Gilbert (series 1–4) Nick Simpson-Deeks as Rhys Mitchell (series 1–3) Greg Stone as Steve Gilbert (series 1–3) Michala Banas as Tiffany Turner (series 1–2, 5) Natalie Saleeba as Claire Armstrong (series 1–2) Luke Arnold as Lachie Clarke (series 2) Peta Sergeant as Cat Johnson (series 2) Thomas Lacey as Ollie Masters (series 2) Dieter Brummer as Jason Ross (series 3–4) David Paterson as Ryan Sharrock (series 3) Ben Geurens as Adam Grabowski (series 3) Luke McKenzie as Shannon Taylor (series 3) Ryan Hayward as Brett Tully (series 3) Dan O'Connor as Nate Simpson (series 3) Anna Samson as Hayley Baxter (series 4) Jacob Holt as Cory Baxter (series 4) Laurence Brewer as Jack Macauley (series 4) Production Development Winners & Losers was created by Bevan Lee. Lee wanted to create a drama focusing on females for a number of years before the programme's creation. He also created Packed to the Rafters. While the former is focused on family relationships, Winners and Losers concentrates on friendships and is aimed at a younger demographic. Lee said it focuses on the "fun and drama of how we all carry the inner loser inside us, no matter how much life makes a winner of us." Lee said the programme's genre is "charmedy" consisting of drama, comedy and charm. At the time of early production, the main actresses were required to spend time together off set to build believable chemistry between themselves. The show's producer Maryanne Carroll was partly responsible for creating the lives of the four main female characters. She oversaw a "team of experts" who chose music for scenes, styled their homes and chose their clothing. The items placed in each home were designed to identify with the characters living there. A pilot episode for the programme was created and shown to a research group. Network Seven's then-head of drama, John Holmes, said the research produced the expectation of high ratings. The series began airing on the Seven Network from 22 March 2011, four weeks earlier than originally planned. The fourth season of Packed to the Rafters was put on hiatus to allow Winners & Losers to air in its timeslot. The move was part of a programming strategy, with the aim of attracting a high viewing figures. The first episode gained the highest ratings of the evening, averaging at 1.7 million viewers. The Seven Network decided to air the second and third