Darcy Tyler
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Darcy Tyler is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'', played by
Mark Raffety Mark Raffety is a British-Australian actor, perhaps best known for playing Darcy Tyler in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2000 to 2005 and 2025. Early life Raffety was born in Portsmouth, England. He grew up as the eldest of t ...
. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 November 2000. The following year, Raffety became a series regular. He departed in June 2003, but made returns in 2004 and 2005. He will make another return for the soap's 40th anniversary in 2025.


Development

Raffety admitted that he did not find Darcy "interesting" to begin with, but he came up with a plan to change him, which the writers picked up on and helped "take Darcy to other places". Of his character's personality, Raffety said: "Darcy has a childlike wish to be loved and nurtured, but at the same time he has a scheming side. At the end of the day he's both an angel and a devil, I suppose!" Rafferty also found that his character was "not without a sense of humour". The actor told Joe Riley of the ''
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
'' that the reason he stayed with the show was the "opportunity to develop the character". After Darcy ending his seven-year relationship with Alice Jamison (Pip Sallabank), Darcy begins a relationship with nurse Dee Bliss (
Madeleine West Melanie Ann Weston (born 26 July 1979), known professionally as Madeleine West, is an Australian actress, author and director. She is best known for her television roles, having played Dee Bliss and Andrea Somers on the soap opera ''Neighbour ...
). However, Alice "remained a constant thorn in his side", and after realising that Darcy has moved on, she wants revenge. Alice contacts Darcy to say that she is ready to divide their assets, while "planning to take him for everything he's got". Although Alice and Darcy were not married, Alice is legally allowed to take half of Darcy assets, as the law recognises de facto relationships. Things get worse for Darcy after the tax department discovers anomalies in the book-keeping at
Karl Kennedy Karl Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Alan Fletcher. The actor previously appeared in the soap in 1987 as mechanic Greg Cooper. He made his first screen appearance as Karl during the episo ...
's ( Alan Fletcher) surgery, which Darcy oversees. Rafferty commented, "Things are pretty bad for Darcy all around. And this is only the beginning of it all – they're going to get a lot worse!" The character was written out in early 2003, but producers made sure that he could return in the future. Darcy's departure came at a time when the show was returning to its original focus on families. Raffety admitted that he was "a little bit sad to be going", and believed that more could have been done with his character. He thought Darcy would be missed, and revealed that his favourite storylines had been Darcy's attempt at stealing the surgery from Karl and his schemes to win Dee back. He later said he was enjoying Darcy's stories in the lead up to his exit, saying "The storylines at the moment are vintage Darcy – he's up to his old tricks again and I love it." Darcy's exit scenes aired in June of that year. On 1 January 2025, in an interview with Johnathon Hughes from ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'', ''Neighbours'' executive producer
Jason Herbison Jason Herbison (born 1972) is an Australian television producer, screenwriter and novelist, most recently serving as the executive producer of the soap opera ''Neighbours''. He has written scripts for numerous television serials, and has publis ...
revealed that he was reintroducing a past member of the Kennedy family. He added that it is "someone who we have wanted to bring back for some time." On 3 January 2025, it was announced that Raffety would be reprising the role of Darcy later that year, with ''Neighbours official social media accounts teasing, "Dr Darcy Tyler returns! Susan's nephew will make a shock return to Erinsborough as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. But has dastardly Darcy changed his ways? Or is he set to cause more misery for his old neighbours? We cannot wait to find out..."


