| Anne Wilkinson | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Brooke Satchwell | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1996–2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 November 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 5 April 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Anne Wilkinson (also Hails) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours , played by Brooke Satchwell. She made her first on screen appearance on 19 November 1996. Satchwell quit the role in 1999 and the character departed on 5 April 2000
Emily Milburn originally auditioned for the role of Anne, before she was cast as Caitlin Atkins six months later. [1] Brooke Satchwell had just completed an advertisement for Just Jeans, when a make-up artist advised her to find an agent. Twelve months later she received an audition for the role of Anne, which she won. [2] Satchwell was fifteen when she joined the cast in 1996 and the role was her first professional job in the acting industry. [3] [4] Shortly after she started, Satchwell came down with glandular fever and she had to stop filming for a fortnight. [2] During her time in the show, Satchwell lived in Mornington Peninsula and spent five hours a day commuting to and from the Neighbours set. As she was still at school, Satchwell received tutoring on weekends, but she eventually had to finish by correspondence. [5]
Satchwell decided to leave Neighbours in 1999 and she filmed her final scenes in November of that year. [6] Satchwell told The Sun-Herald that she never intended to stay with the show for more than three years. [4]
Anne arrives in Ramsay Street to stay with her mother, Ruth (Ailsa Piper) and twin brother, Lance (Andrew Bibby) at Number 32 for several days. Anne reveals to Lance that she dislikes their father, Bill's (Ian Stanley Pearce) new girlfriend and after a talk, moves in with Ruth and Lance. Anne later meets Billy Kennedy and is attracted to him but is reluctant to admit it, as he is, in turn, attracted to Anne. Lance and Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney), Billy's friend and Housemate formulate a plan to get Billy and Anne together at the Street's Christmas party by buying gifts and signing Billy and Anne's respective names to them.
Anne and Billy begin dating but their blossoming relationship is threatened when Anne's ex-boyfriend, Justin Black (Chris Ryan) arrives on the scene and begins competing with Billy for Anne's affections. Justin ultimately leaves and Anne and Billy resume dating. When Ben Atkins (Brett Cousins) arrives is Erinsborough and moves next door to the Wilkinsons, Anne is immediately taken with him and develops a crush on him, putting strain on her relationship with Billy. To dissuade Anne's advances, Ben confesses to Anne he is her half-brother, something she initially disbelieves until Ruth confirms that she gave birth to Ben at age 15 and subsequently adopted him out. Anne is upset with the revelation and remains angry with Ruth and Ben. Anne wants to move back in with her father, but relents when she finds out he is moving away with his new girlfriend.
Anne eventually accepts Ben as her half-brother and she and Billy reconcile. When Caitlin, Ben's younger adoptive sister, arrives in Erinsborough and begins training to be a competitive swimmer along with Billy, Anne becomes jealous and resentful. In the 1997 season finale of Neighbours, Anne travels to Sydney to visit Billy after a big swim team meet, only to find him kissing Caitlin in a hotel room. Billy tries to explain his actions, but Anne will not listen to him and returns to Erinsborough. Caitlin later visits Anne and warns her that she is going to take Billy away from her.
After Ben is involved in a huge car crash during a race at Calder Park Raceway, Anne and Caitlin are forced to put aside their differences while Ben recovers in hospital. Billy asks Anne for another chance but with Caitlin in the picture, things are difficult so they split once more. When Drew Kirk (Dan Paris) and Joel Samuels (Daniel MacPherson) arrive in Erinsborough, Anne makes a play for both but is unsuccessful with the former, as Drew turns her down for being too young. Anne briefly dates Joel but it fizzles out due to the complication of Joel living at the Kennedys and Billy not being completely over her. Anne quickly befriends local pensioner, Lily Madigan (Althea McGrath) and tries to help save her house from being bulldozed by developers. When Anne makes a campaign the man responsible for the impending project, he sues for defamation of character. However, the developer is revealed to be corrupt and Lily's house is saved.
While interviewing local homeless man, Fred Parkes (Colin Duckworth), Anne goes to the kitchen and when she returns, she notices Fred has died. The incident leaves her shaken and soon after, Lily also dies, making Anne wonder whether she is cursed. Anne runs for School captain alongside one of her closest friends, Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton), who is Lance's girlfriend. After it is revealed that Lance voted twice, the girls share the captaincy.
After Ruth marries Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings), The Wilkinson move into Number 26 with him and his daughter Hannah (Rebecca Ritters). During this period, Anne becomes close to Billy again due to living right next door and him repeating Year 12 (despite having gotten into University). Anne receives news that she has inherited Lily's house. To celebrate, she and the other teens go away on a camping trip. While there, Billy and Anne have sex for the first time. The following morning when Billy tries to downplay it to Craig "Pinhead" Pinders (Nathan Godkin) as no big deal, Anne is hurt and drives off in the ute. Anne is bogged down at a river bank and is found by Joel and Billy's father Karl (Alan Fletcher). The men help with the car but it careens forward down the bank and ends up in the water, trapping Joel's knee. Anne runs to get help while Karl battles to save Joel. Luckily, a rescue crew arrive and airlift Joel to hospital.
