| Emma Jackson | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Dannii Minogue | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1989–1990 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 22 September 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 22 August 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Des Monaghan | ||||||||||||||||||
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Emma Jackson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away , played by Dannii Minogue. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 22 September 1989. She departed on 22 August 1990. Emma was described as a teen punk and a tomboy.
In 1989, Young Talent Time actress Dannii Minogue was offered an audition for Home and Away. [1] Following her return from New York City, where she was recording her first album, Minogue read for the role of Marilyn Chambers. She believed she was not right for the character and she did not win the role. [1] However, the producers asked Minogue's manager Terry Blamey if they could write a part especially for her and they came up with Emma Jackson. [1] Minogue wanted to accept the role, as she loved the character's personality, but she was in the middle of recording her album and was nervous about relocating to Sydney for filming. [2] Blamey decided that she should have a short run on the show and negotiated a thirteen-week contract, with an option to extend once her album was finished. [2] Minogue's casting was publicised in May 1989. Home and Away producer Andrew Howie revealed that Emma would be introduced as a relative of an established character and branded her a "prominent and up-front" person. [3] Minogue was 17 when she started filming in July 1989. Chrissie Camp of TV Week reported how Minogue was "thrilled" with the role, but she was disappointed about having to move to Sydney and be away from her parents. [4] Minogue stated: "Emma is a real rebel so she'll be a great character to play. This is only the second real acting job I've done, so I think it will be a good series to get into, particularly because it's going so well in the UK, too." [4]
The character was billed as "a rebellious, aggressive teenager who instantly clashes with the adults and upsets Bobby (Nicolle Dickson)." [4] Emma was also described as a punk and a "spunky tomboy". [5] [6] In a May 2000 interview with Ellie Genower from Soaplife , Minogue recalled "Emma was a real shocker, a very mixed-up girl who got everyone's back up. But it was only because of the awful things that had happened to her." [7] In 2009, Minogue recalled that "In the beginning, Emma was really arrogant and punk and in every scene she would slam the door when she walked in or out." [6] She added that one day during filming, she slammed a door and all the items on the wall fell off, leaving her embarrassed. [6]
Camp (TV Week) described the character's fictional backstory as "a hard-hitting storyline", as Emma is abused by her father and thrown out of the house by her mother, who does not believe her. [4] Minogue said Emma had "a rough life" which led her to get into trouble. Emma is later placed in a remand centre and because she cannot return home, she goes to live with her aunt Ailsa Stewart (Judy Nunn) in Summer Bay. Minogue explained that Ailsa takes pity on Emma and takes her in because she sees similarities between her own experiences and Emma's. [4] In her first few episodes, Emma is seen clashing with Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson). Camp noted the similarities between the two characters and reported that producers hoped Emma would be just as popular with viewers. [4] Camp also wondered if Emma would remain a rebel or eventually show that she has a heart of gold. [4] Minogue did not do much research into the abuse issue because of the good script quality. She told Genower that "I understood exactly how Emma felt [...] the scripts were written so well that they told me all I needed to know." [7]
Camp reported that Emma would have "a major romance", but the network was keeping the details of her love interest a secret. [4] Emma was later paired with Adam Cameron (Mat Stevenson) for a romance storyline. Upon their introduction into Home and Away, writers portrayed a clear attraction between the two characters but nothing substantial occurred. [8] A romance story between Adam and Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson) was scripted and played out in episodes that followed. Writers soon revisited the attraction between Emma and Adam, once his former relationship ended. [8] Stevenson told David Brown from TV Week that "nothing eventuated until Adam began a relationship with Carly. They went through a rough patch and Adam and Emma came together. She decides she's keen on him and goes about wooing him." [8] Stevenson added that a more significant romance for Adam was a "good angle" to play. [8]
Minogue stayed with the show for a year, before she quit to launch her music career in 1990. [9] [10] Minogue filmed her final scenes as Emma in June 1990. [11] Minogue did not want to do both acting and singing simultaneously. She later recalled that "it was a great experience" and "being in Home and Away was terrific and I learned a lot but I've never thought of myself as an actress." [7]
In October 2007, it was rumoured that Minogue was due to reprise her role as Emma for the show's 20th anniversary in 2008. [12] However, she did not appear. In 2018, Minogue stated that she would love to return for a short stint as part of the show's 30th anniversary celebrations. She also said she had been contacted by the producers, but added "If I did it, I'd want it to be short and sharp, in and out, because those schedules are huge." [13]
Emma comes to live with her aunt Ailsa Stewart after attacking her stepfather, Barry. She immediately clashes with Ailsa's husband Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher). Emma attempts to buy alcohol from the local store but Alf's sister Celia Stewart (Fiona Spence) refuses her the sale as she is underage, which causes Emma to insult Celia. Emma tells Ailsa she thought she would be more fun because she had been in jail and that was why she asked to stay with her. Ailsa refused to admit what she had been jailed for but reminds Emma that the experience was unpleasant. They both agree to stay out of each other's way.