Storylines


2000–2003

Darcy arrives in Ramsay Street to stay with his aunt,
Susan Kennedy Susan Kennedy (also Smith and Kinski) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots ...
(
Jackie Woodburne Jacqueline Anne Woodburne (born 5 February 1956) is an Australian actress, known for her numerous roles in television soap operas. After graduating from the National Theatre School, Woodburne played Maggie Gordon in ''The Young Doctors''. She ap ...
) and her husband, Karl after accepting a post in
Accident and Emergency An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pat ...
at Erinsborough Hospital. Darcy immediately catches the eye of Dee Bliss, a local nurse at the hospital who lives in the same street. There is an obvious attraction between the pair and they both begin to enjoy each other's company and attend the medical ball together. Darcy's business partner and girlfriend, Alice Jamison, turns up on the day of the ball and warns Dee to stay away from him. Darcy returns home with Alice, but he comes back to Erinsborough several months later after having broken up with her and resumes his relationship with Dee. After Alice demands money from Darcy to buy her out of the practice, he borrows $1000 from Dee. While working as a locum for Karl, Darcy causes friction by overcharging patients for medication and causing an audit at the surgery, almost causing closure. With things strained between Karl and Darcy at Number 28, Darcy decides to move out. After saving Louise Carpenter ( Jiordan Anna Tolli) from drowning in the pool at Number 30, Louise's father,
Lou Lou may refer to: __NOTOC__ Personal name * Lou (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Lou (German singer) *Lou (French singer) * Lou (surname 娄), the 229th most common surname in China * Lou (surname 楼), the 269th most common ...
(
Tom Oliver Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British naturalised Australian retired actor. Oliver is best known locally and internationally for his long-running role in TV soap opera ''Neighbours'' as Lou Carpenter, a role he played for 25 years bec ...
) offers Darcy the spare room at Number 22 where he and Louise live. Darcy begins an affair with Dee's friend, schoolteacher Tess Bell ( Krista Vendy) and it remains secret for a while until Lou arrives home to find them kissing. Darcy tries to convince Lou Tess pursued him, but he is not so quick to believe Darcy. The affair is eventually discovered by Dee when she spies Darcy and Tess kissing after winning a fishing competition. At the pub during the celebrations, Dee pours champagne over Darcy and promptly dumps him. Darcy and Tess remain a couple and become engaged, but on the day of the ceremony Tess backs out and jilts Darcy and subsequently flees to London. While arguing with Joel Samuels (
Daniel MacPherson Daniel MacPherson is an Australian actor and television presenter, known for his roles as Joel Samuels in ''Neighbours'', PC Cameron Tait in ''The Bill'', Sergeant Samuel Wyatt in Sky and Cinemax's '' Strike Back'', Whit Carmichael in the ...
), Dee's other ex-boyfriend and housemate, Darcy learns that he fathered the child Dee miscarried and offers sympathy, but is rejected. Darcy tries to make a move on new receptionist, Serena Lucas (Ruth Callum), but she only has eyes for Karl. After learning that Karl is married, Serena turns her attentions to Darcy but this is only a cover to steal prescription pads and deal drugs at nightclub Hemisfear. After a young girl collapses at the club, Darcy is in trouble, but Serena confesses her deceit and is arrested. Darcy suffers a heart attack in the surgery one day and his teenage cousin,
Elly Conway Eleanor "Elly" Conway (also Brennan) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Jodi Gordon. She was originally played by Kendell Nunn from her first appearance on 13 December 2001, until her departure in ...
(Kendell Nunn) acts quickly to save his life. While in hospital, Darcy is cared for by Dee and they manage to heal their rift. After a series of meaningless relationships, Darcy dates Lassiter's owner, Chloe Lambert (Stephanie Daniel). She offers him the chance to see a performance of ''
The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddoc ...
'' at a local theatre after Darcy saves her life during an asthma attack. This relationship does not sit well with Jordan Lambert, Chloe's daughter, who begins a hate campaign against Darcy, including having his car trashed and having him beaten up. While being hospitalised for the second time in a year Darcy overhears a conversation between Dee, and Martin Cook (
Tony Bonner Anthony Frederick Bonner (born 23 November 1943) is an Australian television, film, and stage actor and singer. Bonner became famous in the 1960s children's television series ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', later moving on to lead roles in th ...
), a retiring surgeon and one of Chloe's friends. It emerges that Martin is sexually harassing Dee, but denies it when she makes a complaint. Darcy invents a plan to bring Martin to justice by befriending him and ultimately tricking him into confessing his misdeed, which is recorded on a hidden tape record. When Chloe finds out she is unimpressed and she and Darcy part. Darcy begins working on a scheme to win Dee back. First, he rummages through her personal effects and discovers her marriage certificate which reveals that Dee was previously married to Darren Turner when they were eighteen. Darcy contacts Darren and invites him to Erinsborough to attend a charity ball along with Dee and her partner,
Toadfish Rebecchi Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi, commonly known as "Toadfish" or "Toadie", is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Ryan Moloney. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 January 199 ...
(
Ryan Moloney Ryan Moloney (born 24 November 1979) is an Australian actor, known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 1995 until his departure in 2025. Career Moloney's first ...
). Throughout the evening, Darcy puts his plan to drive a wedge between Dee and Toadie into action and asks how she and Darren know each other. When Darren reveals his connection with Dee, Dee and Toadie split up and both come to Darcy for advice. Darcy then contacts Sindi Watts ( Marisa Warrington), the sister of his ex-girlfriend
Penny A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is ...
( Andrea McEwan), and enlists her in the final phase of his plan, he pays her to flirt with Toadie at the pub just as Dee walks in with Darcy's cousin,
Libby Kennedy Libby Kennedy (also Kennedy-Fitzgerald) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the r ...
(
Kym Valentine Kym Valentine (born 24 May 1977) is an Australian actress, best known for her long running intermittent portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera ''Neighbours.'' Early life Valentine was born in Blacktown, Sydney, and grew up in Granvill ...
). Sindi falls for Toadie for real and Darcy is displeased, but is forced to comply when Sindi threatens to reveal his plan. After gaining acceptance to the Aurora Club, Darcy begins playing poker regularly and ends up $10,000 in debt to James Atkinson (Jeff Keogh). Darcy's gambling gets the better of him and the next time he loses, he owes $60,000. Desperate to pay James, Darcy resorts to burgling the pub and stealing $2,000 from the takings but it is not nearly enough. Upon learning of Karl and Susan inheriting some valuable jewellery from an elderly relative, Darcy stages a break-in at Number 28, but is discovered by
Lyn Scully Lyn Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Janet Andrewartha. The character made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 October 1999, along with her family and remained a ...
(
Janet Andrewartha Janet Andrewartha (16 September 1951 – 26 July 2024) was an Australian television and theatre actress and director and singer. Andrewartha began her career as a high school music teacher before attending drama school. She graduated in 1979 an ...
). Upon fleeing the scene, he knocks a pregnant Lyn down. Darcy is able to pay off James. Darcy treats Lyn after she is admitted to hospital. Lyn cannot remember at first, but after hypnotherapy, she remembers Darcy being at the Kennedys on the day of the robbery. Susan is outraged and refuses to believe it. However, Dee finds Susan's ring in a plant pot at Darcy's place and contacts the police. Darcy tries to sneak the ring back into the house during dinner with Karl and Susan but when Karl spills some wine and Darcy offers a handkerchief, the ring falls out onto the kitchen table. Darcy is forced to confess. After being told to leave by Susan, Darcy walks away and notices police cars arriving on Ramsay Street. He makes a run for it but his escape is blocked and he is arrested for burglary. While on remand, Darcy summons Dee and Toadie to visit him and reveals his plan to split them up, garnering disgust from them both. Darcy is later given an eighteen-month prison sentence for his crimes.


