When Ben's character Jesse first appeared in Summer Bay in 1996 , he was living on the wrong side of the law as a thief, but right or wrong, he had his own moral code about who he took from and why. Ben says Jesse thought of himself as 'a kind of modern day Robin Hood'. He described his character at the time as a charmer and bit of a rogue'.

This type of attitude however eventually caught up with him when he was sent to Jail for being involved in a car racket - which at the time he had no idea he was apart of.

Ben first joined the show as a guest, who played a guy that teased Shannon (Isla Fisher) in the school corridor. Ben Unwin now returns after being off air for almost two years, as Jesse McGregor once again.

During that two years, Ben had been travelling around Europe and went to college for a year studying multi media and computer animation. More recently he has been seen on the latest Coke commercial which sees Ben riding a camel in the desert.

So why return to Home and Away to reprise the role of Jesse McGregor?

'My love of acting has brought me back. I enjoy playing Jesse because he is basically an interesting character,' he says.

And what does Ben think about his character development?

'He is a bad boy with a heart of gold and always has been. He would get caught up in situations he knew he shouldn't but involved in or with, but he is one of those guys that you couldn't help but like. He has been in Jail for the last year or so, which would change anyone. Viewers will be surprised to see a darker side of Jesse this time around,' he says.

Prior to Home & Away, Ben had a guest role on the ABC series GP in 1993. His character, Adam, rebelled against his wealthy father by becoming a street kid.

He has also appeared in the production of Seven Little Australians at Sydney's Footbridge Theatre and in several commercials, including Coke and Clearasil.

As a performer, Ben's great love is his music.

Ben was nominated for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent in 1997.