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Shane Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was originally played by Greg O'Meara from his first appearance on 8 September 1994. Shane was introduced along with his parents and two younger brothers. His first stint in the show ends with him going to prison after committing a string of robberies, before escaping and trying to convince his brother Stonefish Rebecchi (Anthony Engelman) to hide him. Shane's exit scenes aired on 25 July 1995. The character was reintroduced 22 years later on 17 April 2017, with actor Nicholas Coghlan cast in the role. He was introduced along with his wife Dipi Rebecchi (Sharon Johal) and daughters Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) and Kirsha Rebecchi (Vani Dhir), as part of a big expansion of the Rebecchi family. Executive producer Jason Herbison called Shane "one of the great untapped characters from Neighbours history".
Shane's fictional backstory details his rehabilitation from prison and subsequent move to Bourke, where he raised his family. Coghlan used his own personal experiences as "a bad boy" to help him with the role and he believed Shane had matured since his first stint. Shane is also portrayed as being calmer, fun loving and protective. He returns to Erinsborough to support his brother Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) through his marital issues, and is accompanied by his sister-in-law Mishti Sharma (Scarlet Vas), with whom he has a close friendship. The new Rebecchis were given immediate links with the show's characters, as Shane rents Number 32 Ramsay Street and takes over the lease of Harold's Café. Writers scripted a feud between Shane and neighbour Gary Canning (Damien Richardson), which begins when Gary loses Shane a potential investor. Gary later attacks Dipi, before befriending her, leading to jealousy from Shane.
Writers later established a friendship between Shane and his younger co-worker Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson), after she confides in him about being a donor match for David Tanaka (Takaya Honda). Anderson thought the friendship was unexpected and called it "an odd match", but said that Shane allows Roxy to be herself. The friendship is soon tested when Roxy kisses Shane and then tells Dipi. Johal said her character feels betrayed by Shane and that the kiss caused a breach of trust within Shane and Dipi's marriage. In 2020, the character was used to portray the problems of drug addiction. Shane takes amphetamines to help him keep up with his university coursework and cope with everyday life, as he suffers from low self-esteem. Coghlan was glad of the chance to take on a larger, more serious storyline. Roxy also becomes involved and Coghlan said Shane abuses their friendship, calling his actions towards her brutal and cruel. Coghlan's departure from the show was announced in March 2021, alongside Johal's.
Shane's wife Dipi Rebecchi (Sharon Johal) and daughters Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) and Kirsha Rebecchi (Vani Dhir) were also introduced alongside him, as part of "a major expansion" of the Rebecchi family. Of bringing back Shane, the show's executive producer Jason Herbison stated "Shane Rebecchi is one of the great untapped characters from Neighbours history. I'm delighted to welcome him back to Ramsay Street along with his beautiful wife, two children and sister-in-law, it's a great new chapter of the Rebecchi family." The new Rebecchis are an Indian-Australian family. Herbison said that he and the other produces felt it was important that the family "reflect the cultural diversity of the community and our audience." The commissioning editor for the show's UK broadcaster Channel 5, Greg Barnett added that "It's great to be expanding the Rebecchi family further. There'll be drama and intrigue from the moment they arrive."
Coghlan thought Shane had grown up and matured since his early days on the show, and said he was calmer and no longer desperate. Coghlan also called his character "pretty fun loving", and protective of his family, who he puts "at the heart of everything he does". Coghlan added "There's something in Shane that worries that he's not good enough as his brother Toadie is a successful lawyer; he feels as if he hasn't reached his full potential." Like the other members of his family, Shane has a fish nickname – Pufferfish. He is often styled in flannelette shirts and a stockman hat.
In July 2020, Coghlan called for the introduction of Shane and Dipi's son Jay Rebecchi, who has often been mentioned by his on-screen family. Coghlan explained that Jay is Shane and Dipi's middle child and he is away at a Sydney boarding school. Coghlan thought Jay's introduction would be good for his character, saying "I think a bright, young, male energy would be really good in that house. Shane is dominated by the women in the family. Someone who can bring out the silliness and 'House of Trouser' in Shane and his little brother, Toadie. That would be pretty fun." He added that Jay could also bring an element of comedy to the Rebecchi family and tap into their playful nature.
Another early storyline for the character focused on his invention of a solar-powered lawnmower and attempts to sell it to investors, which Kilkelly noted was "trickier than planned." The plot also involves Shane's family, who ask Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) to help market the lawnmower. He comes up several ideas on how to make it more marketable, including naming it Rolli. During a test run at Lassiters Lake, the lawnmower is accidentally driven into the lake, which leaves Shane in "a total slump" and feeling like a failure. He tells Dipi that he wants to give up on his hobby, as he has already invested too much time and money in it.