2004–2005

Darcy is seen again the following year when, Lou is sentenced to three years imprisonment for being involved in
Rocco Cammeniti The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'' in 2003, by order of first appearance. Ric Pellizzeri took over the role of executive producer from Stanley Walsh, who left the show in Novembe ...
's (Robert Forza) horse fixing scam. Lou, fearing the worst, is a little relieved when Darcy is revealed to be his cellmate at Warrinor. Lou agrees to sponsor Darcy for day release but is unable to after being in prison himself. Susan reluctantly agrees and Darcy works as an orderly at Erinsborough Hospital. After learning of Karl and Susan's separation, Darcy antagonizes
Izzy Hoyland Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Natalie Bassingthwaighte. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 September 2003. Izzy was introduced as Max Hoyla ...
(
Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian singer, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 ...
), the woman Karl had left Susan for. On the day of Izzy's maternity appointment, Darcy sneaks a look at her records and sees that the father of her baby is listed as "Unknown". Darcy confronts Izzy and she offers him money to keep quiet but he refuses to keep quiet. As Darcy turns to leave, he falls down the stairs, hits his head on the wall and loses consciousness. Izzy quickly plants some jewellery on him. After lapsing into a coma, Darcy is transferred to a hospital near his mother Carmel Tyler ( Kirsty Child), with little hope of recovery. However, Darcy wakes from his coma when he is transferred back to Erinsborough Hospital. He keeps up the pretence of being comatose when crooked nurse Gareth Peters (Philip McInnes) taunts and steals from him. Gareth continues taunting Darcy, who eventually punches him. As he is being wheeled down the corridor, Darcy locks eyes with Izzy, who faints in Karl's arms. Darcy passes a police polygraph test after claiming to have no memory of the supposed robbery Izzy alleged. Darcy blackmails Izzy as he remembers her secret and demands $70,000. Izzy pays him, but Darcy demands $200 plus sexual favours. Izzy then contacts Paul Robinson (
Stefan Dennis Stefan Dennis (born 30 October 1958) is an Australian actor and singer best known for playing the role of cold-hearted and ruthless businessman Paul Robinson in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' from its first episode on 18 March 1985. He departed ...
) out of desperation to get rid of Darcy by asking him for the number of a hitman. Paul, also in hospital with Darcy, only gives Izzy a number for a local linen supplier. Darcy stands trial and Izzy testifies with a glowing reference, resulting in Darcy escaping with a 12-month good behaviour bond. Darcy immediately considers the debt repaid. Before leaving, Darcy gives Susan a letter revealing the truth about Karl not being the father of Izzy's baby. As Darcy's bus is about to depart, he meets Karl who is frosty with him and tells him that he is not the evil person in his life and will one day be thankful that Susan is there for him.


