Reception
Luke Durville has proved to be one of the most popular recurring characters on the show since its inception with Gerald Urquhart's performance being a favourite of fans and critics alike. In 2009 and 2010, Durville placed runner up for "Favourite Male In A Recurring Role" in the Throng Shortland Street Fan Awards. In the 2011 awards, Luke and Bella (Amelia Reid) won "Favourite couple" and their relationship won "Best thing to happen in 2011". Gerald Urquhart was nominated for "Best Actor" in the TV Guide Best on the Box 2011 for his acting throughout the 2010-2011 period. He placed runner up behind Antony Starr. Urquhart received the same nomination the following year.
Urquhart's co star, Matt Minto (Isaac Worthington) spoke of the fan's praise for Luke following scenes where Isaac got Luke kidnapped and later framed for drug addiction; "I'm going to be public enemy number one. Luke's popular because he's eccentric; taxidermy is his life after all. He is intrinsically funny. He is also very good-natured and always means well, which I'm sure appeals to the audience." Urquhart further elaborated on the characters popularity and 'cult following', saying: "I think he's someone who's a little out of the box, but I also think he's got a heart of gold and people connect with his earnestness". The storyline that saw Luke romance Zlata (Kate Elliott) was labelled as "shocking", due to the speed to which the characters fell in love. In 2012 Luke was named as one of the standout characters of the show's first 20 years.
Throughout his first stint, Urquhart's favourite scene was where Luke threatened to take Sophie McKay to court over accusing him of being a serial killer. He enjoyed the vast variety of emotion it enabled him to play as opposed to Luke's normal behaved manner. As one of the primary suspects in the Ferndale Strangler storyline, Luke sparked a large reaction with the public and during the airing, Urquhart often found himself abused or confronted by viewers believing him to be involved in the deaths of several loved characters. The relationship between Luke and Isaac that fluxilated between friendship and deep rivalry, adorned the title, "Isaac versus Luke" and was named by Television New Zealand as one of the highlights of the 2011 Shortland Street season. The love triangle between Luke, Bella and Zlata was also listed as one of the top moments.
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