The second instance of the characters clashing occurs after Gary accidentally attacks Dipi on New Year's Eve, leaving her hospitalised. The men have another "Ramsay Street showdown" when Shane finds Gary apologising to and bonding with Dipi in his house. Shane "unleashes his anger" at Gary and physically manhandles him outside and throws him into the street. Some viewers believed that the friendship between Dipi and Gary would lead to an affair storyline for them, but Johal dismissed the theory saying that they were not well matched. The storyline was revisited in 2019, as Shane becomes jealous over Dipi and Gary's friendship. Things between Shane and Dipi are strained by Kirsha's departure for a Sydney school and his decision to help Toadie with a lawsuit against Lassiters, which could affect Dipi's business. Dipi "seeks solace" in Gary, who is going through a break up, and they spend a lot of time together. Shane catches them when he attempts to apologise and he "begins to resent their closeness" when Dipi helps Gary out at his restaurant, The 82. Shane then decides that he will "cause some chaos" in their friendship.
The close friendship between the pair leads Roxy to kiss Shane, affecting his marriage. The development comes after Roxy and Shane's boss Sheila Canning (Colette Mann) attempts to keep them apart at work, having noticed their bond. However, her plans fails when the pair are left to work alone one night, which leads to Roxy kissing Shane. Shane is taken by surprise and he pulls away, before leaving. He later tells Roxy that he wants to confess everything to Dipi, but Roxy asks Shane to keep it to himself, as she does not want to be known as a "homewrecker". Anderson thought that Roxy was a little hurt by Shane wanting to tell Dipi. She continued "The last thing she wants is to upset anyone. As long as Shane's happy, though, that's all that Roxy cares about." Dipi learns of the kiss from Roxy and moves in with the Cannings, leaving Shane wondering if he will be able to win back his wife. Johal said that the kiss had caused "a breach of trust" in Shane and Dipi's marriage, and pointed out that Shane has history of not telling Dipi things up front. She continued "Dipi feels betrayed by the person she loves most in the world. By Shane not telling her about it himself, she was put in a situation where she ended up being humiliated publicly."
As scenes showing Gary supporting Dipi aired, Alice Penwill of Inside Soap speculated that Shane might have something to worry about. But Johal told her that despite the grief Shane gave her over their friendship, Dipi truly sees Gary as a platonic friend; he just understands how she is feeling. Johal also said that Shane and Dipi's marriage is not "dire", but Dipi is concerned about their difficulties in communicating. She called them "an incredibly strong couple" who had lost their way. The characters' marriage comes under further strain when Dipi kisses Gary. She is "mortified" by her actions and vows to tell Shane straight away, but their neighbour Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), having witnessed the kiss, gets there first.
Coghlan was excited to receive the storyline, telling Radio Times' Johnathon Hughes that it was "something big and meaty to get my teeth into". He later explained to Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that Shane had not had an "'A-storyline' or story arc" since his introduction, and the majority of his plots had been on the fun side. Coghlan felt the serious nature of the storyline had tested him. He told Kilkelly "It's probably the first time I've really been put through my acting paces in a real sense. So it's good. It's been a long time coming, I suppose, but it's been really good to stretch the muscles." The actor also told Kilkelly that the storyline appears to resolve quite quickly, but it is only the beginning of a longer term arc. He commented that there is "a lot of trauma to be explored in this storyline, on lots of different characters." Coghlan believed the plot tapped into the character's past, saying "Because of Shane's criminal past in his backstory there's always been a darkness that needed to be revealed at some point. Maybe this is just the beginning!"
Coghlan told Hughes that stress over his studies was the main reason Shane started using drugs, as well as difficulty coping with everyday life. In addition to those issues, Coghlan also felt that plans for Shane and Dipi's 20th wedding anniversary contributed to Shane's notion that he is a failure, and stated that Shane has "a warped sense of masculine pride". Coghlan later explained that his character suffers from low self-esteem, and he feels worthless and like "he hasn't amounted to much in his life". He also worries about being judged by people, but especially his wife. Getting his degree would mean that he has been successful at something. He added "The course that he's taking is an accelerated programme – it's three years compressed into one or something like that! So the pressure is great and he's not coping." The actor confirmed that Shane initially took ADHD medication, before moving onto amphetamines to help him stay awake. Describing Shane's mindset about the drugs, Coghlan explained "This is typical impulsive behaviour from Shane, he has no concept of consequences and acts out based on a current need. He thought it wouldn't do much harm and he'd deal with the fallout later."
