Colby Thorne is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Tim Franklin.

The character was introduced as a replacement for Kat Chapman (Pia Miller), who died in the season finale, and his arrival was publicised in a trailer showcasing upcoming 2018 storylines.

Producers introduced the character's former fiancée Chelsea Campbell (Ashleigh Brewer) later that year, as well as his sister Bella Nixon (Courtney Miller).

On 5 February 2018, a reporter for The Daily Telegraph confirmed that actor Tim Franklin had joined the main cast as Senior Constable Colby Thorne.

[1] Colby was introduced as a replacement for fellow police constable Kat Chapman (played by Pia Miller), who died in the season finale.

[1] Franklin admitted to initially finding his character's occupation "daunting",[6] but he found that when he puts on Colby's uniform it gives him "a sense of who the person is, that authoritarian role.

[6] He also believes that Colby is "very gifted" at his job, saying "He has a keen eye, he isn't bad with cuffs and he's a good shot – he'll be using these skills in the Bay!

He notices two of the gang members Taz (Jerome Meyer) and Bluey (Alex Jewson) following Mason Morgan (Orpheus Pledger) from the surf club, with the intention of attacking him.

Taz and Bluey are arrested, as Colby reveals to Sergeant Phillip McCarthy (Nicholas Cassim) that he is the Bay's new senior constable.

[7] Colby was also given immediate links to the Bay through his friendships with River Boys member Dean Thompson (Patrick O'Connor) and Willow Harris (Sarah Roberts).

[11] Tamara Cullen of TV Week speculated that Colby would become a love interest for nurse Jasmine Delaney (Sam Frost),[3] and producers soon established a relationship between them.

[15] Writers then had Colby reveal to Jasmine that he has been searching for his younger sister Bella Nixon (Courtney Miller) and his mother, who were kidnapped by his violent stepfather.

He explains that he joined the police force to help with his search, and that he would have to "drop everything", including any romantic relationships, and leave town if he were to find a lead.

[17] Colby ends the relationship when he learns that Jasmine told her friend about his past with the River Boys, shortly before the information is leaked to the press.

[19] Speaking with Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap, Franklin explained, "Colby has to make a split-second decision – kill for those you love, or watch them die.

[19] Franklin admitted that he found the heightened emotion of the scene challenging, and he accidentally made shooting noises with his mouth when he fired the gun.

Ebony later slashes her car tyre and asks for Colby's help in changing it, however, he is called into work allowing Mason and Hunter King (Scott Lee) to step in.

[18] A show spokesperson told Claire Crick of Soaplife, "Ebony's flirty ways leave Jasmine jealous, especially when Colby seems to be innocently ignorant to all the extra attention he's been receiving from his new friend.

[22] Ebony photographs him shaking hands with Dean and sends it to the station, who then suspend him without pay for associating with a known criminal and gang member.

[25] In September 2018, producers introduced a new love interest for Colby in the form of police officer Chelsea Campbell (Ashleigh Brewer).

"[34] He told Maddison Hockey of TV Week that he loved Colby's ending, as he knew his character would have to "pay the price at some point.

[34] For his portrayal of Colby, Franklin was nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; he came in last place with 0.9% of the total votes.

"[13] TV Week's Tamara Cullen had a similar reaction, writing, "tall, handsome and confident, the new cop in town is bound to attract attention.

Burfitt wrote, "Summer Bay's new cop Colby Thorne is a conflicted man, struggling to deal with the clash of his past and present lives.

"[37] Burfitt called him "an avid crime fighter" and said he would "have his work cut out for him, with Dean and a new breed of River Boys arriving in town, which only means one thing – trouble!

"[37] Of the character's background, Claire Crick of Soaplife commented, "He arrived in Summer Bay to keep residents on the right side of the law... but it turns out that Senior Constable Colby Thorne isn't without his own murky past, because he used to be a River Boy!

"[10] Seth Adamson from TV Soap said that Colby and Dean were the "next generation of the River Boys" and "that clash is sure to make for some potent drama.

"[38] Of the character's romance with Jasmine, a TV Week columnist commented "Policeman Colby (Tim Franklin) has steamed up the screen with the local nurse in recent episodes of the show.

"[17] Following Chelsea's introduction, Radio Times critic Johnathon Hughes noted, "It's obvious there's still an attraction between the boy and girl in blue, but can they pick up where they left off with all that emotional baggage?

"[39] Tamara Cullen, writing for TV Week, said "Chelsea's decision to transfer to Summer Bay's police force in a bid to win Colby back initially caused him headaches both personally and professionally.