited, it just feels like it's been such a whirlwind." Kat moves to Summer Bay from the city and she was described as being "tough and resilient". Kat is a policewoman and Miller explained that her character was there "to enforce the law and help people", instead of being a "sex symbol". The actress added that Kat "has been through a bit and had experiences - some good and some not so great". For her portrayal of Kat, Miller earned a nomination for the Logie Award for Best New Talent in 2016.
Ryan Kelly
Ryan Kelly, played by Daniel Webber, made his first screen appearance on 17 February 2015. Webber is the real-life flatmate of Nic Westaway, who plays Kyle Braxton. After being cast as Ryan, he told Westaway that he would be stalking his on-screen girlfriend Phoebe Nicholson (Isabella Giovinazzo). Westaway recalled "He said, 'I'm stalking your girlfriend'. Then he added, 'on the show'." Stephen Downie branded Ryan "a mysterious peeping Tom" and added "we get the vibe he doesn't seem like the sort of guy who'll settle for an autograph."
After arriving in Summer Bay, Ryan goes to the diner and tells Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) that he is in the Bay to meet a girl. He spots Phoebe Nicholson and tells Roo that he is a fan of hers. He follows Phoebe home and watches her from the bushes. Ryan talks to her the following day and is spotted by John Palmer (Shane Withington) looking through the window of her house. Ryan sees Phoebe's boyfriend Kyle Braxton leave town and later shows up at her house, telling Phoebe he knows she is alone. Phoebe tries to get Ryan to leave, but he tells her he wants to help as she is not safe. Phoebe's screams alert John and Ryan leaves. The following day, Ryan is questioned by Katarina Chapman (Pia Miller) and told to stay away from Phoebe, who also gets an AVO. Phoebe's boyfriend, Kyle, and Ash (George Mason) threaten Ryan. After learning the Braxton house is empty, Ryan breaks in and plants a camera in Phoebe's bedroom. He later returns and kidnaps Phoebe. He forces her to wear a white dress and he cleans the make-up off her face, telling her he preferred her previous image and music. Ryan asks Phoebe to sing "Amazing Grace" and during the performance, Phoebe kicks him in the groin and manages to open the door, where Kyle is waiting to save her. Katrina then arrests a horrified Ryan, who vainly pleads for Phoebe to not let Katrina and Kyle take him away from her as he is dragged away. Katrina later informs Phoebe that Ryan pleaded guilty to stalking and kidnapping, and is now being held in a psychiatric facility.
Billie Ashford
Billie Ashford, played by Tessa de Josselin, made her first screen appearance on 27 April 2015. Details about her casting and character were released on 21 April 2015. Of joining the cast, De Josselin said "I was super chuffed. No doubt there was a huge grin on my face for the rest of the week. It's a cool thing when hard work pays off and you know you've been given an opportunity to do what you love." Billie is the younger sister of Martin Ashford (George Mason), who tried to track her down after he was released from prison. Mason commented, "Billie is the only family Ash has left, and he feels they need to make amends now he is out of jail." Describing Billie, de Josselin said "Billie's super upfront and sometimes lacks a social filter." Billie and Ash were reunited at their brother Luke's graveside on Anzac Day. The character was killed off on the 15 February 2017.
Charlotte King
Charlotte King, played by Erika Heynatz, made her first screen appearance on 25 June 2015. The character and casting was announced on 11 January 2015. Heynatz began filming on-set during the week commencing 12 January. Of her casting, Heynatz commented "Just like with any new job or new environment, there are always some nerves. But ultimately, I am really thrilled. It feels like the perfect timing, the perfect role and the character is going to be a lot of fun to play." Charlotte is a biology teacher, who joined the staff at the local high school. She later explained that Charlotte comes to Summer Bay for a fresh start, something that Haynatz related to, but would be hiding "a secret history". Debbie Schipp for news.com.au commented that Charlotte would not have a low key arrival, while Heynatz added "there is no slinking into the show in the background – she definitely makes an entrance." The character was killed off by Josh Barrett in the season finale on 9 December 2015.
James Edmunds
James Edmunds, played by Myles Pollard, made his first screen appearance on 9 July 2015. Pollard's casting was announced in March 2015. He previously appeared in Home and Away in 2007 as Dane Jordans. Of his workload this time around, Pollard said "The amount of scripts you have to learn daily is quite full on and also for me, playing a doctor and an academic, you have lots of exposition in the writing and a lot of that is jargon driven; lots of big words and only one or two takes to make it work."
