Nick Harrison

Nick Harrison
Shortland Street character
Portrayed by	Karl Burnett
Created by	Bettina Hollings
Introduced by	Caterina De Nave
Duration	1992-2005
First appearance	26 May 1992 episode 2
Last appearance	17 March 2005 episode 3184
Classification	Past; Regular
Profile
Alias	Slash
Date of birth	6 May 1976
Family Wife Rachel McKenna (1995) Waverley Wilson (2002-) Father Barry Harrison Mother Jenny Harrison Stepfather Ian Seymour Sons Lucas Harrison Daughters Tina-Anne Harrison Grandfathers Wilson Uncles Ian Harrison Aunts Marilyn Bluck

Nick Harrison was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Karl Burnett and was the longest running original cast member on the show first appearing in 1992 and running for 13 years until 2005.

Creation and casting

The character was at first introduced as so the show could appeal to single mothers. Jenny and Nick were brought in to fill the role. The character was originally written as one of two heart throbs, alongside Stuart Neilson.^[1] Stuart was meant to be an articulate homosexual, while Nick a spunky drug taking rebel.^[1] Milan Borich nearly got the role but instead appeared in a guest role in the shows first week.^[2] Karl Burnett auditioned for the role at the young age of 16 with the only acting credit of the feature film My Grandpa Is a Vampire. His only other training was school drama classes. Burnett was not what the producers had in mind for the character, but they realized they could make Nick a more comedic and goofy character. Fearing that their only heart throb was gay, Stuart was quickly rewritten to be Catholic instead.^[1]

Burnett left the role in 2005 with his last scene airing on 17 March 2005, episode 3184 and his last words being "We are going to eat first though, aren't we?"

Storylines

1992

Nick is introduced to Shortland Street as the mischievous teenage son of PA Jenny Harrison. He often hung out with Stuart Neilson but claimed to dislike him. Nick would often get in trouble for doing things such as getting drunk and stealing Jenny's car, or losing Meredith's son Andrew down a storm drain. Late in 1992, Nick would form a friendship with the mysterious loner Miles Lucas. Nick was impressed with Miles and his seemingly indifferent attitude to life in general. Miles would become friends with Stuart as well. However, after being rejected by Stuart after throwing a surprise party for him, a depressed Miles would commit suicide.

Nick was upset over his friend's suicide, but he began to get annoyed at how Stuart seemed to be getting all the sympathy for Miles' death despite Nick being Miles' friend as well. Nick also saw Stuart as the reason Miles committed suicide in the first place, and the two would get into a fistfight which was broken up by Dr Ropata. At the end of the year, Nick would get together with a girl named Serena Hughes, who had a bad attitude. Jenny and Serena didn't get on.

1993

Nick and Serena would continue their relationship in 1993. eventually, Serena and Jenny would mend their bridges and get along fine. However, Dr McKenna's daughter Rachel showed up, and Nick was in love. It wasn't meant to be however, as Rachel was interested in Stuart. This would prove to be the last straw for Nick, who was tired of Stuart always getting the girl. This would lead Nick to think Serena was cheating on him after Stuart and Serena started a friendship. Nick and Serena would break up. Rachel left, but would return and start a relationship with Stuart. Nick walked in on Rachel and Stuart kissing and for payback, stole Stuart's motorbike. Not able to control the machine, Nick drove straight into a truck and got seriously injured. He was taken to hospital but recovered. After Rachel and Stuart broke up, Nick and Rachel became good friends.

Nick would end up hanging out with Nurse Joanna Jordan's younger brother Mark. Mark would convince Nick to use his lawnmowing service to help steal commit burglaries. Nick felt uncomfortable but went along with it. However, it would get to a stage where Nick wanted to pull out, but Mark threatened to let everyone know of Nick's involvement if he didn't keep helping him. Nick continued to help Mark unwillingly until Mark tried to break into Dr McKenna's house. With Rachel's help, Mark was caught and sentenced to time in a juvenile detention facility, whereas Nick got community service.

Nick became interested in nerdy book girl Olivia Pitt, who went by the pen name Olivia Woolf and made several attempts to date her. Olivia was distant and revealed she could not swim as she witnessed her brother drown. Nick helped her through it and started acting alongside Olivia in plays. Nick hoped to get the role of Romeo but was annoyed when Rachel's brother Jonathon McKenna got the role. Rachel sabotaged Jonathon's sleep plan however and Nick got to perform as Romeo one night. Nick and Olivia started to date but Nick got annoyed at her hanging out with a strange boy named Adam. Nick learned at the end of the year that there was a possibility that Jenny was not his real mother and he may have been swapped at birth with Adam. He was shocked to find Jenny starting to spend more and more time with him.

