Natasha Williams (Neighbours)

In early 2010, it was announced that three new characters – Doug Harris (Mahesh Jadu), Michael Williams (Sandy Winton) and Natasha Williams –were to join Neighbours in the following months. Novakovic, a performing arts college graduate, was cast in the role of Natasha. The actress had been studying architecture at university, before she chose to move into acting. Shortly after her casting was announced, Novakovic revealed that the role of Natasha was her first acting job and that while she would always be interested in architecture, she really wanted to enjoy the experience on Neighbours. Novakovic moved from Sydney to Melbourne, where Neighbours is filmed, for the role. She is three years older than the character she portrays. ==Development==

Characterisation Before she entered Neighbours, Natasha was described as being "spirited, rebellious and conniving". Channel Five's Holy Soap website described her as being a "teen rebel". After she entered the show, Network Ten described Natasha as having a "major attitude" and a "burning desire to rule the school." They also go on to explain that Natasha never misses an opportunity to be the centre of attention and does whatever it takes to be noticed. However, Natasha really wants to get her father's attention and she chooses to rebel, so that he notices her. During an interview, executive producer Susan Bower explained that Natasha is "a teenage troublemaker who is actually really, really clever". Natasha wants to be a famous model, she loves to gossip and she knows how to get the boy's attentions. She also hoped that she is not as irritating as Natasha in real life and added "I'm not a manipulative teenage girl who's forever wanting everything her own way." She later said that as she has played the villain for over a year, she would like to show Natasha's "softer, funnier side." Novakovic also hoped that her future storylines could see Natasha's background and her relationship with her mother explored and developed. Family In order to form the father-daughter bond needed for their respective roles, both Novakovic and Winton introduced each other to their families. The actors spent a lot of time together in order to ensure they were comfortable together on and off screen. Bower revealed Natasha has her father wrapped around her finger. Winton stated that Michael wishes Natasha would stop lying to him and hoped she would get her act together, so they could have some semblance of a father/daughter relationship. Natasha finds the situation weird and she is hurt by her father's actions. Novakovic said Natasha is disappointed in herself for hurting Michael so much. In July 2011, it was announced Natasha's long lost aunt, Emilia (played by Freya Stafford), would be introduced. The Neighbours official website said Emilia's arrival would dig up a lot of secrets and she plays a "pivotal role in Natasha's teenage angst." Novakovic revealed Natasha and Emilia had met before, but Natasha was a toddler and does not remember her. The actress said Natasha and Emilia begin meeting each other in secret and get along well. TV Soap said "She's usually the one calling the shots and doing the dumping, but young Natasha is about to find out what it's like on the other side of the fence". A love triangle between Natasha, Andrew and Summer is formed. Natasha's feelings for Andrew grow when they organise a party together, but she notices Andrew's concern for Summer when she collapses and warns Summer away from Andrew. Natasha later asks Andrew if he loves her, but he does not reply. Andrew tells Natasha that he is going to business meeting, but he meets Summer instead. Fake pregnancy A couple of months later, Natasha discovers Andrew is cheating on her with Summer. Natasha is hurt and angry and she lies to Andrew about being pregnant. Of Natasha's rash decision, Novakovic explained "She is hurt and the whole cheating thing has really crushed her. She feels like the fool, no one goes behind her back. And she feels they are pitying her because of her injury [the burn she sustained in the fire] and [she] really hates that." Summer realises that Natasha has been lying about being pregnant and reveals the truth in front of Andrew and Natasha's father, shocking Natasha. Andrew does not take the news well and Michael blames himself for his daughter's actions. A source told the magazine: "Tash sets her sights on somebody who isn't necessarily good for her." The Daily Star reported that Ivan would then betray Natasha by showing the pictures to his friends. Natasha's classmates find out about the pictures and it causes a scandal at her school. Natasha enjoys the attention she receives, but when Michael realises what she did, he chooses to disown his daughter and tells her that he does not care what she gets up to. Natasha searches for nose jobs online, before stealing her father's credit card and booking herself in for a procedure. A writer for Channel 5 revealed in March 2012, that Natasha would be introduced to the hobby of LARPing, by a new guy who has "a surprising impact on her". The following month, it was announced that Sebastian Gregory had joined the cast of Neighbours as "maths genius" Ed Lee, Natasha's new love interest. Shortly after she drops out of her arts course at university, Natasha meets Ed in Charlie's. She initially believes he is trying to ask her out on a date, but is embarrassed when she realises that she has misread the signals. While they are celebrating the completion of the phone app, Natasha and Ed embrace and almost share a kiss. However, the moment is ruined when Andrew calls Natasha. ==Storylines==

