Chris Pappas (Neighbours)

Neighbours' executive producer Susan Bower said the creation of the character and his storyline was a result of requests from young viewers in the Neighbours website forums. Bower said that Chris's coming out storyline was also based on the real life experiences of the shows writers. The part was given to Jordan Patrick Smith, but an offer to play the role of Chris arrived three days later. He began filming his first scenes in October 2009, before making his on-screen debut in February 2010. Mason said that he was "really excited to get an opportunity like this" and added the writers had helped him out as the script was coming straight from their experiences. Bower praised Mason, saying that he "does a wonderful job." ATV said that the writer were "stumped" as to what to do with the character and his story. On becoming a regular cast member, Mason told Channel 5, "I love it. The more time I spend on Neighbours, the more I feel part of the show. And I'm learning all the time. The thing about this industry is it's very hard to find stable work, so to have stability, I'm extremely grateful." ==Development==

Coming out Neighbours had featured a few short-term or minor male gay characters before for plot points or small story arcs, but Chris was the first male gay character to be given a prominent role. The following year a gay schoolteacher, Andrew Watson (Chris Uhlman), became the victim of a dismissal campaign by his pupils. The storyline follows Chris's struggle with his sexuality and depicts the reactions of his friends and family. It also deals with the issue of homophobia in sport. The Australian gay and lesbian newspaper, SX News said "Chris is the captain of the school basketball team, but once word he's gay gets out to the other teams it turns nasty for him". He said that it was not confirmed, but there was a chance that Chris would find someone. Aidan and Chris formed the serial's first gay couple. She explained "Chris is a naturally shy person – he is not a person who either flaunts his sexuality or his heart. So it will be done according to that character. And it may not be a full-on relationship. The character that Bob is playing is older and further down the track with his relationship testing, so it will be a relationship story rather than a gay male romance." Chris meets Aidan when he is brought into the hospital following a "vicious beating". Aidan provides a source of kindness and support for Chris. He later takes his car to the local garage to be serviced and flirts with Chris, who is initially unaware of what is going on. The appearance of Chris' father, George (Lliam Amor), makes the situation worse and when Aidan asks Chris out for a drink, he turns him down. Chris is initially anxious and on edge, until he realises Aidan is having fun and he relaxes. On 9 April 2012, Aidan and Chris shared their first on-screen kiss. The couple, who had not shown any sign of physical affection until that point, shared "a rather passionate embrace" during a house party. Bower had previously promised that it would not be "sensationalist or token" and the low-key scene earned praise from viewers on social networking sites. The break up occurs after Aidan learns Chris has not told his parents that they are in a relationship. Mason said that Chris is fine with his friends knowing about his relationship, but it is different story when it comes to his parents. His father has not always made things easy for him in the past, so he does not give him and his mother a chance to get to know Aidan. Chris ends the relationship over Aidan's dishonesty. Chris learns that he has agreed to keep Andrew's epilepsy diagnosis a secret and he has also been suspended from the hospital. When Aidan gets into a fight and hides it, Chris becomes "exasperated enough" to break up with him. Warren makes his prejudice against gay people clear to Chris, Speaking to an Inside Soap columnist, Mason revealed that the scenes were filmed in such a "suspenseful way" that the audience does not see who the attacker is. They see someone reach for a wrench in the dark and come up behind Chris and strike him. During a charity camp-out, which has been organised by Georgia, Scotty visits Chris' tent during the night and says something that makes Chris believe he is making a romantic advance towards him. Uhlich explained that "There's no mistaking this as Scotty hitting on Chris. He's really put it out there now, but Chris doesn't go for it. So he kicks Scotty out of the house, but even then Scotty doesn't realise what the kiss means." Hii commented, "Chris is trying to keep his cards close to his chest, but by the same token, Hudson is also a new guy to this neighbourhood and isn't quite sure who he can be open to and show his true colours to." Mason said Chris is still fragile after Aidan and he does not want to get hurt, so he is "pretty hard" on Hudson, but neither one of them are happy that things between them have ended so soon. Shortly after, Josh returned and hit Chris with a coward punch, causing him to fall and hit his head on a rock. Kyle and Georgia found Chris unconscious and he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Mason thought that Chris might be able to forgive Josh in the future, but it would be "a long process", and he would have to deal with the fact that his life had changed forever due to the attack first. Chris was also worried that he had developed epilepsy like Andrew did, but doctors informed him that the seizure was a temporary symptom of his brain injury. Chris's exit storyline saw him decide to be a full-time father to his child with Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell), and move to New York. On 7 May 2022, Dan Seddon of Digital Spy reported that Mason was reprising his role for the show's final episodes to be broadcast later in the year. ==Storylines==