Roxy also becomes involved in the storyline, after she finds a bag of drugs in men's bathroom at The Waterhole and Shane admits that they belong to him. Roxy demands that Shane gets clean or she will tell Dipi, so Shane decides to go cold turkey in a hotel room. When asked how Shane gets Roxy to keep his secret, Coghlan replied that like any good addict, he bargains with her and tells her about his plan to go cold turkey. Coghlan called it "a complicated exchange", and believed that Shane was abusing his friendship with Roxy, as he knows she trusts him. He continued, "Their dynamic is reversed, Shane is now the wrongdoer, he is the child and Roxy is the adult!" Coghlan praised the scenes for being an "interesting progression of the relationship" and for continuing the exploration of the characters. He also said that things would get worse as Shane continues to manipulate Roxy, calling Shane's actions "fairly brutal" and "incredibly cruel" as he attempts to stop her from revealing his secret. Coghlan doubted if Shane could come back from what happens.
Shane is overwhelmed by the withdrawal effects, so he "doesn't try very hard" despite Roxy's help. Coghlan told Ellis that Shane also has some underlying psychological issues that he has to address. He added that Shane is so keen on keeping his addiction from Dipi that he does not consider his friendship with Roxy might be an issue with her. In an interview with Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly, Coghlan was hopeful that Shane and Dipi would be able to work things out, but warned that it would be difficult and "a long road ahead for them as a couple, regardless of what's happening."
After Kirsha suffers hearing loss in an accident with some fireworks, Shane admits that he feels like he has failed as a parent. Shane and Yashvi help Kirsha to learn Auslan, and Shane invents a device that allows her to feel vibrations from music. When he pushes Kirsha out of the path of Jimmy Williams's (Darcy Tadich) bike, Shane suffers a dislocated thumb and a torn tendon in his hand. Shane arranges a meeting with entrepreneur Levi Jansen (Sam Allen) about his urine-powered generator, but when Levi cancels their meeting and leaves town, Shane gets drunk. He soon learns that it was Gary Canning (Damien Richardson) fault that Levi left and confronts him in the street. Shane kicks over some bins and snaps Gary's fishing rod, forcing Mishti to arrest him. Shane later acts on some poor business advice from Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano), and he loses Levi as a potential investor. Dipi accuses Leo of sabotaging the deal when he offers to take a generator for his backpackers hostel. Shane takes adult education classes in an effort to get his Year 12 certificate. Sheila Canning (Colette Mann) accuses Shane of cheating when he comes top in a biology test, but he insists that while he considered it, he did not cheat. Sheila offers Shane a job at The Waterhole as a barman, as he needs the money to hire a physiotherapist for his hand.
The Rebecchis are chosen as the Face of Lassiters Hotel and take part in a photoshoot for a promotional poster campaign. Shane decides to promote his new urine-to-water generator at Dipi's fundraiser for her musical Flapper, without telling anyone. When he admits the water they have been drinking was previously urine, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) pulls his $5000 investment. Shane later offers Toadie his support when Toadie leans he has fathered another child with Andrea Somers (Madeleine West). When the Face of Lassiters posters are vandalised, Marisa Taylor (Shannon Barker) is presumed to have done it, as she previously racially abused Yashvi. Kirsha admits to Shane that she is responsible, as she hoped the family would be let go from the campaign, so she would not be bullied. Kirsha later tells Shane that Marisa is blackmailing her and he angrily confronts Marisa, who records him and posts the footage online, leading to the family being dropped from the campaign. Lassiters also pulls its financial support of Dipi's musical. Dipi struggles to forgive Shane, until he arranges for himself, Kirsha, Yashvi, Toadie and Sheila to put on a private performance of the musical in their back yard. Shane and Dipi are concerned when Mishti decides to have an arranged marriage, and Shane tries to keep Dipi from intervening.
After Shane ridicules Clive Gibbons (Geoff Paine) about needing Dipi's performance-enhancing tea to help him with his erectile problems, Clive informs Shane that Dipi has secretly been giving him the tea for years, which leads to Shane feeling embarrassed and inadequate. Shane hires Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly) through her escort business to talk, after he sees Levi Jansen is a client of hers, but Dipi believes Shane is paying for sex and confronts them in the street. Back home, Shane questions whether he is enough for Dipi and points out that his inventions never seem to go anywhere. He also tells her that she looks at him differently since they left Bourke. Dipi says that she is proud of him for pursuing what he loves, but Shane is unconvinced. Amy's partner Dr. Rob Carson (Christopher Farrell) promotes Shane's recycled-urine water on his social media, and Shane begins selling bottles at The Wellness Centre. When Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta) falls ill, she initially blames the water and Gary tells Shane that he never should have trusted him. Elly soon learns from Aaron that she has food poisoning and she apologises to Shane. Gary also apologises for losing his temper and they shake hands. During a promotional event for the water, Rob sprays the audience with urine after learning Amy is now dating Gary, however, Shane is glad of the publicity.
