Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on 18 March 1985 and airs on digital channel 10 Peach. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the show in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Jason Herbison. Lisa Rowsthorn and Zenin Alexio were introduced towards the end of January. Owen Campbell, Emmett Donaldson, Levi Canning, and Louis Curtain made their debuts in June. Brent Colefax and Nicolette Stone began appearing from July, while Rose Walker made her debut in August. Nathan Packard was introduced in November, followed by Jay Rebecchi.
Lisa Rowsthorn
Lisa Rowsthorn, played by Jane Allsop, made her first appearance on 20 January 2020. Details of Allsop's casting as Lisa were announced on 13 January. The character is the mother of Hendrix Greyson (Ben Turland) and arrives in Erinsborough to help with his rebellious behaviour, which resulted in him stealing a nude photo of his stepmother Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly). Hendrix finds his mother is "surprisingly reasonable and understanding" about the incident, while Hendrix's father Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards) fears for his relationship with his son, knowing that Lisa is "controlling". Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported that Lisa's introduction would also test Pierce and Chloe's marriage, as she asks Pierce to father another child with her. In March 2022, Allsop and Robards reprised their roles for a storyline set and filmed in Sydney.
Lisa flies to Erinsborough, after being contacted by Chloe Brennan, who has concerns about her son Hendrix's behaviour. Lisa learns that Hendrix has been living with the Kennedy family and not with his father, Pierce, but she is accepting of the situation. Lisa deduces that Hendrix did not tell her himself because he was embarrassed about why he was there – his crush on Chloe. Lisa gives Hendrix the chance to come back home with her, but he tells her that he wants to stay and make things right. Lisa wants to tell Hendrix about the deal between herself and Pierce, as she realises that Hendrix has spent his life thinking Pierce did not care about him. Hendrix overhears them arguing and Lisa explains that Pierce was only 18 when they dated, and they broke up shortly after he was born. Lisa later asked Pierce to father another child with her through IVF for money, which helped him set up his business. She gave him access to Hendrix and his sister Alana, but told him to focus on his own life, as she did not need him. Hendrix is hurt by the revelation. Lisa admits to Chloe that she thought she was doing the right thing. She then asks about Chloe and Pierce's plans to have a family, but Chloe reveals that she has Huntington's disease, which complicates matters.
Hendrix later moves back in with Chloe and Pierce, but his relationship with Lisa remains strained. Pierce demands honesty from Lisa and she reveals that she wants another child and for it to be Pierce's. Lisa explains that she is willing to move to Erinsborough with Alana and co-parent the child with Pierce and Chloe. They initially agree to Lisa's idea, but Chloe realises it is not what she wants and they inform Lisa. Chloe's brother Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) and his husband David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) later ask Lisa if she would have and co-parent a child with them. David's father Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) is against the idea and asks Lisa to put a stop to it, as he does not want the boys to get hurt. Lisa takes a pregnancy test and learns she is pregnant with her former boyfriend's baby. She tells David and Aaron that their plan cannot go ahead, before telling Pierce, Chloe and Hendrix. She decides to leave for Sydney right away to tell her ex, James, the news. Hendrix comes to see her before she goes and she tells him that she is proud of him. She knows that being with his father is the right thing for him and she will be calling him every chance she can get. A few months later, Lisa messages Pierce to let him know that she has given birth to a daughter, Maeve Rowsthorn (Beatrix Van Vliet).
Two years later, Hendrix visits Sydney with his girlfriend, Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone), and tells Lisa and his sister that he has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and requires a lung transplant. After Hendrix proposes to Mackenzie, Lisa attends their wedding and wishes Hendrix good luck before his operation a few days after. Lisa learns that Hendrix's operation was successful, but his antibodies are rejecting the new lung. She, Pierce and Mackenzie say goodbye to him before he dies. Lisa yells publicly at Sadie Rodwell (Emerald Chan), who was responsible for the fire that caused Hendrix's initial disease and Lisa speaks at his funeral a week later.
Zenin Alexio
Zenin Alexio, played by Axle Whitehead, made his first appearance on 24 January 2020. Whitehead's casting was reported in the 18–24 January 2020 issue of Inside Soap. He joins the cast for a short stint as "a shady looking guy" who watches Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) and Ned Willis (Ben Hall) in the local café, leading to speculation about his identity and interest in the couple. It was later confirmed that Zenin is linked to an illegal fight ring that Ned was involved with in late 2019. Hall explained, "Zenin is under the impression that Ned and Yashvi are on to his illegal operations, which were taking place behind the scenes at the fight club. Zenin threatens to hurt Yashvi, and anyone Ned is close to, if either of them goes to the cops." Hall said Whitehead "brought great energy" to his character, and he hoped Whitehead would stay with the cast for a while. Whitehead later said of Zenin: "My character is very dangerous, and he's someone who takes pleasure in threatening people. He enjoys the hunt, the game of cat-and-mouse, and he'll stop at nothing. Human life is cheap to him." Whitehead explained that playing a bad boy character was his favourite and called Zenin "a truly bad guy". He also said that he enjoyed playing out the hostage scenes involving Ned, as they involved a lot of action. He added that he would love to come back if viewers wanted to see more of Zenin.
