Connor O'Neill is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Patrick Harvey. He made his first screen appearance during the episode on 19 April 2002. Harvey was still in school when he won the role of Connor. He initially auditioned using an Australian accent, but later re-read for the part in his natural Northern Irish accent. The producers decided this would suit the role of Connor better. The character became well known for his friendship with Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) and his relationships with Michelle Scully (Kate Keltie), Carmella Cammeniti (Natalie Blair) and Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher). One storyline saw Connor have a one-night stand with Lori Lee (Michelle Ang), which resulted in the birth of their daughter, Madeleine (Madison Lu). Harvey decided to move on from Neighbours, so he could pursue other roles and Connor departed on 30 May 2006. In August 2012, it was announced Harvey had reprised his role for a four-week guest stint and Connor returned on 30 October. He departed on 27 November 2012.
Casting
Harvey was still in school when he secured the role. He had always wanted to act and hired an agent while he was living in Australia. It was then that the part in Neighbours "came along". When Harvey auditioned for the role of Connor, he did so with an Australian accent. He came back and re-read the part again in his Northern Irish accent and he was given the role. Casting director Jan Russ told a reporter from the BBC that Harvey did the best Australian accent she had ever heard, but she and the producers decided to give the character Harvey's natural accent.
Development
Characterisation
Connor was introduced to Neighbours as a friend of Jack Scully (Jay Bunyan). He was a backpacker from the United Kingdom who came to live with Jack's family. Connor was illiterate and on his arrival in Australia, he accidentally took Malcolm Kennedy's (Benjamin McNair) luggage. An Inside Soap writer called Connor an "enigmatic stranger". Connor befriended the show's other teenagers and he helped Nina Tucker (Delta Goodrem) overcome her shyness when it came to singing. Producers later decided to introduce Connor into the shared home at Number 30 with Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) and Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough), deeming it the "House of Trouser". The trio played out the serial's comedy stories and Harvey told Jason Herbison from Inside Soap that "the directors duck when they see us coming, we're forever coming up with our own ideas and adding little things in." A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website described Connor as "a splendid and thoughtful young man". A Channel 5 website reporter branded Connor a "lovable larrikin", while adding that he was "famed for a rather unique sense of style." In November 2012, Harvey told an Inside Soap writer that there would be no chance of Connor finding his "inner adult" anytime soon. He added "He's still a bit of a larrikin – nothing's changed there. But Connor's given some tough love while on Ramsay Street – and that could end up being a 'light bulb' moment for him..."
Relationships
Michelle Scully
Connor arrives in Australia on working visa which permits him to only work for the same employer for three months. He starts a relationship with Michelle Scully (Kate Keltie) and works for her father Joe Scully (Shane Connor). They later realise that the conditions of his visa have been broken as he carried on working for Joe outside the time limit. Keltie told Herbison that Michelle "panics" when immigration contact the Scully household. Upon receiving legal advice, Connor is told that deportation is likely. Michelle tells Connor "We've got to get out of here" and the pair go on the run where she comes up with a plan to marry Connor. Keltie explained that "it would be a solution to their problem, and even though neither of them are really ready for it, she's prepared to do it for Connor." He does not like the idea because he is scared of Joe's reaction. He does decide to see a priest and plays with the idea. The actress branded their actions as "completely ridiculous and irrational" because they are only sixteen. Keltie would have felt differently "if they really loved each other, but they haven't been together long enough to know." Michelle later left Connor to go to New York.