After being scammed by Andrew Robinson and Harry Ramsay into buying a manual on how to win a girlfriend, Chris befriends them and Summer Hoyland. Chris joins the basketball team and is later elected captain. He also begins dating Summer, which makes Harry jealous. Andrew gets Chris fired from his job as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool when he throws a party that gets out of control. To make things up to Chris, Andrew helps him get a job at the local gym. Summer becomes annoyed when Chris forgives Andrew so easily and then allows himself to be influenced by him into skipping school. Chris also ends up in a fight with Kyle Canning when he defends Andrew. Michael Williams (Sandy Winton) becomes concerned about Chris's behaviour and Chris later tells him he is confused about Andrew, leading Michael to realise Chris is gay. When Michael's daughter, Natasha, spreads a rumour that a Year 11 student is gay, several people believe it is Summer. The rumours start to affect Chris and he comes out to his class. When Andrew realises Chris has feelings for him and is annoyed. Chris is suspended from school when he gets into a fight with a rival basketball captain. When his parents find out about the fight and that he is gay, they throw Chris out and he stays with Summer. She later breaks down and reveals that she is struggling with his sexuality. Chris reassures her that it is not her fault he is gay and their friendship becomes stronger. Chris befriends Natasha and helps her and Summer to make up when they fall out. After receiving lower grades than expected, Chris reconsiders attending university. He gets a job at Fitzgerald Motors, upsetting his father, George, who wants him to go to university. To keep George happy, Chris begins attending TAFE. A customer, Warren Burrell, makes derogatory comments about gay people and makes Chris feel uncomfortable. Warren's son, Blake, befriends Chris and apologises for his father. Warren witnesses them playing pool and warns Chris to stay away from Blake. Chris is later attacked while working and Lucas takes him to the hospital, but Chris leaves before getting his x-rays. He later collapses and Rhys Lawson has to perform emergency surgery to get Chris breathing again. Nurse Aidan Foster is assigned to look after Chris. Chris later turns down Aidan's offer of a drink; but Natasha encourages him to spend time with Aidan. Chris becomes jealous when Aidan goes on a date with another guy and eventually manages to ask Aidan out. Chris and Aidan begin dating. Aidan encourages Chris to tell his parents about them, but Chris admits that he is struggling to and worries how his father will react. Chris chooses not to invite Aidan to his birthday party, which is hosted by his family, and Aidan breaks up with him. Chris tells his parents about his relationship and they assure him that they would have accepted it. During a car journey to the city, Chris and his friends find Sophie Ramsay (Kaiya Jones) hiding in the boot of his car. Andrew pressures Chris into allowing Sophie to sit on Summer's lap. An argument between Andrew and Natasha breaks out and when Andrew bumps Chris' arm, he loses control of the car and crashes. Chris blames himself for the accident and Andrew's father, Paul (Stefan Dennis), tries to sue him. The police fine Chris and he loses his license for six months. Chris and Aidan get back together and Chris moves into 26 Ramsay Street. Chris becomes frustrated with Aidan when he does not confide in him about his feelings or accept help from him. When Aidan goes back on his promise to be more open and honest, Chris breaks up with him. Chris suffers a flashback to the crash and damages a Lassiter's car. Ralphie Mahone (Daniel Bowden) fixes the car and in return, he asks Chris to rework some vehicles for him. Chris comes clean to Lucas, who calls the police. Ralphie threatens Chris, but Mason Turner (Taylor Glockner) intervenes and gets rid of Ralphie. Georgia Brooks's boyfriend, Scotty, makes sexual advances towards Chris. When Georgia finds out, she starts avoiding Chris, but they later make up. Chris befriends Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow) when he sees she is being bullied. Amber develops a crush on Chris and he is forced to tell her that nothing will ever happen between them. Chris begins dating competitive swimmer Hudson Walsh (Remy Hii). Chris breaks up with Hudson when he learns that he is taking performance-enhancing drugs. Chris and Hudson later get back together. Hudson confesses to running down Amber's ex-boyfriend Robbo Slade (Aaron Jakubenko). He apologises to Chris and then refuses to see him again. When he has trouble sleeping, Chris gets a prescription for sleeping pills. Kyle and his grandmother, Sheila (Colette Mann), later find Chris collapsed in the garden and Karl tells Chris to stop taking the sleeping pills. Chris ignores his advice and starts sleepwalking. Chris also has a series of one-night stands and gets two warnings at work from his new boss, Danni Ferguson (Laura McIntosh). Chris is arrested when he punches Josh Willis, who spoke to a journalist about Chris and Hudson's relationship. Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer) drives Chris to the prison, so he can see Hudson and sort things out. Hudson tells Chris that he cut off contact as he needed time to prepare himself for prison. Chris asks Hudson to give their relationship another go and he agrees. Chris keeps Hudson's incarceration a secret from his parents, so he is angered when Sonya Rebecchi (Eve Morey) inadvertently reveals his secret to his mother, Patricia (Katerina Kotsonis). When Patricia is later arrested for theft, Chris learns that she is a gambling addict and Sonya knew. Chris's knee is badly injured when Danni's ex-boyfriend Stephen Montague (Damian Hill) attacks him. He undergoes surgery and the flirts with nurse Will Dempier (Christian Heath) when he suffers a reaction to the analgesic. Chris becomes frustrated when Hudson is not there for him, and questions how he can be in a relationship and feel so