Zenin comes to Harold's Café and listens in as Ned Willis and Yashvi Rebecchi talk about her police academy exam. He makes a phone call and tells the person at the other end that they might have a problem. He briefly makes eye contact with Ned on his way out, and later follows him to Ramsay Street. Zenin breaks into Ned's home and is waiting for him when he returns. Ned works out that Zenin is connected with a fight ring he was involved in, however, when Zenin asks him what he saw while he was there, Ned does not know what he is talking about. Zenin brings up Yashvi and believes that Ned told her what he saw, as the police have been investigating. He tells Ned to make sure Yashvi keeps quiet and he leaves. Zenin later meets with Ned, who explains that his lawyer Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) has a written statement from him containing everything he knows, so if he or Yashvi are hurt, then it will be given to the police. Zenin then sabotages Yashvi's car, and sends Ned a text saying that he has seen his lawyer talking to the police. Toadie's office is broken into and Ned meets with Zenin, who threatens to break into Toadie's home, where Yashvi also lives, to search for the statement. Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan) meets Zenin to exchange money for a 3D printed gun, and Zenin later texts Yashvi to say he is glad she has joined the team and gives her a job to do. Ned finds the text and contacts Zenin, who tells him that Yashvi approached him begging him to keep her family safe. Ned asks to take Yashvi's place but Zenin is not interested. Zenin later catches Ned at his warehouse and is about to shoot him when the police and Yashvi arrive. Zenin grabs Ned and holds him hostage, so Yashvi goes over to the waiting van and pushes the horn, causing Zenin to fire the gun into the air and allowing the police to arrest him. Ned then learns Yashvi was working with a police task force to catch Zenin and his associates.
Gavin Bowman Gavin Bowman, played by Cameron MacDonald, made his first appearance on 31 March 2020 and was then credited as Dr. Bowman. He returned on 6 May 2024. Gavin works as a doctor and a psychiatrist at Erinsborough Hospital and is assigned to treat Haz Devkar (Shiv Palekar) after he is hit by a car. Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy reported that Gavin would be featured in a storyline with Remi Varga-Murphy (Naomi Rukavina) and that Gavin is a "new villain" in the series. Remi is promoted and takes over Karl Kennedy's (Alan Fletcher) former role, Gavin attends their party. Kilkelly added that Gavin makes "sleazy remarks" to Karl about Remi and her wife Cara Varga-Murphy (Sara West). Karl responds by reporting Gavin to HR but does not tell Remi about the incident.
Gavin, in his first appearance, initially appears a psychiatrist who supervises Finn Kelly's (Rob Mills) care after David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) is hit by a ute. After Finn's death, Gavin tells David that the board have asked him whether he knew about the change in Finn's mental state. He also tells David that if there is an inquiry, they may want to question him too. Bowman is later called to give Harlow Robinson (Jemma Donovan) a psych evaluation, but he realises she is actually experiencing withdrawal from the barbiturates used to treat her. Bowman asks David how he could have missed the signs, and David admits that he was too focused on her psychological state. As Bowman suggests David extends his leave of absence, David points out that Bowman missed the changes in Finn's personality too when he was supervising Finn's care after David's accident. Bowman tells David that he was at a distinct disadvantage because of the way David handled the case, and by the time he shared his concerns about Finn it was too late. Bowman adds that David should have listened to his instincts and alerted someone, and coldly tells him that what happened with Finn is on him, which left David feeling devastated after he hears this.
Gavin treats Haz following him being run over by Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone) and continues to monitor his condition. Gavin later notices Remi with a job application form for Senior Medical Officer. He asks Remi if she will apply and states that he is not interested in the position. He also questions Remi about her relationship with Cara. Gavin continues to treat Haz and assesses his condition after he wakes from a coma. Gavin attends Karl's leaving party and makes sexualised comments about Remi and Cara, which shocks Karl. The following morning, Karl reports Gavin to the HR department and reveals they were not surprised by his allegations. Gavin treats Dex Varga-Murphy (Marley Williams) after he is poisoned. He discusses the case with Remi and Cara but Karl is worried by his involvement. Gavin is informed about Karl's complaint and confronts him. Karl tells Remi about Gavin's comments, who then tells Cara and they ban him from treating Dex further.
Gavin and Remi have an argument at work and he makes further harsh comments towards Remi. He comes up with a theory about Dex's poisoning and cures him. Gavin later agrees to be interviewed about the medical cases involving the poisonings on Liv Bellen's (Cece Peters) podcast. His appearance causes Holly Hoyland (Lucinda Armstrong Hall) to become suspicious of him and she breaks into the hospital filing system and accesses Gavin's work records. Holly pretends to be working for Liv's podcast and records his views. She then follows him to a community meeting at the foundation and catches Gavin injecting food with poison. Holly stumbles and Gavin takes her hostage, while using a syringe as a weapon.