1994

Still annoyed at Jenny in 1994, Nick learned that when Steve got in an argument with his father he changed his name, Nick shapes himself into a leather wearing, cigarette smoking persona named Slash. Nick returned after running away to the Toroa after learning how much Jenny had missed him, however. Nick learnt that Adam had schizophrenia and was delusional and he and Jenny became closer than ever. Olivia returned from Taupo and Nick was heartbroken to learn she had cheated on him with a windsurfer named Todd while she was there though (Olivia had previously refused to sleep with Nick claiming she was not ready) and the two split up. Nick was stoked when he was awarded the role of prefect at his high school. He was head boy alongside a girl named Charlotte Olsen. There was more than meets the eye to Charlotte, however, as she strung Nick along, manipulating him into going along with what she was doing.

New arrival Minnie Crozier would start hanging around Nick, developing a crush on him. Minnie, however, was a third former at the high school Nick and Charlotte went to, and Charlotte started bulling Minnie. Nick eventually turned on Charlotte, which resulted in Charlotte locking the two in the school overnight. Minnie's Stepfather, Dr Johnny Marinovich was incensed, but Nick convinced him the two had been the victims of a prank. Eventually, Nick's school ball would come up, and after dealing with being pestered by Minnie, Nick would begin dating his classmate Brittany Walton. The two would not last however, and later that year, Rachel's cousin Waverley Wilson arrived to town and Nick was instantly in love. Waverley was in love with Stuart however and she decided she need more experience if she wanted to be with him so she convinced Nick to take her virginity. Nick did but was annoyed when he learnt he was used. Waverley realized she loved Nick too and they soon got together. Upon Gina's return to Shortland Street, Nick discovered she was an international soap opera star. He took photos of her and Waverley accused him of cheating. Gina was annoyed when the word of her fame spread. Nick and Waverley attended Kirsty and Lionel's wedding and Nick was shocked to see Stuart crash the wedding.

1995–1997

In 1995, Nick is disappointed when his mother, Jenny aborts her baby. Waverley believes she is pregnant and Nick quickly proposes to her but when he realizes it is not so, he retracts his proposal. Rachel convinces Nick to marry her in a scheme designed to alert people to the unfairness of the student-allowance system. Nick and Rachel married, and while it was a marriage of convenience, Waverley was incensed and humiliated and decided to leave for Australia. Nick tried to go after her, but was stopped when airport authorities found marijuana in his backpack. Nick was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing with drug possession and gave up on Waverley. Nick started to date Ramona but when he misplaced her baby, she bitterly dumped him.

In 1996, Nick suspected Jenny's new boyfriend of being shifty which caused a tense Christmas dinner. In 1997, Nick gave up on his suspicions of Ian but Kirsty picked them up and exposed him as a fraud. Nick was shocked when Rachel turned into a raging alcoholic and when she was arrested, instead of bailing her out of jail, called her father Michael McKenna, a former alcoholic himself, and forced Rachel to deal with her problems.

1998–2000

Ian was announced drowned and Nick started shooting a short film in his house in 1998 but noticed several spooky things hinting Ian may be alive. It turned out he had faked his death and he had a confrontation with Nick which resulted in him attempting to drown Nick. Ian escaped however. Rachel was struck by lightning while walking with Nick, she began a strange sexual obsession with Nick and the two started a short lived relationship. Nick was weirded out and they broke up. Nick started a relationship with Vanessa and was shocked when a married Waverley returned to town. Her husband showed up and the two competed for her affections. The arguments annoyed Waverley and caused her to leave again. Waverley returned and she eventually reconciled with Nick and they got engaged but could not marry as Waverley was still legally married to Roger. Nick convinced her to get a divorce.

In 1999, Roger showed back up to town and it was revealed he had another wife before Waverley and so their marriage was not legal. Though Waverley slept with him. Nick felt betrayed but forgave her. He could not forgive her however when she shaved off all of his hair while he slept and the two broke up.

Nick came to the comfort of Minnie when she found herself falling downwards emotionally and they briefly dated in 2000. However Nick met Angela Weaver and the two started to date. Angela fell pregnant but was diagnosed with cancer and given the option of the baby or treatment. She chose the baby much to Nicks shock.

