When was Chris Warner's character introduced on Shortland Street?
Chris Warner
Affectionately referred to by fans and the media as "Dr. Love", Chris made his first appearance in the show's first episode by having an affair with his aerobics instructor. This was an infamous and controversial scene. Portrayed as spoiled and from a wealthy family that inherited the hospital that was founded by his father, the character of Chris was characterised by his patronising and illicit manner; contrasted in a 1994 storyline where he became addicted to morphine. Known primarily for romance storyliness, Chris has been married five times and participated in over 20 romances as well as fathering six children. Chris was the first member of the Warner family to join the show and he was joined by half brother Guy Warner (Craig Parker). In later years, Chris became the patriarch of a family unit made up of his sons Harry (Reid Walker) and Phoenix (Geordie Holibar). Chris has been involved in several high profile and highly rated storylines; including a 1994 car crash, nearly getting murdered by his brother in law Dominic Thompson (Shane Cortese), losing his wife to his drug-addicted brother Guy, and ending up in jail after being framed for murder.
Chris Warner
Galvin enjoyed the storylines where he acted alongside his good friends, which included Tim Balme (Greg Feeney), Shane Cortese (Dominic Thompson) and Craig Parker (Guy Warner).[17] Coincidentally all the storylines involving Galvin's friends revolved around their respective characters antagonising Chris.[17] Galvin's least favourite storyline for Chris revolved around the hospital's musical production where Chris had to rap. The episode aired on 12 September 2001, overshadowed by the news of the September 11 attacks and was subsequently the lowest rated episode of the show to ever air.[26] Galvin also found the storyline of Chris' father Bruce's death difficult to film due to his own fathers ill health[17] and disproved of the teenage suicide storyline that aired in 1992 due to its graphic nature.[26] The scene featured in the 2013 cliffhanger episode, which depicted Chris leading the cast in a singalong of The Mutton Birds' song, Anchor Me, was described by Chris Philpot of The New Zealand Herald as, "the most bizarre things that has ever happened on Shortland Street".[76]