After Mishti gets engaged, she chooses to relocate to Sydney and at her farewell party, she thanks Shane and Dipi for taking care of her and supporting her. Shane gets a high enough ATAR result that allows him to pursue an engineering degree at the university. Dipi is hospitalised after being attacked by Gary, who mistook her for someone else. She suffers a severe allergic reaction during a scan and goes into cardiac arrest, but soon recovers. Shane takes out his anger on Sheila and throws her out of Dipi's hospital room. Days later, Shane finds Gary in his house bonding with Dipi over recipes and physically man-handles Gary out the door and into the street. After Yashvi and Kirsha are held hostage by Raymond Renshaw (Frank Magree), Dipi struggles in the aftermath and she spends more time with Gary. Yashvi fears they are having an affair and Shane confronts Gary, before he and Dipi agree to communicate better and be more supportive of one another. Shortly before Sonya dies from ovarian cancer, she enlists Shane's help to visit Andrea. She later confides in him that Andrea believes Toadie's former wife Dee Bliss (Madeleine West) is still alive, as a man she met in Hobart mistook her for Dee. Shane later tells Dipi this information and they decide not to tell Toadie, until he returns from a trip to the United States with the children.
After their house is sold, Shane and his family move in with Toadie. Shane and Dipi talk to Mark Brennan about Andrea, and he advises them to contact her, but she refuses to see them. Toadie asks Shane and Dipi to move out when they pack up Sonya's belongings, but he changes his mind as he needs their support. Shane later realises Toadie has not been to the garden nursery since Sonya's death, and organises a small gathering of Toadie's friends to help him move forward. Mark informs Shane that he has located Andrea and Shane visits her by himself, where she tells him about the man who recognised her as a woman named Karen. Believing that this could be Dee, Shane asks Andrea for her help and brings her back to Erinsborough. He also asks Mark to continue investigating Andrea's claims, and it later emerges that Dee is alive and Andrea is trying to con Toadie again. She is arrested when Dee turns up in Erinsborough. Shane sees Yashvi on a date with Ned Willis (Ben Hall) and cross-examines them. Ned later tells Shane that he plans on taking things slowly with Yashvi. Shane and Dipi realise Dee is in love with Toadie and ask her to take a step back for his and Nell and Hugo sake. When Dee avoids Toadie completely, Shane and Dipi have to tell Toadie what they said to Dee.
Shane and Yashvi's relationship becomes strained when she forgets a father-daughter date to spend time with Ned. She attempts to move out and Dipi bribes her with a car. They later learn from Ned that Yashvi was never going to move in with him, and Shane explains to Dipi that he does not like the person Yashvi is becoming, which she overhears. When Yashvi fails an English essay, Shane blames Ned for distracting her and asks him to break up with her. However, Yashvi tells him that she was unable to concentrate because she overheared him. They soon reconcile their differences. New Erinsborough High student Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone) shows an interest in Shane and Yashvi suspects that she might be Shane's daughter, after finding a photo of him and Mackenzie's mother. Mackenzie soon reveals that she has asked Shane to help find her father Grant Hargreaves (Paul Mercurio), and that she and Yashvi used to know each other in primary school, but Mackenzie was known as Michael and has since transitioned. Shane defends Mackenzie when Ollie Sudekis (Ellmir Asipi) makes transphobic comments towards her by grabbing the boy and pushing him up against a wall. Ollie's mother decides not to take the matter further after learning what her son said.
Shane becomes invested in finding Mackenzie's father, and soon gets a lead. He also realises that he played a part in their estrangement and explains to Mackenzie that her father told him about her feminine belongings and he encouraged Grant to get rid of them, which resulted in Grant burning them. Mackenzie feels betrayed and Yashvi tells him that she is ashamed of him. Grant soon contacts Shane and comes to Erinsborough to meet Mackenzie, but when he admits that Mackenzie is and always will be his son, Shane admonishes him for being narrow-minded. When Grant leaves town, Shane takes his place in the father-daughter dance at the school formal. Toadie and Shane fall out when Toadie helps Kirsha with a scholarship application to a school in Sydney. When Kirsha is accepted into the school, Dipi initially refuses to let her go, but Shane realises that it will be good for Kirsha. Once she leaves, Dipi turns on Shane and Toadie and blames them for Kirsha leaving. Shane later tries to get in between Dipi and Gary's friendship, having notices their closeness. Shane's co-worker Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson) confides in him about being a donor match for David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) and he provides her with advice and support. Dipi becomes concerned about their friendship, especially when Shane drops everything to help a drunken Roxy, but he assures her that they are just co-workers.
