Harry Warner

Harry Thompson (previously Warner and Thompson-Warner) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who first appeared onscreen in May 2002. Being born on screen during the shows 10th anniversary, Harry has been portrayed by several child actors and by Xander Manktelow from 2023. Creation and casting In 2001 the shows producers decided to undergo a story that saw Toni Thompson (Laura Hill) give birth prematurely during the soap operas 10th anniversary. After the initial birth scenes, Callum Campbell-Ross was cast in the role due his small size resembling that of a premature baby and due to his family living close to the studio where the soap was filmed. It was decided the role of Harry would be recast in 2006 after Directors struggled to convince 3 year old Campbell-Ross to film "naughty boy" scenes where he broke a sandcastle. Henry Williams had auditioned for the character of a child patient, but was contacted to see whether he would be interested in playing Harry. In 2009 producers made the decision to recast the role so as to make way for new story directions and characterisation. The pitch was brought up during a meeting with directors and was originally met with hesitation. Reid Walker had previously auditioned for several different roles over several years and had never been called back. In 2009 he was contacted to audition for the recast of Harry. Prior to this, Walker had considered giving up on his acting dream but within one audition, he won the role. He debuted in September 2009 at the age of 9. During his first few years Walker was a minor member of cast, filming 2 scenes a week, but by 2014 he was a "senior" member and was filming 15 as well as having his own storylines. After having appeared on the show for over 8 years, Walker departed the show as a regular cast member to attend university. He continued to make guest appearances throughout 2017 and 2018. In 2023 Shortland Street underwent a "new-era" of the show with 6 new characters arriving to "mix things up" as part of a medical trainee storyline. This saw Harry returning having been recast and Xander Manktelow assuming the role.