Declan Napier is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by James Sorensen from 2007 to 2010, and Erin Mullally from 2010 to 2011. In January 2010 it was announced that Sorensen had quit the role of Declan and the decision to recast was taken, with Mullally making his first on-screen appearance on 3 May 2010. In October 2010, it was announced the character was to leave Neighbours and he made his final appearance on 15 March 2011. The character was originally portrayed as a "teenage tearaway" but later settled down. He has been involved with some of the series' most controversial storylines including teenage pregnancy which caused an upset among conservative family groups, coping with his wife's death and a relationship with fellow character Kate Ramsay which was initially received as distasteful and unbelievable with Australian viewers. Declan has also been popularised whilst Sorensen played him for his 'good looks' and physical appearance, subsequently being branded as one of the show's most popular characters. Character creation and casting In 2007, Neighbours suffered a significant decline in ratings and plans were made to take the series into a 'back to basics' approach where storylines would become less controversial and return to the focus on relationships and family dynamics. It was at this point that the character of Declan was created and actress Jane Hall would play his on-screen mother Rebecca Napier. The characters were to create a family unit for then, already existing character Oliver Barnes (David Hoflin). James Sorensen was cast as Declan in 2007 and his character appeared the same year. After he had played the character for nearly three years Sorensen decided to quit the series to pursue a career outside of acting. Instead of the character departing the series Five confirmed that a decision had been made to recast the role. Erin Mullally was cast in the role and began filming immediately after Sorensen's departure from the production. In a statement from the press office at Five, they stated: "As the character of Declan is extremely popular, and with some sensational storylines planned, it was decided that the character would be recast" Sorensen expressed his delight that his character would continue as a part of the series saying: "I'm really happy the character's going to continue because the producers and writers have given Declan some fantastic storylines. I'm really proud he's