Frank Jonathan Morgan is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Alex Papps. Frank debuted on-screen in the show's pilot episode and was the first character to appear. Frank is one of the five foster children of Pippa (Vanessa Downing) and Tom Fletcher (Roger Oakley) who move to Summer Bay to begin a new life. The serial's creator Alan Bateman thought of the idea while observing the locals of a rural town in New South Wales opposing the idea of foster children living in the area. Papps was cast into the role and immediately began receiving fan mail. Frank has been played by actors Bradley Pilato and Michael Scilusa during flashback sequences.

Frank fills the role of the serial's first heart-throb and he sports a "trademark mullet". With a backstory consisting of an alcoholic mother and a criminal father, Frank became wayward by the age of eight. However, Pippa and Tom helped him to change his ways. Frank's main narrative is themed with romance – during his tenure his main love interests are Roo Stewart (Justine Clarke) and Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson). Roo becomes pregnant by Brett Macklin (Gerry Sont) and she deceives Frank into believing that he is the father. Frank decides to marry Roo and their ceremony was dubbed a "shotgun wedding" by the media. Roo jilts Frank at the altar and reveals the truth – which results in Frank having a car accident. Frank and Bobby then start a relationship and soon marry; but both Papps and Dickson felt that their characters were too young. Papps left the series in May 1989 to join the cast of The Flying Doctors. Frank's departure storyline soon aired with his marriage to Bobby failing and him leaving her to be with Roo. Papps returned to the series in 1991 for the annual cliff-hanger episode. Frank fails to win Bobby back from her new love Greg Marshall (Ross Newton). He returned again for guest stints in 2000 and 2002.

The character became known for his "hunky" appearance and was often labelled a heartthrob. While Frank and Roo's wedding became infamous – a writer from Inside Soap said that it was one of the greatest moments in the genre. A columnist from TV Life said that Frank lead a troubled life. While Matt Buchanan from The Sydney Morning Herald said that he could not even remember the character. Off-screen the role had propelled Papps into fame and he was a firm favourite with viewers. The actor was never comfortable with the attention he received from the public. He has spoken of dismay of the "hype" surrounding the role as he believed it to be misplaced. However, Papps was still being recognised as the character twenty years later.

Creation and introduction Home and Away was created by Alan Bateman. His inspiration developed after witnessing a foster home being built in a remote town in New South Wales and the locals opposing the idea of "degenerate kids running riot". Bateman thought it would create a good basis for a new television series. Home and Away initially focuses Pippa (Vanessa Downing) and Tom Fletcher (Roger Oakley) on who move to the rural town of Summer Bay with their five foster children – one of these being Frank. Over three hundred young actors auditioned for the roles of the foster children.J Clayden 1989, p.7. Bateman said that the foster children were played by professional actors and not just model types.J Clayden 1989, p.8.

The cast filmed the pilot in 1987. Papps' casting was announced ahead of the series debut. The series first aired on 17 January 1988 on the Seven Network. Frank was the first character to appear, although a Police officer (Bruce Venables) spoke the first piece of dialogue. Frank was played by Bradley Pilato in the scene, which was set in 1978 as a young Frank tries to escape from the Police officer. The series then switches to 1988, where Frank is one of five foster children alongside Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson), Steven Matheson (Adam Willits), Lynn Davenport (Helena Bozich) and Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie). Tom loses his job in the city and moves the Fletcher family to the town of Summer Bay.Mercado 2004, p.253.

Character development

Characterisation In Frank's backstory, he is a product of a broken home, born to a criminal father and an alcoholic mother. His father was sent to prison and his mother became incapable of looking after him. As a result, Frank became wayward, but that changed after he was fostered by Pippa and Tom. Frank's ethnicity is Greek Australian; and he fills the role of the serial's first heart-throb. He is characterised as having "streetwise ways" and a "disarming smile". Frank has rock and roll ambitions because he has never been academically successful. He faced hardship to get through school. Frank only just managed to pass his exams into Year 10. However, his ambitions are reachable as the "only thing" he is good at is playing the guitar. Frank wants to get a job and form his own band.Oram 1989, p.58.

In Kesta Desmond's Home and Away Annual, he is described as being "coaxed away from a life of crime" by Tom and Pippa. Frank enjoys a "relatively stable home life" which they provide for him.Desmond 1990, p.8. In his book Home and Away Special, said that Frank had was "streetwise" by the age of eight, when he first "fell afoul of the law".Hopwood 1990, p.7. Papp's mullet hair style became a trademark of Frank. Papps said that it was fashionable at the time and while he had originally sported the style for a previous project, it "evolved into the Home and Away mullet". Papps told Clayden that Frank was so ignorant that at times he wanted to "shake him".J Clayden 1989, p.51.

