Joshua "Josh" West is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Daniel Collopy.

In September 2001, actor Daniel Collopy successfully auditioned for the role of Josh and had to move from Melbourne to Sydney in the space of "a few days" to begin filming.

[1] Josh was introduced as the serial new trainee lifeguard and a potential love interest for established character Dani Sutherland (Tammin Sursok).

"[1] While Rhys (Michael Beckley) and Shelley Sutherland (Paula Forrest) warm up to Josh, their daughter Dani dislikes him.

[6] Sursok told a reporter from Inside Soap that "their relationship has come down to silly mind games and petty arguments, they've come through so many problems and dramas that instead of really being there for each other and appreciating what they have, they've lost sight of why they are together in the first place.

The serial's producers wanted to capitalise on the success of their stalker storyline, which pulled in high viewing figures, by creating a new mystery plot.

Josh quickly finds employment as a lifeguard at the Surf Club, taking over from Vinnie Patterson (Ryan Kwanten), who has recently taken paternity leave.

This arrangement becomes permanent when Vinnie is sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for fraud after being framed by his father, Ralph Patterson (Alan Cinis).

He reluctantly agrees to attend University in the City as per his wealthy parents' wishes but decides to return to the Bay and continue being a lifeguard.

Josh settles into the bay and begins befriending several local teens Brodie Hanson (Susie Rugg), Noah Lawson (Beau Brady) and Hayley.

When Josh wants to take his relationship with Dani a step further, she is reluctant as she was raped the previous year by Kane Phillips (Sam Atwell).

Josh's mother, Jackie (Julieanne Newbould), arrives in the bay and she pens an article that could potentially ruin local doctor and counsellor Flynn Saunders (Martin Dingle-Wall).

Josh faces his biggest test as a lifeguard when local doctor Charlotte Adams (Stephanie Jacobsen) goes for a final swim before leaving to work in an orphanage in Vietnam.

Josh and Hayley date for a while but Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher), who is suffering a brain tumour, sees visions of an unhappy future for the couple.

After being one of many suspects in the frame for the murder of Angie Russell (Laurie Foell), Josh discovers his father, Greg (Dane Carson) is ill and leaves to take over his business.

Later in the year Josh makes several sporadic returns, including making plans to destroy and develop the drop in centre, destroying Colleen Smart's (Lyn Collingwood) mobile home, firing Jesse McGregor (Ben Unwin) from the Surf Club Gym.

Alf's sister, Morag Bellingham (Cornelia Frances) is keen to bring Josh down and a battle soon ensues.