Charlene Robinson
Charlene Robinson (also Mitchell) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. Charlene was introduced to the show along with several new characters, as part of a revamp by Network Ten to increase ratings. Minogue auditioned for the role in 1985, shortly after finishing her high school exams. She attended the audition dressed as the character and casting director Jan Russ cast her in the role. Minogue was initially contracted for a week, but this was later extended through to mid-1988. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 April 1986.
Charlene Robinson
1986–1988, 2022
17 April 1986
28 July 2022
Reg Watson (1986)
Jason Herbison (2022)
Student
Mechanic
Student
Mechanic
Scott Robinson (1987–present)
Charlene was portrayed as a feisty, quick-tempered and outspoken tomboy. She had a difficult relationship with her mother and did not like being patronised. Minogue thought viewers liked the character as she was an average Australian teenager. Reinforcing her tomboyish image, Charlene trained as a mechanic and she often wore khaki overalls and baggy sweatshirts. Her relationship with Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) was central to many of her storylines. They became a popular couple with viewers and the relationship helped boost ratings for Neighbours. Despite breaking up several times during their first 12 months together, the couple stayed together and their relationship eventually culminated in a wedding during "Episode 523", which was first broadcast on 1 July 1987.
During her time as Charlene, Minogue also started singing and released two successful pop singles during 1987 followed by her debut album the following year. In mid-1988, Minogue decided to leave Neighbours to concentrate on her music career. She filmed her final scenes in June 1988 and Charlene made her final screen appearance on 26 July. Minogue won four Logie Awards for her portrayal of Charlene, including the Gold Logie, becoming the youngest person to do so. Critical reaction to the character has been positive. Soap Opera author Dorothy Hobson said Charlene broke stereotypes when it came to careers for women in the 1980s. In 2022, Minogue agreed to return to the role, alongside Donovan, for what was believed (at the time) to be the show's final ever episode.[1][2] Subsequently, Amazon announced that they had picked up the series for their Freevee streaming service, and Amazon started filming the revived series in April 2023.[3][4]
Creation and casting[edit]
After the Seven Network dropped Neighbours in 1985, rival channel Network Ten picked the series up. It initially attracted low ratings and Ten began working hard to publicise the series.[5] They revamped the show and added several new cast members.[6] Kylie Minogue had had a fairly successful career as a child actress, having appeared in various television dramas, including Skyways and The Henderson Kids, but she was considering giving up acting after failing to find further work.[7] After finishing her school exams in 1985, Minogue then auditioned for the role of Charlene.[8] She attended the audition dressed as the character and won the role.[9] Of hiring Minogue, Neighbours casting director Jan Russ commented Minogue "had done a couple of things before I saw her, but she was only 18 and as shy as a mouse. She really hadn't evolved into anything at that stage, but the camera loved her and I knew I had my Charlene."[10] Minogue initially signed up to play Charlene for one week, this was then extended to 13 weeks and then through to mid-1988.[11] She made her debut screen appearance in the episode broadcast on 17 April 1986.[12]
Development[edit]
Backstory and characterisation[edit]
In her fictional backstory, Charlene was born in Coffs Harbour on 21 October 1969.[13][14] She is the youngest child of Fred (Nick Waters) and Madge Mitchell (Anne Charleston), and sister of Henry (Craig McLachlan).[14] When she was a teenager, Charlene drank alcohol, fell pregnant with her first boyfriend and had an abortion.[14] In their 1989 book The Neighbours Factfile', Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan described Charlene's life as "one long series of scrapes and scraps".[7] After her parents divorced, Charlene remained living with her father, but when he felt he was incapable of looking after her, Charlene followed her mother to Erinsborough.[15] Hilary Kingsley, author of Soap Box, observed that Charlene left behind her "life as Lolita" upon moving to the suburb.[14]
Charlene was a self-described tomboy, who preferred to be known by her nickname "Lenny".[16] She was known for her quick temper and her "heart of gold". She always stuck up for those who were considered the underdog.[15] In her book Neighbours: The First 10 Years, Josephine Monroe wrote that Charlene did not like to be patronised and had a sharp tongue.[16] Monroe observed that Charlene's feisty side helped endear her to viewers.[16] In keeping with her tomboyish nature, Charlene trained as a mechanic after leaving school and got an apprenticeship with Rob Lewis (Ernie Bourne).[16][17] The character's style often consisted of khaki overalls, baggy sweatshirts and her hair set in a perm.[14]
