Boyd Hoyland - Development

Development

The serial's official website describe Boyd, stating: "Clearly, for a man working his way through medical school at a rapid pace, Boyd is extremely intelligent. When he first arrived in Ramsay Street he was something of a child genius and was placed in an accelerated learning programme at Erinsborough High. He compensated for being younger than his classmates by cultivating an attitude, determined not to be seen as a nerd." They also state that his stubbornness has led to several confrontations with his "equally obstinate dad". Boyd also has a big sense of responsibility also led to a doomed relationship with Kayla Thomas (Virginia Ryan). Boyd and his family have been portrayed as generally close and loving.

In 2005, Boyd was diagnosed with adolescent schizophrenia. Following some erratic behaviour, Boyd becomes "terrified" that he has the condition. His diagnosis comes about after he mentions to his sister, Summer (Marisa Siketa), that he has arranged to meet their mother. Marsh told Inside Soap's Jason Herbison that Summer "freaks out" because their mother has been dead for years and when she tries to tell Boyd this, he does not listen. Summer becomes concerned and she follows Boyd into the bush, where he believes their mother is waiting. She begs him to stop and insists their mother is dead. Boyd becomes confused and when he realises she is right, it is upsetting for him. Marsh said "it's like he has to deal with her death all over again." Summer gets her brother to the hospital, where he is diagnosed as being in the early stages of adolescent schizophrenia. Of how his character is feeling, Marsh explained "Boyd freaks out, because this is what he has been afraid of all along." Boyd's stepmother Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) is then forced to have him committed to a psychiatric ward. Marsh revealed that he relished the challenging storyline and he did a lot of research beforehand. He used the internet and spoke to a relative who has the condition. The actor added "All those things gave me an idea for what it would be like, and I'm enjoying the storyline."

Boyd marries Janae Timmins (Eliza Taylor-Cotter), but he later has an affair with fellow character Glenn Forrest (Cleopatra Coleman), which ruins his relationship with Janae. Behind the scenes Marsh was furious over the storyline and criticised the producers and branded it as "stupid", also stating: "I absolutely hated my character at the end. I couldn't believe what they made me do, I thought it was a stupid storyline and I copped a lot of flack over it. I was really upset." He also felt that after the storyline it was the right time for Boyd to leave.