Evan Hancock

Evan Hancock, played by Nicholas Opolski, made his first on screen appearance on 13 April 2001. Evan was introduced as the head of the Hancock family and a new teacher at Erinsborough High. In early 2001, the Neighbours scriptwriters decided to introduce some "new blood" to the show to fill the void left by the temporary departures of six regular characters. The writers created the five strong Hancock family, consisting of two parents and three children. Opolski was cast as Evan Hancock the head of the family. Evan was previously married to Genevieve Murdoch (Julie Campbell), but they divorced when their sons; Chris and Matt (Stephen Hunt), were young. Evan then married Maggie (Sally Cooper) and they had two children; Leo (Anthony Hammer) and Emily (Isabella Oldham). A writer for Inside Soap said "conveniently Evan is a teacher who happens to land a job at Erinsborough High." The Hancock's were described as fun-loving and the "average Aussie family." A writer for the BBC described Evan as being committed to progressive education and a devoted father. They said "Evan's easy going manner made him popular with his kids and students alike. That's not to say he didn't run into problems. Sometimes, his kids were embarrassed to have a high school teacher as a father, while his students have been known to take advantage of his good nature." In 2002, the entire Hancock family was axed from Neighbours.

When Evan gets a job at Erinsborough High, he also decides to move his family to the suburb. Evan outbids Dee Bliss and Teresa Bell (Krista Vendy) for Number 32 Ramsay Street and manages to upset his new neighbours. Shortly after moving in, Evan's ex-wife, Genevieve, arrives and tries to convince their son, Matt, to go to Switzerland to attend a catering school. Evan is pleased when Matt turns her down, but he is upset when his other son, Chris, decides to stay with Genevieve. Evan gets off on the wrong foot with Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) when he reveals he has a radical approach to teaching. Evan's feuds with both Joe Scully (Shane Connor) and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher). Leo tells Evan that his P.E teacher, Dean Hearn, is unfairly treating him and Evan witnesses Dean pushing his son to the ground. Evan goes to Susan with his concerns, but Dean convinces her he did nothing wrong. Evan is horrified when he hears Dean admitting to throwing a chalk duster at Leo and he gets angry with him. Susan asks Evan to leave the school to cool off, while Dean resigns. The Hancocks begin having money worries and Evan and Maggie are concerned by Leo's strange behaviour. When they see him taking money from his friends, they confront him and he tells them that he has a paper round. Evan is not convinced and later learns Leo has been selling essays to raise money for break dancing lessons. Evan then bans Leo from attending any more classes, but when he sees how talented he is, Evan relents. Things between Evan and Maggie become strained when her studies get in the way of home life. Evan runs for a position on the local council against Joe and wins. Evan starts becoming estranged from his wife and children and he helps Genevieve when she returns to ask for his support, following a break up. Evan keeps his meetings with Genevieve a secret. Evan is shocked when he learns Matt and Leo have been involved in a car crash and Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) was injured too. Evan is angry with Matt when he faces police charges and Matt runs away. He later returns and Evan and Maggie are faced with large legal fees to keep him out of jail. They decide to sell their house. Evan's marriage to Maggie is strained further when he learns Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) is in love with her and tried to kiss her. Evan asks her for a divorce, but he and Maggie later decide to work through their issues. Evan and his family then say goodbye to their neighbours and leave.

Following his introduction, James Joyce of the Newcastle Herald said Evan should prove extremely popular with the younger residents as he is the new maths teacher at Erinsborough High. A writer for the BBC said Evan's most notable moment was "Emailing The Chronicle about bullying and causing a huge row between him and Susan Kennedy.