Billy apologises to Anne and explains his comments were to shut Pinhead up. Anne later receives her VCE results and is eligible to study art at Dawber University in Queensland. Anne leaves but immediately returns after a change of heart, and decides to study locally at Eden Hills. Ruth is disappointed by this but ultimately realises it is what Anne wants. Gary O'Neil (Kevin Hopkins), Lily's nephew contests her Will and demands Anne relinquish Lily's house to him. Anne refuses and battles Gary in court and wins. David "Fanto" Hodges (Daniel Dinnen) takes an interest in Anne, much to the chagrin of Billy, who sneakily reads Anne's diary and is collared by Hannah. Later, during a confrontation about Anne's feelings for Fanto, Anne is accidentally injured when she and Billy fight over the diary. Anne then breaks up with Billy and moves into Fanto's warehouse with all his artist friends shortly after Philip, Ruth and Hannah leave Erinsborough for Darwin.
After dating Fanto a while, Anne begins to see changes in his behaviour. One night at a meal with Lance and Amy, Fanto tells Anne to disassociate herself with her respective brother and best friend. Anne refuses and when she finds out that Fanto made advances towards Amy, she promptly dumps him and moves out of the warehouse and back into her old home at Number 32 with local teacher Teresa Bell (Krista Vendy). Anne finds herself drawn back to Billy and they give their relationship yet another chance after sharing a kiss. Several weeks later, Anne finds out that Amy has been cheating on Lance with her airline colleague Damien Smith and has consequently fallen pregnant, which she keeps a secret. When Lance finds out he is upset with Anne and Amy, but eventually forgives them. Amy leaves to marry Damien.
When Billy is offered an apprenticeship by Greg Mast (Roy Thompson) in Queensland and has to leave immediately, Anne is distraught. After Billy's farewell party at Luna Park, Anne decides to get a transfer to Dawber University and visits him by train a month later. Billy is pleasantly surprised to see Anne at the station and the two vow to stay together forever. Billy and Anne have a son called Jackson and later welcome twins. They then marry.
For her portrayal of Anne, Satchwell received a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent in 1998. [6] The following year, Satchwell was nominated for Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards. [7] In 2000, Satchwell won the People's Choice award for Favourite Teen Idol. [6]
The BBC said Anne's most notable moment was "Being caught skinny-dipping with Billy." [8] Miranda Wood of The Sun-Herald said Anne and Billy's romance "captivated audiences for the past three years. Their on-screen relationship was likened to the Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue) phenomenon." [6] In 2010, Sky criticised Anne and branded her as the "boring sweetheart" in the series. [9] Paul Brooks from Soaplife included Anne and Billy in his list of "dream lovers". He assessed that "the emotional ups and downs of Bill and Anne are almost a soap on their own." [10]
Libby Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the role when she was 15, and upon being cast as Libby, she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. Libby was introduced along with her parents and brothers during a period of low ratings for the show. Valentine departed on 2 October 2003, before returning for six months the following year and a single episode on 27 July 2005. She returned on a permanent basis on 12 November 2007.
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre on the residents of the street, which was named after Jack Ramsay, the grandfather of original character Max Ramsay. A blackjack game between Jack and Sam Robinson determined whose name the street would be named after. Only six houses on the street are featured on a regular basis; numbers 22 to 32. Number 34 was featured for the only time in 2018. The cul-de-sac is at the end of a long street and the rest of the houses are on the other side of the main road which bisects it. The street behind Ramsay Street is named Mirrabooka Drive. A storyline within the show saw the name of the street nearly changed to Ramsbottom Street. Harold Bishop led a protest against it and won.
Philip Gordon Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ian Rawlings. Originally played by Christopher Milne during the character's first appearance in 1985, Rawlings took over the role when the character returned to the show in 1992 and remained until 1999. He briefly returned in 2005 for several episodes, and later in 2017 for the web series Neighbours vs Time Travel, and in 2022 for the show's then finale. Rawlings reprised the role in 2023.
Michael Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Troy Beckwith. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 October 1985. The character was originally played by Samuel Hammington. Beckwith took over the role in 1992 and appeared on a regular basis until 1994, but continued to make guest appearances until 1998.
Lance Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Andrew Bibby. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 August 1995. Bibby was cast in the recurring role of Lance after an audition. After a year, Bibby auditioned for another character called Jon and the writers chose to turn him into Lance. Lance was a bookish, paranoid boy, with a kind heart and keen wit. Lance departed on 29 March 2001, but Bibby reprised his role in July 2005 for the show's 20th anniversary, in 2018 and also for the final episode in 2022. Bibby reprised his role in a flashback sequence the following year.
