Doug Willis

Upon his introduction, Doug was a self-employed builder and "affable fortysomething".[4] He made extra money by buying and doing up houses, before selling them on. Despite this hobby being "unsettling" for his family in the past, they decided that the house he purchased in Ramsay Street should be their permanent residence.[5] Doug loved his family and enjoyed spending time drinking with his friends.[4] In his book, The Who's Who of Soap Operas, Anthony Haywood described Doug as being a "rugged and down-to-earth builder", who is usually easy-going but does have "an awful temper" when provoked.[5] A writer for the official Neighbours website called Doug a Regular Joe, who did not like standing out in a crowd.[3]

Haywood wrote that Doug's warmth and sense of humour made him popular with his co-workers and friends. Doug also had a habit of flirting with attractive women but it was perfectly innocent.[5] Doug was "an easy touch" as a father but he could balance understanding with discipline.[5] Doug often doubted his eldest son Adam's (Ian Williams) determination but he got on well with Brad (Scott Michaelson).[5] Doug hoped to pass his business onto one of his sons but was disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm from them both.[4] He was "baffled" by Gaby's (Rachel Blakely) rebellious nature, while Cody (Amelia Frid), his youngest child, was the apple of his eye and often came to him with her problems instead of her mother.[5]

When Doug accepted a dare to travel naked across town in a taxi, his future wife Pam Beresford (Sue Jones) was the driver.[6] The couple soon married and had four children; Adam, Gaby, Brad and Cody.[4] When Pam wanted to return to work, Doug was "appalled" as he liked the idea of providing for her and wondered who would provide him with his meals.[4] Pam and Doug's seemingly solid marriage soon ran into trouble when they began to neglect each other due to work.[7] Doug was devoting his time to his construction business, while Pam's job as a district nurse gave her increasing independence.[7] Jones said she was not surprised that Pam and Doug were having problems.[7] When Pam began nursing Jim Robinson (Alan Dale) through his heart problems, she became attracted to him. Meanwhile, Doug had attracted the unwelcome attentions of the lonely and "dogged" Jill Weir (Lyn Semler), who was dealing with the death of her son, Ross (Che Broadbent).[7]

Doug's feelings of "vulnerability" made him an easy target for Jill, who saw him as the perfect partner and was determined to get him.[7] With Doug believing Pam was having an affair with Jim, he had a one-night stand with Jill. Doug regretted it immediately but Jill was keen for it to happen again.[7] An Inside Soap columnist questioned whether the Willis marriage would survive and Jones explained "I think it's worth saving. If Doug and Pam have any sense, they'll sort things out. Who knows? They might even end up with a stronger relationship than they had before."[7] The following year, while Pam was going through menopause, she began to feel that Doug was paying more attention to the cement mixer then he was to her. So, she was pleased to meet Tom Weaver (George Mallaby) at an art class.[8] Tom made his interest in Pam clear and asked her to marry him in front of Doug.[8] Refusing to believe that nothing had happened between Tom and his wife, a "horrified" Doug packed his bag and moved out.[8] After Tom spoke to Doug, he moved back in.[8]

Doug had a difficult relationship with his father Bert (Bud Tingwell), which made him determined to always be around for his children.[9] When Gaby revealed that she had been writing to her grandfather for years, behind Doug's back, it almost caused a division within the family.[10] Doug had not seen his father since he had walked out on the family when Doug was young.[10] When Pam and Gaby announced that they had invited Bert to stay, Doug forbid them from letting him in the house.[10] At first he refused to tell them why and Pam and Gaby believed that they could re-build the relationship between father and son. An Inside Soap writer commented "But they've got to work fast because times's not on their side."[10] There was "instant friction" between Bert and Doug when they finally met. When Bert tried to explain his actions, Doug refused to forgive him for walking out on his mother.[11] Bert later confided in Wayne Duncan (Jonathon Sammy-Lee) that he was dying and had come to Erinsborough to make amends.[11] Realising that Doug was not going to give Bert a chance, Wayne told him about Bert's condition. However, Bert did not want Doug's pity and made plans to leave on the next boat but Pam persuaded him to return, where he and Doug made up.[11]

After getting into debt and losing his job, Doug sank into a deep depression.[12] The storyline began during a few months that were "fraught with anxiety" for both Doug and Pam.[12] Shortly after Brad was left at the altar by his fiancée Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia). Doug bore some abuse when it was discovered that he had known about Brad's affair with Lauren Carpenter (Sarah Vandenbergh).[12] Doug's business seemed to be doing well but nobody was aware of "the lack of care" Doug had been playing to the books. When he and Pam learned that they owed $70,000 in unpaid taxes and fines, the business "came crashing down."[12] This resulted in Doug having no option but to sell the business to rival company Constructocon, who bought it and Doug's reputation for a fraction of their real value.[12]