alone. He decides to ask Will out for a drink, but later cancels. Chris collapses due to complications from his surgery and is readmitted to hospital. He apologises to Will for cancelling on him and then tells him about Hudson. During Chris's next visit to Hudson, he appears distracted and when Hudson asks him if he is seeing someone else, Chris hesitates and Hudson breaks up with him. Chris tells Hudson about Will and how lonely he is. Hudson does not want Chris to date him out of guilt, and they say goodbye. Chris spends some time with Will and they begin dating, but the relationship ends when Will's dog, Napoleon, bites Kyle's dog Bossy, and Will refuses to accept responsibility or apologise. Chris befriends Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) and she asks him to father her child, to which Chris replies that he needs time to decide. Chris meets Nate Kinski and they arrange to go a picnic for their first date. Chris is shocked when Nate attacks a drunk guy for harassing Paige Smith (Olympia Valance), but Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) convinces him to give Nate a second chance. When Chris asks Nate to open up about his time in the army and Afghanistan, Nate gets physical with him. Nate promises that it will not happen again and asks Chris not to push him about opening up until he is ready. During Georgia and Kyle's joint hen and bucks night, Chris is punched by an unseen assailant and he hits his head. Kyle and Georgia find him and he is rushed to hospital, and placed in an induced coma. Josh later confesses to punching Chris. When Chris wakes up, he struggles to remember words and his right side is weakened. Chris is allowed leave from the hospital to attend Georgia and Kyle's wedding. After he is discharged from hospital, Nate becomes Chris's carer. Chris decides to return to work at the garage but is unable to do the work and is sent home. Chris later suffers a seizure and is admitted to hospital. He is forced to quit his job as he can no longer handle the workload due to his injuries. Josh's mother, Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou), offers Chris a job as a trainee manager at Lassiter's Hotel, which Nate persuades him to accept. Lucy returns and Chris rejects her offer of being father to her child when Nate confesses he does not want children; however, Chris changes his mind when Nate supports him. Nate later helps Chris and Lucy see that they need to think the idea through more thoroughly, and they draw up a contract detailing how their child will be raised. When they learn that they are both carriers of spinal muscular atrophy, Chris tells Lucy that she should find another donor. But when Chris sees how down Lucy is, he changes his mind and they go ahead with the insemination. A couple of weeks later, Lucy calls Chris to tell him that she is pregnant. Chris plans to visit New York for the scan, but Nate confesses he is banned from the States for overstaying his visa there previously. Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) agrees to help lift the ban, but Nate misses a meeting and Chris accuses him of not taking it seriously. Lucy returns for a visit and Chris decides he wants to split his time between Erinsborough and New York when the baby comes, although Nate is against this idea. Nate realises that they want different things, and they break-up. Chris then decides to move to New York with Lucy and leaves after a farewell party at The Waterhole. A few months later, Amber contacts Chris and Lucy via video call after learning that they have had a daughter. Chris and Lucy introduce her to Annie, and Chris asks Amber to say hello to Nate for him. ==Reception==

For his portrayal of Chris, Mason was nominated for the Most Popular New Male Talent accolade at the 2012 Logie Awards. In 2014, Mason won the Soap Extra Award for Most Topical Storyline for Chris' coward punch storyline with Josh Willis. The character's inclusion in Neighbours and his storyline has received a positive reaction from the public, television critics and LGBT websites. Chris's coming out episode, which was broadcast on 10 August 2010, was seen by 679,000 viewers in Australia. David Knox of Citysearch Melbourne said that the inclusion of Chris in the show is "a positive step with its juvenile audience". Knox added that following the "gay kiss scandal" on Home and Away, "the test for Neighbours will be not just the coming out, but whether he remains in the show after this storyline subsides". They added that the decision to play it out at a school would have viewers in a similar situation identifying with the storyline. Anthony D. Langford from website, AfterElton said he found it "humorous" that Neighbours emphasizes what a gentleman Chris is compared to Andrew. He said "It's like they're almost saying if you're a nice guy who's not all over your girlfriend you must be gay. But on television that's usually the case". Langford added "I do like that Chris isn't a perfect kid. Many shows tend to make gay teens near saints. Instead, he's a fairly average kid who makes mistakes and messes up, like starting a fight at a basketball game. He opined that there is not a hint of romance between the two and wondered why people assumed that if a gay character shares a scene with another guy, they must get together. Langford revealed that he liked Chris and Lucas's mentor and mentee relationship as it is. In 2011, Mason revealed that he has had a positive reaction to his character from viewers and he has been receiving mail from people who have had similar experiences, who appreciate what Neighbours is doing. ''Inside Soap's staff said that they could not wait to see how Chris would get on with Aidan. They added that it was "high time he had a boyfriend". Of the Chris and Scotty storyline, Melinda Houston from The Sun-Herald wrote "Good on Neighbours'' for not just having an ongoing gay character but using him to explore some interesting issues. ==References==