the character of luke was created as a suspect in the ferndale strangler storyline that saw 5 characters killed off by a serial killer as part of a cast cull. gerald urquhart had auditioned numerous time for "shortland street" but it was not until he worked alongside casting agent andrea kelland in a stage production, that urquhart was asked if he would like a role on the soap. during the production he had played a character named "dex" and was subsequently cast as a character very similar on the show: luke durville. urquhart was originally cast for 5 weeks. it was announced in august 2007 that gerald urquhart would be arriving as kooky new anaesthetist luke durville as part of the ferndale strangler storyline. urquhart's first day filming was on location and he spent a majority of it as a background character, reflecting back he found it a, "relaxing introduction" and enjoyed, "having such an easy start." he made his first appearance on 14 september 2007. the producers enjoyed the character and continued to write for him, with urquhart's contract continuously extended. he appeared for 3 months, making his last appearance on 13 december 2007. urquhart returned to the role in october 2008 and continued in the role until may 2009. urquhart reprised the role for several episodes in march 2010.