Roo Stewart

Frank is given a love interest in the form of Roo Stewart (Justine Clarke). In the storyline Roo becomes pregnant by Brett Macklin (Gerry Sont) and tells Frank that he is the father. The character fills the role of "the bitch" and the storyline turned Roo into a public hate figure. While doing promotional events, Clarke was called a "slut" for Roo's deception of Frank.Oram 1989, p.64. Clarke had tried to lead a normal life away from filming, she even left her home phone number in the telephone directory. She was forced to change her number after fans repeatedly rang her asking how Frank was and what would happen next in their storyline.Oram 1989, p.67.

Frank and Roo decide to get married because she is pregnant. Downing said that the serial was approaching sex before marriage in a liberal way. The writers dealt with it "sensibly" because Frank and Roo make up their own minds. She added that it was important to let teenagers show their maturity if they want to marry.Oram 1989, p.71. Roo keeps her baby's paternity a secret until the wedding day. In the middle of exchanging vows, Roo decides to be honest and tells Frank the truth. A wedding scenario had been planned for Roo, by the serial's writing team from the off-set.Oram 1989, p.68. Bateman said that the wedding was not just to attract more viewers. He opined that people think that weddings were always based on the "consummation of love". Roo and Frank's wedding highlighted that it does not always work that way. The wedding episode resulted in a ratings boost and heightened media interest for Home and Away.Oram 1989, p.69. Magazines and newspapers labelled it as a "shotgun wedding".Oram 1989, p.70. Frank and Roo's wedding storyline was also covered by TV Week as their main story. Papps and Clarke were the first ever Home and Away cast members to feature on the cover of the magazine. Papps told J Clayden that Frank would never get over Roo lies about the baby's father. When Frank learns the truth, he leaves Roo at the altar. He then crashes his car and which leaves Frank in a coma.

When Roo gives birth to Martha (Burcin Kapkin) prematurely she calls out Frank's name. It was a "poignant moment", of which Clarke said "Roo wants him because she is still in love with him. But it is here she finds out that Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson) and Frank are together." Roo cannot handle Frank moving on with Bobby and Clarke added that Roo would do anything to be with Frank again.J Clayden 1989, p.54.

Bobby Simpson When Bobby's friend Alan Fisher (Simon Kay) dies, it has an upsetting effect Bobby. Papps told J Clayden that "When Alan is dying; Frank sees a sensitive side to Bobby which he likes. They've always been close."J Clayden 1989, p.55. Frank later begins a relationship with Bobby; Papps thought that his character's romance with Bobby was more genuine than the one he shared with Roo. Dickson told Catherine Maloney from TV Guide that she was nervous about Bobby and Frank's first kiss. She explained that she had not kissed anyone in the business before and was fretting while filming. Papps told Dickson: "Shut up and kiss me" and they played out the start of their characters romance. The actress stated that her character just puts on a "tough exterior" but longs for somebody. She added that during the storyline, viewers had sided with Bobby and not Roo.

The serial's writers decided that Frank and Bobby should marry; but were unsure how viewers would react. Papps and Dickson embarked on a promotional event in a shopping centre. Their presence attracted crowds and Papps shouted "let's have a scream from those who want Bobby and Frank to marry". The crowds went "berserk" and voiced their approval – which gave the go ahead for their on-screen marriage plans.Oram 1989, p.95. The storyline played out on-screen when Frank decides that he should ask Bobby to marry him, despite still feeling hurt by Roo's actions. He picks Bobby up from school wearing a tuxedo in a Rolls-Royce and takes her to a picnic in the woods. He sets up a meal of fish and chips. Frank proposes and says; "I can't offer you a Rolls-Royce lifestyle but you can have a life of fish and chips with me." Frank also writes a song titled "When Best Friends Fall in Love" and this was played during the scenes. They later face problems and Frank takes Bobby to his childhood home and he explains to her about how important marriage is to him. In the episode Frank also has flashbacks of his childhood; in which he was played by Michael Scilusa. Dickson told J Clayden that everyone wants her character to attend university and "Bobby knows that getting married isn't the right thing to do [...] but she doesn't want to lose Frank."

Papps revealed to a reporter from TV Life that he would never marry as young as Frank did. While he told Eithne Power of TVTimes that he thought Frank and Bobby rushed into marriage without any "proper understanding of each other". Frank thinks that marriage is a partnership where he will be "strong, the big provider and the breadwinner". Papps said that it was a "chauvinist view" but due to his childhood he wants the option of security. Papps said that Bobby wants the same because of her bad childhood, but they both "approach marriage from different angles." Dickson agreed and admitted that there were times she wanted to scream at Bobby and tell her to "get her act together" where their marriage is concerned. Frank later decides to comfort Roo when Brett blackmails her to get access to Martha. Bobby becomes jealous and paranoid. Dickson said that "Bobby has caught Frank on the rebound, and she knows it. Frank is the closest thing poor Bobby has ever had". Tom thinks that their marriage was a mistake, Dickson said that "deep down" Bobby knows that is too young, but she is a character "who can't be told".

Departure and returns