THIS ARTICLE REFERENCES THE UNMISSABLE DRAMA IN THE EPISODE OF NEIGHBOURS DUE TO AIR ON 16TH MAY
Paul Robinson is set to make a temporary departure from Neighbours when it is revealed next week that a beloved family member has died.
Reeling from the news about Chelsea’s lies and struggling to see Toadie and Terese trying to make a go of their marriage, Paul announces that he is leaving Erinsborough to head to New York for the funeral of his Aunt Rosemary.
Aunt Rosemary is, of course, Rosemary Daniels, the show’s original high-powered businesswoman and former head of the Daniels Corporation. Rosemary was the adoptive daughter of Paul’s grandmother, Helen Daniels and made regular guest appearances on the show between 1986 and 1998, with brief returns for the show’s 20th and 25th anniversaries.
Bringing a touch of New York glamour to Erinsborough, Rosemary would not have looked our of place on shows such as Dallas and Dynasty.
During her regular drop-ins to see Helen, Rosemary gave Paul, who was a flight attendant at the time, his first step on the corporate ladder, running the Erinsborough office of the Daniels Corporation. Rosemary’s actions weren’t all positive though, she also slept with Colin Burke, Dorothy Burke’s husband (Although Rosemary claimed she had no idea he was married).
Rosemary’s most famous scene is considered by many fans to be when she found her brother-in-law Jim Robinson dead on the kitchen floor of No. 26 Ramsay Street (A bowl of oranges, anyone?)
In next Thursday’s episode, upon finding out that Rosemary has died, Paul mentions how devastated Lucy is, as she was incredibly close to Rosemary. Indeed, modern-day Lucy is very similar to Rosemary, dropping in occasionally, complete with shoulder pads in a whirlwind and waving her business wand.
The decision to kill off Rosemary comes after the death of actor Joy Chambers, who played Rosemary. Joy passed away on in September last year, the weekend before Neighbours returned to our TV screens. Joy’s connections to Neighbours extended beyond Rosemary Daniels, as she was married to TV Mogul Reg Grundy, of Grundy Productions from 1971 until Grundy died in 2016. Grundy Television produced Neighbours from 1985 until 1995 when the company was sold to Pearson Television, rebranding as Fremantle Australia in 2006.
Shane Isheev, Script Producer on Neighbours said that the decision to mirror Joy’s death in the life of Rosemary was at the request of a cast member.
“This idea was very much drive by Stefan Dennis… we were more than happy to do this small tribute.” Isheev announced on social media.