Hannah Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Rebecca Ritters. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1992. Hannah is the only child of Philip and Julie Martin and the younger sister to Michael and Debbie. The Martin family were written out in 1999 and Hannah departed on 20 October 1999. In 2005, Ritters reprised her role for a brief cameo in the show's 20th anniversary episode.
Billy Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jesse Spencer. He made his first appearance on 27 September 1994, arriving in Ramsay Street with his family. He departed on 5 April 2000, but made a small cameo for the show's 20th anniversary episode broadcast on 27 July 2005, and for the show's then final episode on 28 July 2022.
Hilary Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anne Scott-Pendlebury. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode broadcast on 25 June 1987. Hilary departed the show on 28 February 1990, following Scott-Pendlebury's decision to quit in 1989. Scott-Pendlebury reprised her role in 2005 for the serial's 20th anniversary episode, and again in February 2015 ahead of the 30th anniversary. Writers established that Hilary is back living in Erinsborough, so she could continue to make sporadic appearances from 2015 until 2023.
Amy Greenwood is a fictional character from the Australian soap Neighbours, played by Jacinta Stapleton. She made her first on-screen appearance on 10 July 1997. Amy is characterised as flirtatious and ditzy, especially interested in fashion and gossip. During her original duration in the series, writers created a long-running on/off relationship with Lance Wilkinson. Amy later begins relationship with flight attendant Damien Smith and elopes with him after discovering she is pregnant. Amy departed on 21 March 2000. Five years later, Stapleton reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode in July 2005. She reprised the role again in December 2020 and later re-joined the regular cast. Her final regular appearance was on 28 July 2022 during the serial's finale, although she returned on 13 November 2023 for two flashback episodes, which showed why Amy had left Ramsay Street.
Ruth Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ailsa Piper. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1996. Ruth was introduced as Helen Daniels' physiotherapist. She was a divorced single mother, who later established a relationship with Philip Martin, which attracted some opposition from their children. The relationship was later tested by the introduction of Ruth's long lost son, Ben Atkins and his father Geoff Burke. Philip and Ruth marry in 1998, amid a breast cancer scare for Ruth. The Martin family were written out of Neighbours and they departed together on 20 October 1999. Piper reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode, which aired on 27 July 2005.
Paul McClain is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Jansen Spencer. Paul made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 November 1997. Spencer decided to leave the role in September 2001, and Paul departed on 11 December 2001. In 2005, Spencer reprised the role for a cameo appearance in the show's 20th anniversary episode.
Joel Samuels is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Daniel MacPherson. MacPherson secured the role after auditioning for casting director Jan Russ, who suggested that the script producers write the part of Joel for him. He relocated to Melbourne for filming, and made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 May 1998. Joel was introduced as a friend of Malcolm Kennedy and comes to Erinsborough to stay with his family. MacPherson decided to leave Neighbours after four years and his exit scenes aired on 29 January 2002, as Joel leaves to work with a marine explorer. MacPherson reprised the role for the show final episodes, which aired in July 2022.
Teresa "Tess" Bell is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Krista Vendy. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 September 1999 and departed on 18 September 2001. In 2023, Vendy reprised the role.
Ben Atkins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Cousins. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 9 April 1997. He departed on 22 May 1998, before making a two-episode guest appearance the following month.
Caitlin Atkins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Emily Milburn. The actress originally auditioned for the role of Anne Wilkinson and received the part of Caitlin six months later. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 29 September 1997. Caitlin is introduced as the younger sister of series regular Ben Atkins. She is portrayed as being strong willed and manipulative, yet vulnerable. Milburn said Caitlin was very different from her, but she enjoyed cutting loose for the role. Caitlin is a talented swimmer and she falls for her training partner, Billy Kennedy, whom she pursues despite knowing he is in a relationship. Producers decided to write the character out of the show in April 1998. Caitlin departed alongside her older brother, Nicholas Atkins on 24 June 1998.
Daniel "Dan" Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Tucker. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 September 1999. Dan becomes a teacher at Erinsborough High and shares a house with fellow teacher, Tess Bell. He remained as a recurring character until 2000. Tucker returned on 30 October 2007 and became part of the regular cast. Dan re-joined the high school and he began a relationship with Libby Kennedy. In June 2009, it was announced that Tucker had quit the show and Dan departed on 1 December 2009. On 13 September 2010, Dan made a one-off appearance which was filmed prior to Tucker's departure in 2009. The character later appeared in a flashback broadcast on 4 July 2011, played by James Roach.
The Kennedy family are a fictional family from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. They have been a large part of the show since 1994, when the five-strong family moved into Ramsay Street. Both Karl Kennedy and his wife Susan celebrated 20 years on the show in 2014, and are stalwarts of the fictional Erinsborough community, with Karl serving as the area's doctor and Susan as principal of Erinsborough High. They have earned multiple award nominations for their roles. The Kennedy family has expanded to introduce several others since its conception, although plays a relatively minor role as of 2014, with Karl and Susan as the only members of their family still residing in Ramsay Street.