James is a doctor and an associate professor. He was introduced as a love interest for established character Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker). Pollard explained that James was more of a challenge to play than Dane and would play an integral part in Roo's storyline. He commented, "He's an intelligent character and really cares for Roo and her family, he really values that relationship. He's more of a protagonist too, so he's driving the story more than the other character I played. It's more responsibility, which is nice." Emma Bergmeier-Varian from The West Australian described James as "charming and affable" and reported that he has a dark past, an aspect of the character Pollard enjoyed playing. He said that James had good intentions, but was flawed and complicated.
James comes to The Diner looking for his former school friend Roo Stewart, after they ran into each other at a conference. He offers her a teaching job at the university, before revealing that he is moving back to Summer Bay, as he has found work at the hospital. On Roo's first day at the university, James wishes her luck and later invites her out for coffee. They get on well and discuss their teaching methods. Roo then invites James to Casey Braxton's naming ceremony. They later go out on a proper date, but Roo acts strangely, prompting James to leave early. When he learns that she was nervous and had received some bad dating advice from her friends, he kisses her and they begin dating. They attend a dinner with Roo's friends and her father, Alf (Ray Meagher), who takes a dislike to James. James starts work at the local hospital and treats both Katarina Chapman (Pia Miller) and Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons). James asks Roo and Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi) to move in with him. James tells Roo that his parents will be attending their house warming party, but he later tells her they cannot make it.
Maddy becomes suspicions of James when she learns he has two phones, while Denny Miller (Jessica Grace Smith) remembers seeing him at the university with a young girl she assumed was his daughter. James proposes to Roo and she accepts. They try to get married quickly, but Alf stops the wedding after learning that there is no record of James having worked at the Blue Mountains Hospital. James assures Roo that he simply went by his middle name instead. James suffers burn injuries when he tries to stop an aerosol can from being thrown into a fire. At the hospital, Roo comes face to face with his wife Megan (Sophie Gregg) and learns that they have two children. James apologises for lying and Roo ends their engagement, but continues the relationship. After James admits that his parents are actually dead, she breaks up with him and tells him to get help.
Hunter King
Hunter King, played by Scott Lee, made his first screen appearance on 27 July 2015. Lee's casting was revealed when he appeared alongside the cast at the Logie Awards in May 2015. The role marks Lee's acting debut and he called it "very exciting". Lee described his character as being "angsty, brooding and moody". He added that Hunter would cause some trouble between some of the established couples within Summer Bay. Hunter is the son of Charlotte King (Erika Heynatz) and he follows her to the Bay, so he can finally meet his father Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen). In 2016, Lee confirmed that he would be leaving the show at the end of 2017 to pursue his acting career in the United States. Lee stated, "I'm excited. The times I've had has gone so quickly and I've learnt a lot as an actor."
Tank Snelgrove
Wayne "Tank" Snelgrove, played by Reece Milne, made his first screen appearance on 9 September 2015. Milne's casting and character details were confirmed on 5 September. He originally auditioned for the role of Hunter King, but Scott Lee was cast instead. One month later he was offered the role of Tank. Milne described his character as "every bad boy cliche rolled into one" and "cunning". He said Tank would have secrets, which intrigues Evelyn MacGuire (Philippa Northeast), who meets him on the beach. Tank departed the show in October 2015, but returned in April 2016. He was romantically linked into a relationship with Skye Peters, who is a friend of his ex-girlfriend, Evelyn. Tank departed on 2 June 2016 with Skye.
Tank accidentally bumps into Evelyn MacGuire on the beach. He apologises and tells her that he will see her around. They later run into each other at Angelo's and Tank asks Evie for her number. They later meet up for a date at the beach. Evie's ex-boyfriend, Josh Barrett (Jackson Gallagher) notices Tank and Evie together, and he tries to warn Evie off him. Tank and Evie spend more time together and consummate their relationship, but they forget to use protection. After spending the evening at his place, Evie questions Tank's commitment to her, after a comment from one of his friends. Tank flirts with Maddy Osborne (Kassandra Clementi), leading Evie to ask if they can slow their relationship down. Tank becomes angry and walks away. She later witnesses Tank arguing with Greg Snelgrove (Paul Gleeson) on the beach and Tank reveals that Greg is his father. He tells Evie that Greg is physically abusive towards him. Tank gets a tattoo with the letter "E" for Evelyn on his arm and they confess their love for each other. Evie's love for Tank gets stronger. Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) confronts Greg about him abusing Tank but Greg says that he did not do it and Tank is manipulative. At Maddy's 18th birthday party Tank wants to meet up with Evie but she does not want to leave the party so Tank brings a lot of his mates to Maddy's party.