Dean Thompson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Patrick O'Connor. The character made his first screen appearance on 1 February 2018. The character was introduced as one of Home and Away's new River Boys, who are a fictional criminal gang that reside in Mangrove River. The show had previously included actors playing the River Boys in their regular cast, most notably the Braxton brothers. They became popular with viewers and were led by actor Steve Peacocke as Darryl Braxton. When O'Connor joined the show he felt pressured to live up to the "legacy" Peacocke had created on the show. He watched old episodes and researched the role with two former cast members who played River Boys.
Dean is characterised as "extremely loyal" and "protective" of his family and friends. He likes to try to be "the top dog" of his gang. Dean's affiliation with the River Boys meant that writers could develop crime stories for the character. He was given immediate links to other characters, such as his friend Ash (George Mason) and his ex-girlfriend Willow Harris (Sarah Roberts). The show also introduced a fellow River Boy, Colby Thorne (Tim Franklin) who left the gang to join the police force. Their troubled past and friendship is prominently featured in Dean's story. Writers paired Dean with Willow and her gambling addiction leads Dean into committing credit card fraud and robberies and leaving him in debt to a loan shark. To explore his backstory producers introduced Dean's family, which included his troubled mother Karen Thompson (Georgia Adamson), his long-lost father Rick Booth (Mark Lee) and a half-sister Kayla Booth (Audrey Blyde).
Casting
The character and O'Connor's casting were announced on 13 January 2018. The actor began filming his first scenes five months prior to the announcement. He had previously auditioned for other characters, and came close to securing the roles, before being cast as Dean. This is O'Connor's first acting role. Of joining the show, he stated "Home and Away is obviously known as a launch pad for many actors’ careers. Obviously going into the type of role that this is, being a River Boy and there being a story there already that is so big and well known, it means there is a legacy there to play around with and being a bad boy on the show is exciting." The character's appearance was first teased in a trailer showcasing some of the upcoming 2018 storylines. Dean made his first appearance on 1 February 2018.
The character's departure aired on 9 March 2023, after O'Connor decided to leave Home and Away. He thanked the show's crew and fans on his social media, writing "Well my friends my time as a river boy has come to an end. To @louise.bowes the woman who made it all possible, what a character you made. A boy from a broken family, now a man off on [a] new adventure of raising his own. Thank you for inducting me into the Blood & Sand." He praised the fans for making his time on Home and Away "unforgettable".
Development
Characterisation
Dean is a member of the show's River Boys group, who were introduced in 2011 with the arrival of the Braxton brothers. Dean was branded "the new bad boy of Summer Bay" by Jonathon Moran of The Daily Telegraph. O'Connor told a reporter from New Idea that playing a "bad boy on Home And Away is something a lot of actors want to do." He added that it allowed him to have fun with the drama the character creates. While O'Connor described him as "cheeky" and said that he loves AFL. The actor added that he likes that his character has tattoos, as he has always wanted one. O'Connor felt honoured to play a River Boy because he believed their backstory and role in Home and Away to be iconic. He told a 7plus reporter that "the role of a River Boy is appealing to me because of the rebellious nature of the character. As a teenager I’d always wanted to test the boundaries and I feel as though I can do that within the role of Dean."
The actor believed that Dean is "ambitious" and finds joy in being "the top dog". Dean has fought hard for anything he had in life and this shows during interactions with other characters. O'Connor also stated that the character "cares deeply about the people he loves, he’s fiercely loyal and he can become very protective of them." O'Connor described Dean as being "extremely loyal" and "quite protective" of friends and family, but criticised Dean's bad persona stating "the way he goes about things in life, I would never go down that path."