Natasha models for a PirateNet advertising campaign, where she meets Andrew Robinson and Summer Hoyland. Natasha gets into trouble with her father, Michael (Sandy Winton), after he finds out she lied by saying she was eighteen on the consent form. He threatens to sue the station owner and Andrew's father, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). Natasha and Andrew work together to change the posters, so they are no longer revealing. They then attend a concert together and kiss at the end of the night. Natasha clashes with Summer and starts a rumour that her boyfriend, Chris Pappas (James Mason), bought the basketball team captaincy. Her relationship with her father is strained further when he learns she started the rumour. The schools English teacher, Libby Kennedy (Kym Valentine), discovers Natasha is hiding her maths skills and makes her join the Mathletes as a punishment. Natasha wonders if Andrew is only with her because of her looks and she becomes insecure about their relationship. Natasha and Andrew break up and Natasha briefly dates Kyle Canning. Natasha discovers that a student in her class is gay and tries to out them, the resulting rumours lead Chris to reveal he is gay. Michael starts dating Ruby Rogers (Yesse Spence) and Natasha tries to sabotage the relationship. She reveals that she does not want to see Michael get hurt. Natasha becomes head of the school social committee and she bullies the other members, in particular Sophie Ramsay (Kaiya Jones), into voting for the things she wants. Natasha notices that Andrew is spending time with Summer and she steals the social money, causing the event to be cancelled. Natasha convinces Andrew to throw a party and they get back together. Michael discovers Natasha took the money and suspends her. Natasha later warns Summer to stay away from Andrew. When she notices Summer's house is on fire, Natasha runs in to rescue her. Michael finds Natasha and they, along with Summer and Andrew, are rescued by firefighters. Natasha sustains a burn on her neck and she becomes insecure about it. Natasha sees Andrew and Summer kissing, which leaves her devastated. To stop Andrew from breaking up with her, Natasha tells him she is pregnant. Michael, though initially angry, tells his daughter that he will support her. Andrew books Natasha in for an ultrasound scan and after trying to get out of it, Natasha buys fake ultrasound images over the internet. She convinces Andrew not to come into the doctor's office with her and she gives him the fake pictures. Summer reveals the images are fake and Natasha explains that she lied because Andrew cheated on her. Michael tells Natasha that he no longer trusts her and she becomes ostracised at school. Natasha is thrown off the Mathletes team and Lisa Devine (Sophie Tilson) takes her place as the most popular girl in the school. Chris befriends Natasha and she and Summer apologise to each other for their actions. Chris and Natasha try to get Summer and Andrew back together and Natasha successfully challenges Lisa for the Mathletes captaincy. Feeling lonely, Natasha goes out clubbing and meets Ivan DeMarco (Ben Knight), an older man. Michael discovers the relationship and bans Natasha from seeing Ivan. However, Natasha continues to see him in secret and when Ivan asks her for some naked pictures, she sends him some. Natasha learns Ivan has been showing the pictures to his friends and that they are on the internet. She initially lies to Michael about who took the photos, but Michael learns the truth from Ivan. Natasha becomes desperate to win her father's favour back and she sprays the street with derogatory graffiti about herself. However, Michael discovers she was responsible for the graffiti and he disowns her. After she is taunted about her appearance, Natasha decides to get rhinoplasty and uses Michael's credit card to pay the deposit. Natasha then sells some of her father's records to raise the money and Michael decides to send her to a boarding school. He changes his mind after Natasha nearly drowns in the pool at Number 30 and their relationship begins to improve. Natasha begins looking for information about her mother, Helena, and learns that her aunt Emilia lives in Australia. Without revealing her identity, Natasha meets Emilia at a fashion shoot. Emilia works out Natasha is her niece and comes to Erinsborough to talk to her. Natasha learns her mother drowned and she demands the truth about her death. Michael reveals that Helena was not a strong swimmer, but she went into the sea to save Natasha. When he became aware of what was happening, he could only save one of them. Michael reassures Natasha that Helena's death was not her fault. Michael collapses and undergoes surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer, causing Natasha to blame herself for his condition. However, she learns that Michael caught Summer cheating on her exam the day he collapsed and falls out with her friends, as they let her blame herself for what happened. After receiving her exam results, Natasha decides to study Contemporary Arts at university. Michael and Emilia reveal that they are dating and Natasha accepts their relationship. However, when she learns that they were having affair at the time Helena died, Natasha takes Michael's panel van and sets it on fire. Natasha remains angry with her father and after asking him to leave her alone, she learns he has gone to Serbia with Emilia. Natasha throws a house party, but it gets out of control and the street is trashed. When Natasha is fined by the police, she is forced to seek employment to earn some money. She competes with Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer) for a job at Charlie's and Celeste McIntyre (Cassandra Magrath) gives them both a two-week trial. When Michael informs her that he is selling the house, Natasha tries to put off potential buyers and decides to sabotage Kate's chances of getting the job at Charlie's. Natasha becomes upset when Mason Reeves (Carter Doyle) tries to ask her out, revealing that he saw her pictures online. Jade Mitchell (Gemma Pranita) comforts Natasha and opens up to her about an abusive relationship that she was once in. Celeste gives Natasha the waitressing job at Charlie's and she moves in with Summer and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), after