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Neighbourhood > Guest Character Profiles > Craig Benson Tim Hughes

When Susan Kennedy slipped, banged her head and woke up with retrograde amnesia, believing that she was 16 again, she refused to accept that she was married to Karl and grew increasingly upset and confused. Soon afterwards, she disappeared and her sister, Carmel, came to Erinsborough to help with the search, and remembered a boy named Craig Benson, who Susan had been close to when she was 16. Susan’s daughter, Libby, and her husband, Drew, tracked Craig down to a farm in Caldermeade and, after failing to get through to him on the phone, decided to go and visit. Once in the area, they found themselves lost and stopped to ask a farmer for directions. He just happened to be the man they were looking for, but he told them that he hadn’t seen Susan since their schooldays and promised to get in touch if she showed up.

Soon after, Susan returned to Ramsay Street and admitted that she’d been with Craig all along, and had asked him to lie. Craig, who had brought Susan home, apologised to Karl, Libby and Drew, but said that he thought he was doing the right thing at the time by following Susan’s wishes. Susan explained that Craig had just allowed her to talk, rather than forcing her to remember things that she just couldn’t. Craig and Susan then left, with the intention of returning to Caldermeade, but stopped at the pub on the way, and Craig decided that he would book a couple of rooms at Lassiter’s hotel, so that she could think about things rather than running back to the farm. An upset Susan agreed, but said that all she could remember was Craig, and she had no feelings for Libby or Karl. Later that evening, they visited Karl, and Craig assured him that, whilst he wasn’t about to reject Susan, he had no intention of stealing her away from her family either.

After their night at the hotel, Craig explained to Susan that he would have to get back to the farm, but told her that she should stay in Erinsborough, and even offered to pay for her to continue staying at Lassiter’s. A worried Susan couldn’t face staying on her own, and Craig admitted to Karl that Susan could easily run away again, so he was going to take her back to the farm. However, after a chat with Drew, Susan decided that she owed it to Karl and Libby to stick around and at least try to remember. However, Susan couldn’t manage on her own and, after a few days, she called Craig and asked him to come back. Karl again became worried about Craig’s presence in Susan’s life, but he insisted that he wasn’t there to cause trouble. Karl realised that Craig had Susan’s best interests at heart, and Craig tried to arrange a dinner for the three of them, only for Susan to announce that she wanted a divorce. Karl was left concerned that it had all been set up, but Craig insisted that he had known nothing about it.

Craig later accused Susan of being selfish with her actions, but she told him that she simply couldn’t remember ever loving Karl, and had to make a new life for herself. Craig decided to go back to the farm, realising that Susan had no chance of coming to her senses with him still hanging around.

Trivia Notes
• Tim Hughes previously appeared in 1988 as the second actor to play Jim Robinson's business partner, Ross Warner

Biography by Steve

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