Minogue thought people liked Charlene because she was portrayed as an average Australian teenager, experiencing a difficult relationship with her mother.[18] She continued, "She is a bit of a rebel and they probably relate to that, and while she has her problems she will always come out on top."[18] Minogue shared some similarities with her character, but thought Charlene was far more outspoken and tomboyish than she was.[18] Minogue liked that Charlene often said what she thought, but joked that if she were in trouble and tried to punch someone as Charlene did, she would probably get "flattened".[18] Minogue also said Charlene was sensitive, but she was unlikely to show it and would "rather die than be caught crying."[19]
Reception[edit]
Accolades[edit]
For her portrayal of Charlene, Minogue won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress at the 1987 ceremony. She was also nominated for Most Popular New Talent, but lost to her co-star Donovan.[51] The following year, Minogue became the youngest person, at nineteen, to be awarded the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.[52] She also won the Most Popular Personality on Victorian Television and Most Popular Actress Logie awards.[53] At the Logie Awards of 1989, Minogue earned another nomination for Most Popular Actress and the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.[54]
Critical reception[edit]
Reception for the character has been positive. The BBC's official Neighbours website stated that Charlene's most memorable moments were "her wedding to Scott and punching Scott in the face during their first meeting."[55] The Independent said Minogue's "elfin prettiness" won Charlene a huge following in Australia and Britain.[8] During a TV Week feature on Minogue, a columnist said she "brought to life one of the most loved and memorable characters of Australian TV."[12] Colleen Last from MSN TV branded Charlene "iconic" and "beloved".[56] During a column on the "Top five ex-Neighbours stars", The Daily Telegraph's Robin Wilks placed Minogue at number one, commenting that "Kylie was once best-known as the sharp-tongued, permanently overalled tomboy Charlene".[57] The Age's Jo Roberts said that the "slightly goofy" Charlene was a "tousle-headed teenager with an oil rag and hoop earrings".[58]
In Tony Johnston's 2005 book, Neighbours: 20 Years of Ramsay Street, Charlene placed sixth in the twenty classic characters chapter.[59] Johnston said Charlene and her mother represented "the old and the new", that her career choice was unusual and her "razor-sharp tongue" put the fear into all the men who lusted after her.[59] Johnston added that the younger female viewers admired Charlene, while the boys loved her feisty nature.[59] In her book Soap Opera, Dorothy Hobson believed Charlene broke stereotypes, especially when it came to careers for women in the 1980s. She wrote, "The sight of one of the most attractive female characters, dressed in overalls, with her cascading blonde curls tied up on top of her head, was one of the most positive images for breaking the stereotypes of what jobs are suitable for girls."[60] Hobson also praised Charlene's on-screen relationship with Scott branding the positive images for young people as "immense".[60] The BBC News noted that Charlene became one of Neighbours' most popular characters.[61]
Hilary Kingsley, author of Soap Box, dubbed Charlene "soap's teen queen" and the "darling of the show".[14] Kingsley also said the character was an inspiration to girls all over the country with mother problems, calling Charlene and Madge "a marvellous double act".[14] Sky included Charlene in their feature on the twenty-five most memorable Neighbours characters.[62] They stated,
In October 2006, Minogue and Donovan, as Charlene and Scott, were included on a postage stamp issued by the Australia Post to celebrate 50 years of television.[63] The Holy Trinity Church experienced an increase in interest after Scott and Charlene's wedding aired. Backpackers visit the nave where the couple were wed, while some viewers have held their own weddings there.[23] Charlene's wedding dress was donated to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery by Grundy Television in 1989. It has since gone on display in the Powerhouse Museum and travelled to the UK.[25] In 2013, The Daily Telegraph included Scott and Charlene in their list of the "20 best TV couples". They called them "a supercouple" and "a bit of a Romeo and Juliet" pairing.[64]
Upon the news of the serial's cancellation, Sheena McGinley of the Irish Independent ranked Charlene as the fifth best character in Neighbours history.[65] McGinley explained her choice by saying, "I know we were not going to mention the very famous sorts who managed to utilise Neighbours as a springboard to global fame, but this is the OG. Speaking as someone who’s had the pleasure of meeting Kylie Minogue while working at the front desk in a recording studio, I can personally attest to that part of Charlene that will always be a key element of Kylie — her magnificent, tightly curled locks."[65]