children, who confided in him, as Mike, about their own experiences with abusive parents. He told Lou Anson of Aberdeen Press and Journal that some of them asked him to become their pen-pal, but he was only able to write back advising them to seek help. He also told Anson that until he joined Neighbours, he had no idea "such terrible things happened." Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan of The Neighbours Factfile noted that the child abuse "still haunts" Mike, who is later abandoned by his mother when she moves overseas following the death of his father. As he settles into Ramsay Street, Mike dates Nikki Dennison (Charlene Fenn). The Guardian'''s Patrick Barkham described him at this time as "the slightly square boy next door" and a "nice-but-lonely orphan". Mike and Scott are the victims of "a cruel practical joke" by Sue Parker (Kate Gorman), who learns that they have written a pop song and sent it to a producer. Sue poses as Molly Meldrum's secretary and invites them to come and sing the song in front of Molly. Scott and Mike re-record the song and tell all their friends at school. When they turn up at Molly's house, they soon learn the appointment is a hoax and Sue publicly gloats about what happened. In March 1988, Pearce spoke to Eithne Power of the Radio Times about upcoming storylines for his character and stated "Mike will have developed a bit more by then. He certainly needs to. Though he's a good, responsible guy he goes really fuddy-duddy when it comes to girls. He can handle his work and his study and his friendships, but with girls he's a real twit. I'm all for that, it makes him more believable, rounds him out. Who needs someone who's got nothing left to learn?" Relationship with Jane Harris One of the character's most notable storylines was his relationship with Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Jane was introduced a few months after Mike and they formed a friendship group with Scott and Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), which became popular with viewers and the media. Author Josephine Monroe said that until Jane's arrival, Mike often felt like "a bit of a gooseberry" when he was with Scott and Charlene. Jane took "an instant shine" to Mike, but believed that he had not noticed her as she wore big glasses and was "a geeky brainbox". However, Mike