2001–2003

Nick and Ange used an empty church to recall vowels and promise to love each other in 2001. Ange soon gave birth to a baby boy. Nick and Ange named their son Lucas and spent a precious few weeks together before Ange succumbed to her illness. Nick was devastated, and blamed baby Lucas for Ange's death. Nick refused Rachel's attempts to reach out to him and continually left Lucas in the care of Rangi and Donna. Eventually Nick began to see that Lucas was not to blame and that the best way to honour Ange's memory would be to be the best possible dad to Lucas. Waverley consoled herself by helping Nick look after his son, and the two grew closer. Nick finally admitted his feelings to Waverley, but it was already too late, she was with Adam. Nick was offered a job in London and gave Waverley an ultimatum: She either dump Adam and reunite with him or he would take the job and move away forever! Waverley was torn.

In 2002 Waverley decided that she could not leave Adam while his mother was injured. Nick and Lucas left Ferndale for London. Waverley dreamed that Nick returned, but was not in love with her anymore and that he was with someone else. When Waverley awoke from her nightmare, she learned that her Nick had indeed returned! But unlike in her nightmare, Nick told Waverley that he would not take no for an answer - she had to marry him! Waverley was overjoyed and accepted the proposal. However their first attempt to get married in a registry office was a bust, Fergus turned up and kidnapped the bride! Waverley convinced Fergus that she did not love him anymore and Nick, Waverley, Chris and Donna helped Fergus escape from the police once again! Rachel eventually organised the wedding that her cousin had always dreamed of and Nick and Waverley were finally married. There was only one question remaining though, was the marriage legal? Nick had lost the marriage license and had made a fraudulent one so the marriage could still take place. Jenny, Nicks mother returned for the ceremony.

In 2003 Waverley was diagnosed with cancer. She initially hid her diagnosis from her husband Nick, not wanting him to go through what he went through with Ange and Jenny when they had been diagnosed with cancer. Nurse Anne Kahu eventually convinced Waverley to tell Nick the truth and Nick supported her when she learned that her tumour was malignant. However, Waverley underwent an operation to remove the cancer and was soon told that she was in remission. A thrilled Nick and Waverley decided to put their energies into something worthwhile and Dr. Marvin Ho suggested that they try taking in homestay students. The Harrison's took Marvin up on his advice and soon Chinese medical student Li Mei Chen arrived. Li Mei turned out to be very rude and unfriendly. Waverley discovered that she was pregnant but she and Nick were suffering financial problems at the time and because of this Waverley mistakenly believed that Nick did not want another child and considered having an abortion. In the end Nick found out about the pregnancy but Waverley's pregnancy was ectopic and she suffered a miscarriage. In the end, Waverley and Nick decided that they both wanted another child and agreed to try again. Nick won half of the Dog's Day Inn from Geoff in a poker match, decided to move in there with Waverley, Li Mei and Lucas after Rachel sold the warehouse. They got a shock when Tama discovered Geoff's body in the freezer.

2004–2005

In 2004 Nick and Waverley Harrison were thrilled by the news that Waverley was pregnant. In Shortland Street's 3000th episode, Waverley gave birth to a girl that she and Nick named Tina-Anne. Nick arrived to the birth just in time after catching a ride in a run down bus from the country side.

In 2005, a home invader broke into Nick and Waves house. When Nick heard noises one night, he assumed the home invader was back and aimed a gun at the intruder. It turned out to be Waverley back late however. The two decided to leave Ferndale for Taranaki after Chris and Toni's wedding. They had an emotional goodbye to their friends but Wave was shocked to learn Nick had forged their marriage certificate and they marriage may or may not be legal. They renewed their vowels and the Harrison family left Ferndale.

Reception

Early fans of the show praised Nick's comedic writing and scenes and he soon became a scene stealer and fan favourite. In 2002, when the actor took a sabbatical from the show, The New Zealand TV Guide ran a 'Bring Back Nick' campaign demanding that the iconic character be reinstated.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Bennett, Cath (May 2010). "Shorty road to success". Stuff. http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv/3728697/Shorty-road-to-success. Retrieved September 2011. 
2. ^ Shortland Street Trivia Quiz Book. 2007. ISBN 9780143007173. 
3. ^ http://tvnz.co.nz/view/tv2_story_skin/423363?format=html