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.
List of Shortland Street characters (1993)
Carmen Roberts first appeared in a guest stint in mid-1993 before returning several months later as a core character. Carmen arrived as a new nurse but when her addiction to prescription pills came to light, she was fired. She returned months later completely rehabilitated but director of nursing - Paul Churchill (Simon Prast) revealed she was formerly a prostitute and was at odds with the clinics staff. When Carmen innocently claimed a dead patients lottery ticket, she discovered she had won thousands of dollars and guiltily spent a lot of it before she started to date Guy Warner (Craig Parker). Carmen discovered she was pregnant and in October gave birth to Tuesday Warner (Kelly Tate) amidst a massive storm. In December a truck ploughed through the clinic reception and Carmen received what appeared to be minor bruising. However, later Carmen collapsed and died, having developed a brain hemorrhage.