her house is sold. Natasha also decides to drop out of her university course, upon realising that it is not right for her. Natasha meets Ed Lee (Sebastian Gregory) at Charlie's and offers to help him solve a maths equation, but he dismisses her. When she solves the problem, he invites her to a maths club. Natasha later transfers to his calculus course and Ed helps her with conditional probability, which they use to predict the outcome of a game of cards. They decide to play a game of Blackjack with a group of guys at Charlie's, but are forced to stop when a couple of police officers walks in. Natasha convinces Ed to hold a game at the Men's Shed, so they can continue to test the theory and make some money. Andrew comes up with an idea to use the theory to make an odds calculator mobile app. When Natasha goes to asks Ed about the idea, he introduces her to the hobby of LARPing, before agreeing to sign Andrew's contract. Natasha spends more time with Ed and attends a comic swap with him. Shortly before a press conference for the app, Ed finds an error and he and Natasha work together to fix it. While they are celebrating, Natasha and Ed almost kiss. Andrew asks Natasha to talk to a blogger about the app without Ed, which she thinks is wrong. When Ed learns what has happened, he accuses Natasha and Andrew of using him. Natasha tries to apologise, but Ed insists that she and Andrew pay him for his help and then they can go their separate ways. Ed and Natasha eventually make up and she asks him out on a date. Andrew reveals that an offer has been made for the app, but Natasha refuses to sell it. During a car journey to the city with her friends, Natasha learns that Andrew faked her signature to sell the app behind her back and an argument breaks out. Andrew tries to stop Natasha from calling the police and he bumps Chris' arm, causing him to lose control of the car and crash. Natasha frees herself from the car, before pulling Ed from the wreckage. At the hospital, Natasha blames Andrew for the crash. She learns Ed has a fractured collarbone and sits with him until he wakes up. When he does, Natasha kisses him. They begin dating, but Natasha worries that they do not have much in common. Natasha helps organise a ball for the university and takes an immediate dislike to Ed's vintage suit. She spills coffee on it and then lends Ed a nicer one that she found. Ed realises what she has done and they fight. After apologising to each other, Natasha decides to break up with Ed, as they are too different. When Natasha finds Andrew having a fit in Charlie's, she learns that he has epilepsy. She agrees to keep it a secret. After he collapses, Natasha encourages Andrew to go to the hospital for tests. Before he can leave, he suffers a fit in front of Paul. Andrew initially blames Natasha for causing the fit when Paul takes Charlie's away from him. She then helps him to convince Paul to change his mind. Natasha and Andrew begin dating again in secret. They later decide to tell everyone and Summer reveals that she already knew and does not mind. Natasha later finds an old email from Andrew proclaiming his love for Summer and she begins to worry about her relationship with him. However, Andrew reassures her that he loves her and their relationship is different this time around. Natasha asks Andrew to take a month of celibacy, but they end up breaking it early. Natasha quits university and tells Andrew that she is leaving Erinsborough to travel around Europe. She asks Andrew to come with her and he agrees. They leave the following day with Paul's blessing. ==Reception==

For her portrayal of Natasha, Novakovic was included on the long list for the 2011 Most Popular New Talent Logie Award. A writer for Holy Soap said Natasha's most memorable moment was "Showing she could be a heroine as she rushed to rescue her friends from the Ramsay Street fire." Virginia Blackburn of the Daily Express nicknamed Natasha and Andrew "The Swot and The Slug" after learning about Natasha's talent for Maths. A reporter from The Sun-Herald branded Natasha a "teen rebel", while a TV Soap columnist stated that she was the new Izzy Hoyland of Neighbours. Michelle Duff of The Dominion Post called Natasha a "blonde-haired vixen." Duff also used Natasha's fake pregnancy storyline as an example of how life in Ramsay Street is more "melodramatic" than life in a real street. A writer for Channel 5 proclaimed the storyline was "arguably one of the soap's most jaw-dropping revenge plots." Holy Soap ran a poll on who Andrew should be with and 16,000 votes were cast, with 92% of viewers choosing Summer over Natasha. In June 2011, a Daily Record reporter called Natasha a "wayward teen" and said her relationship with Ivan was likely to end in tears. In August 2011, Anthony D. Langford of AfterElton commented "the show really needs a new direction for Tash. Her endless stunts and tricks are kind of boring at this point. Tash is a likeable character, and I love her friendship with Chris. But this character needs some growth and a new direction. And perhaps a love interest as well." Langford later said Natasha just simply asking Aidan Foster (Bobby Morley) if he was gay or straight was "so in character that you weren't shocked when she did it." ''All About Soap's'' Claire Crick praised Natasha's reaction to finding out that Michael and Emilia were having an affair at the time of her mother's death, saying "we can't help but love her rebellious revenge!" Crick explained "After being in the dark about her mum's death all her life, you can't blame Tash for lashing out, especially when she assumed that her dad was keeping things secret to protect her...when in actual fact he was just protecting his own sordid secret!" She added that she could not wait to see what happens next, "especially if it involves more from the tearaway teen – go, Tash!" A Channel 5 website writer commented that Natasha was "one of Neighbours' most colourful and controversial characters". ==References==