Reception

For his portrayal of Darcy, Raffety earned a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2001 ''Inside Soap'' Awards. The following year, Raffety was nominated for the Best Bad Boy award. In 2003, the character came joint thirteenth in a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
poll to find the Best Villain in the network's drama shows. A writer for the BBC's ''Neighbours'' website said Darcy's most notable moment was "Cheating on Dee with Tess, then discovering that Dee was pregnant and had lost the baby." Cameron Adams of the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' nicknamed the character "dodgy doctor Darcy". After he robbed and injured a pregnant Lyn Scully, Adams quipped "Oh, how we hate him." Adams later dubbed him "dirty devil doctor Darcy". Molly Blake from the ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts ...
'' branded Darcy "dastardly" and "a bad'un". While Ben Doherty of ''
The Newcastle Herald The ''Newcastle Herald'' (formerly branded as ''The Herald'') is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the only local newspaper that serves the greater Hunter Region and ...
'' called him "creepy". Joe Riley of the ''Liverpool Echo'' noted, "Dr Darcy is ''Neighbours'' 'baddie', a character who brought much grief to the soap's Kennedy clan, and then ended up in prison." Brian Courtis from ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' observed that Darcy was "back to his old tricks" when he blackmailed Izzy and dubbed him "the bearded villain". An Ausculture reporter placed Darcy at number six on their "Top Ten Aussie Soap Villains" list. The reporter called him "one of ''Neighbours truly great cads" and a womaniser, despite him starting off "rather nicely". They added "he began trying to steal Uncle Karl's surgery from under his feet. Tut tut! Selling prescription drugs in night clubs soon followed, as did his attempt to break up Dee and Toadie, who at this stage were blissfully in love. Finally, Darcy stole from his own family – Karl and Susan – and when running from the burglary, managed to knock over a heavily pregnant Lynn Scully!" On his return, Ausculture said that he was looking shady and sporting an evil goatee. In 2015, Kerry Barrett from ''
All About Soap ''All About Soap'' was a fortnightly UK magazine founded in October 1999. It was released on Tuesdays. Storylines of the shows it covered were from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia, including ''EastEnders'', ''Coronat ...
'' placed Darcy at number 23 on the magazine's list of 30 favourite ''Neighbours'' characters. Barrett quipped "Darcy was Susan and Karl's nephew and at first he seemed like a thoroughly nice chap. But after a few failed relationships and a lot of gambling debts, Darcy went bad – and we loved it!" Barrett thought Darcy's best moment was "blackmailing Izzy." A
TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...
reporter also included Darcy in their list of the top 30 ''Neighbours characters, and stated, "A villain through and through, charismatic yet dastardly, Dr Darcy was the character everybody loved to hate." In July 2018, Conor McMullan of ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
'' included Darcy in his list of the "12 characters ''Neighbours'' needs to bring back". McMullan wrote, "Before Paul returned in 2004 to cause mischief, it was Darcy Tyler who filled the role of charming neighbourhood villain. His crimes seem a little low-key these days – womanising, burglary, blackmail – but that's what made Darcy work. He wasn't a bad man, but a flawed one and well-played by actor Mark Raffety." McMullan also thought that Darcy was a blank slate for the writers, and speculated that he could be a romantic interest for
Terese Willis Terese Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. The actress was cast in the role after attending an audition in late 2012. Before she began filming her first scenes in early F ...
(
Rebekah Elmaloglou Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou (born 23 January 1974) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as teenage tearaway Sophie Simpson on ''Home and Away'' and Terese Willis on ''Neighbours''. She also made guest appearances in '' E Street'', '' A ...
), which would upset Paul. His colleague, Daniel Kilkelly branded the character a "legendary schemer", adding that "we all know that relying on devious Darcy is never a good idea."


References


External links


Darcy Tyler
at
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Darcy Neighbours characters Fictional physicians in soap operas Fictional criminals in soap operas Television characters introduced in 2000 Australian male characters in soap operas Male villains