When he notices Sheila has put himself and Roxy on different shifts, Shane accuses Dipi of interfering, but Sheila admits that she changed the rosters. When Shane fills in for another co-worker, Roxy kisses him at the end of their shift. He quickly leaves, and later says that he plans on telling Dipi what happened, but Roxy begs him not to. Roxy eventually tells Dipi about the kiss, causing tension between Shane and Dipi, who moves in with the Cannings. Karl provides Shane with unwanted updates about Dipi and Gary, and later tells him that he saw Dipi kiss Gary. Shane confront his wife, but they both realise that neither of them wanted to hurt the other and reconcile. Following Gary's death, Shane struggles to support a grieving Dipi. He is later offered an accelerated degree program at Eden Hills University, and the Rebecchis take in Mackenzie when her aunt moves out of town. Shane contacts Grant upon Mackenzie's 18 birthday and learns that he has had a workplace accident. Grant comes to Erinsborough to legal advice from Toadie and Shane admits to Dipi that he loaned Grant some money, which causes tension between them. Shane also clashes with Ned, who has quit his job to focus more on his art and took a small loan from Dipi. Shane becomes stressed with his university assignments and work, leading him to take amphetamines. His behaviour changes and he is noticeably tired.
Roxy learns about Shane's addiction when she finds some of his drugs in The Waterhole bathroom. He admits that he felt wiped out by his university course and needed a way to stay up all night. Roxy urges him to tell Dipi, but he refuses. He later decides to go cold turkey, but he struggles with withdrawal symptoms and Roxy tries to help him with mindfulness techniques. Shane begins taking drugs again and angrily insults Roxy when she finds them in his bag. He also misses a romantic dinner with Dipi to buy more pills from his study partner River Hanlon (Andrew Coshan). When Roxy attempts to throw his pills down the sink, Shane physically grabs her arm and wrestles the bag off her. Roxy cries out and Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan) intervenes and demands an explanation. Shane is unable to say anything and Kyle tells Dipi what happened, which causes her to think that Shane has been suffering with depression. She and Toadie stage an intervention and urge Shane to get help, so he tells them that he will go and stay with Stonie in Colac. Toadie later learns what has been happening from Roxy and he finds Shane hiding out in a shed in Bourke. He brings him home, where Shane tries to get through his wedding anniversary dinner with Dipi, but eventually tells her he is a drug addict. He explains that he started using Richie Amblin's (Lachlan Millar) ADHD medication, before River offered him something stronger. Yashvi is forced to take Shane to the police station for questioning, while Dipi arranges for him to go to rehab. Shane ends up leaving rehab early and tries to work on his beating his addiction himself.
Dipi tells Shane that she has been having an affair with Pierce and she moves out to stay with Sheila. Shane struggles with Dipi's silence and he is briefly tempted to take Richie's ADHD medication, but with Toadie's support, he attends an NA meeting instead. Shane and Dipi's son Jay makes a surprise visit, and Shane confronts Pierce in public when he learns that he is trying to fix his own marriage. The pair later get into a physical fight when they have to collect their sons from a schoolies campsite.
Ben Fenlon of the Daily Express observed that Shane's solar-powered lawnmower "continued to provide light relief for viewers" amongst the dramatic storylines. An Evening Chronicle reporter thought Shane's urine-to-water converter "has plenty of potential", but they warned "launching it at the same time as Dipi's investor lunch for Flapper! The Musical is probably not the best of ideas." Shane's anger towards Gary led Fenlon's colleague Charlie Milward to brand him "hot-headed". Bridget McManus of The Sydney Morning Herald called Shane Mackenzie's "biggest Erinsborough champion", as she reviewed their scenes together.
Alex Davies noted fans of the show were "captivated" by Shane and Roxy's "will-they-won't-they romance", and he found that viewers hoped the pair would take things further. As scenes of Dipi kissing Gary aired, Katie Baillie of the Metro observed that Shane and Dipi's "marriage appears to be doomed. If it's not Shane kissing the Neighbours, it's Dipi." Radio Times' Johnathon Hughes said drug addiction was "a shocking new storyline" for the "lovable dad".
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