Donovan explained "Things look really bleak for the Willis family right now. Doug can't see any way out of this mess and he's not facing up to things at all."[12] On the orders of his new boss, Mr Baker (Fred Barker), Doug had to take on his nephew – Terry (Adam McInnes) – a lazy "good-for-nothing", who had no interest in the business.[12] Doug ended up firing Terry in a fit of anger but Baker forced him to re-hire Terry, after threatening him with the sack.[12] The situation was made worse when Doug was finally fired and Donovan commented that it was a nightmare time for Doug, adding "He loved his business and now things have spiralled out of control."[12] While Pam tried her best to comfort Doug, she grew concerned when he started to drown his sorrows with alcohol.[12]

During June 1994, Doug found himself going to the toilet more often than normal, leading him to become worried about his health.[13] Thinking something could be seriously wrong, he realised that he needed medical help but then refused to let the doctor examine him because she was female.[13] It was down to Pam to convince him to let go of his "masculine pride" and allow the doctor to take a look.[13] Doug learned that the problem was due to his prostate and was told that he needed to undergo an emergency operation.[13] He initially refused and Pam had to convince him to change his mind in time to prevent the problem getting any worse.[13]

By mid-September 1994, Doug, Pam and Cody were the only members of the Willis family left in the show. Doug and Pam were written out and replaced by the new five-strong Kennedy family.[14] The couple left Erinsborough for Darwin when Doug was offered some building work with the hotel run by Gaby.[15] On 14 April 2005, Kris Green from Digital Spy confirmed that Donovan would be reprising his role for a guest appearance as part of the Neighbours 20th anniversary celebrations, which were broadcast in July.[16]

In February 2014, Neighbours producers stated that two cast members featured in a photo taken in 1992 would be returning to the show.[17] On 14 March, it was confirmed that Donovan would once again be reprising the role of Doug for a guest stint.[18] His return aired from 9 April 2014.[18] Donovan commented, "It is very exciting to be coming back as the same character after all these years and I always loved the Doug Willis character. And I love the fact that he is a builder and he is encouraging his young grandson [Josh] to have a trade and be proud of what you do – I think that's very important."[18] Doug returned to Ramsay Street to visit Brad (now played by Kip Gamblin) and his family.[18] During his stay with Brad, Doug got the chance to teach his grandson Josh (Harley Bonner) some practical skills and "the ropes of the building trade".[19]

While Doug and Josh were working together, Lou passed on a building job to them but Doug made "a potentially expensive mistake" when he did not remember it.[19] Josh noticed further issues with Doug's memory and became worried about his grandfather but Brad tried to assure him that nothing was wrong and Doug was just being a bit forgetful.[19] Doug was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and Brad had to call Pam to join them in Erinsborough.[20] However, when Pam arrived she refused to believe the diagnosis, instead she was convinced that Doug had been having an affair because of his secretive behaviour. Donovan said that Doug had been like that as he was afraid to admit what was happening to him. Doug and Pam reunited and were forced to confront his condition.[20] Donovan praised the plot, saying it was "a great opportunity to bring to the fore some issues that affect older people."[20] The actor was also asked to be an ambassador for Alzheimer's Australia as a result of the storyline.[20] Doug returned to visit his family again in November 2014.[21]

The following year, Doug returned to meet his great-granddaughter Matilda (Eloise Simbert), following the realisation that his health was declining.[22][23] Producers used Doug's return to show "the growing epidemic of Alzheimer's disease". Donovan was pleased to reprise his role for the storyline, saying "I think Neighbours is a wonderful forum to raise the subject to young people so that they are aware of what older people are coping with. Nearly all families are going to be impacted by it in the future."[23] Doug returned on 8 February 2016,[24] after Pam realised that she could no longer cope with looking after him.[25] Doug moved in Brad and Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall), marking the first time he had lived on Ramsay Street in 21 years.[25] Due to his condition, Doug quickly lost his temper with Lauren and sought out Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou).[25]

In February 2016, Donovan's son Jason confirmed that his father had wrapped his stint on the show.[26] In his exit storyline, Doug collapsed shortly after witnessing Brad reunite with his estranged son Ned (Ben Hall). Despite Karl Kennedy's (Alan Fletcher) efforts to revive him, Doug died outside Lassiter's Hotel.[27] He then appeared as a ghost "in a heartwarming moment" as he smiled at Brad and Ned, before walking away.[27] After Doug's last scenes were aired, Donovan admitted that he was sad and unimpressed at how his character was written out of the show.[28] He commented, "Look, it's not the way I'd have liked to do it from the point of view of coming out of the series. But, the producers did it a different way and it's their story and their show."[28] He went on to praise Doug's Alzheimer's storyline, saying it was important that the show focused on social issues as well as love stories.[28]