Ailsa gives Emma a job at the Bayside Diner but she constantly winds up Ailsa's business partner Bobby Simpson Emma proves to be a lazy employee and is threatened by Bobby with the sack. She continues her feud with Celia and does little to impress principal Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) with her attitude. Adam invites Emma out on a date but when he tries to get close to her, she feels uncomfortable. Adam tells Emma he only went out with her for a bet, anyway. Upset, Emma takes revenge and drills holes in his raft causing it to sink in a race the next day. Emma confides in Carly that Barry abused her after her real father died when she was eight.
She takes Viv Newton (Mouche Phillips) under her wing, dragging her into trouble which does not sit well with Viv's guardian, Donald, who bans Emma from seeing Viv. Emma is fired from the diner and begins attending Summer Bay High, where she organises a student rebellion against the uniform. The plan fails when Donald turns up in punk clothing himself. Emma then encourages Viv to skip school and accept a ride from two guys who drive them out to a deserted forest. The guys soon turn on the girls and nearly rape them; luckily Steven Matheson (Adam Willits) and Alf rescue them. Emma is grateful to Steven and is attracted to him but he clearly prefers Viv. She then passes her driving test and lets Viv drive Alf's car but Viv crashes into a car belonging to Maurice "Revhead" Gibson (Gavin Harrison) and his friend "Skid" (Chris Harding). They demand payment otherwise they will tell Alf about the crash. Bobby helps the girls stall Revhead and Skid while Lance Smart (Peter Vroom) and Martin Dibble (Craig Thomson) fix the car and they avoid payment.
Emma begins a relationship with Adam but she has a momentary attraction to Grant Mitchell (Craig McLachlan) and asks him out. Grant rejects Emma as he will be starting as her new teacher. Vicki Baxter (Nana Coburn), Emma's nemesis, herself has a crush on Grant and when he rejects her, she invents a story in which Grant sexually assaulted her resulting in his suspension. Emma applies pressure to get Vicki to change her story but every attempt backfires. Vicki does eventually confess and Grant is off the hook.
Bridget (Paula Duncan), Emma's mother, arrives and she is not pleased to see her and tells her to stay away. However, Bridget convinces her she has kicked Barry out and they begin rebuilding their relationship. Ailsa and Bridget constantly fight over Emma's welfare. Emma agrees to go back to Riverstone with her mother and bids Ailsa an emotional farewell. Several weeks later, she returns in a bad mood and is constantly rude. Emma reveals Bridget has not changed. She breaks up with Adam and begins seeing Paul Jensen (Craig Black), who writes her a song. She encounters more problems with Vicki, who steals an exam paper and frames Emma for it, getting her expelled from school. Emma is forced to attend Yabbie Creek High. She is upset when Alf and Ailsa do not believe her and is even more distraught when Paul begins hanging out with Vicki. It emerges that Paul is only seeing Vicki as part of a plan to clear Emma's name. The truth is revealed after Vicki's cousin Anna (Rebecca George) arrives at the school and tells Donald all. Vicki is expelled and Emma is reinstated but she refuses to return to school. Donald, Alf and Ailsa apologise. Shortly after Emma ends things with Paul and takes a job on the Gold Coast and leaves to become an air hostess.
For her portrayal of Emma, Minogue received a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in 1989. [14] Holy Soap named Minogue as one of Home and Away's "Sexiest girls ever". [15] Despite only being on-screen for a couple of months, David Brown from TV Week opined "as the rebellious Emma Jackson, Dannii is already one of Home and Away's most popular characters with Australian viewers." [16] Sopalife's Ellie Genower stated that viewers "were in for a shock" if they were expecting Mingoue's character to be like the "girl-next-door" character Charlene Robinson from the rival soap opera, Neighbours , played by Minogue's sister Kylie Minogue. Genower profiled Emma's appearance upon her arrival as a "full-on punk, dressed in leather with jet black hair and heavy make-up." [7]
Judith Anne Nunn (AM), , is an Australian author, of both adult and children's fiction titles. she has collaborated with writers Patricia Bernard and Fiona Waite.
Alfred James "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. Alf was created as one of the show's eighteen original characters. Meagher auditioned for the role of Tom Fletcher, before being cast as Alf. He made his first appearance during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. As of 2017, Meagher is the sole remaining original cast member and he holds a Guinness World Record for being the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial. For his portrayal of Alf, Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television in 2010.
Vicki Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emma Herry from the character's birth in 1986 to 1988, Samantha Leigh Martin from 1988 to 1995, and Scarlett Alice Johnson from 2003 to 2004. She is the daughter of Michelle Fowler and Den Watts. The character is born in the serial, conceived in a controversial storyline about teenage pregnancy. Exploiting a whodunnit angle, at the time of the first showing, viewers were not initially told who was the father, and press interest in the fledgling show escalated as journalists attempted to guess. The audience finally discovered his identity in October 1985 in episode 66. Written by series co-creator/script-editor Tony Holland and directed by co-creator/producer Julia Smith, it was considered a landmark episode in the show's history. Early suspects were Ian Beale and Kelvin Carpenter, but then four possible suspects are seen leaving the Square early in the episode: Tony Carpenter, Ali Osman, Andy O'Brien, and Den Watts. As Michelle waits by their rendezvous point, a car pulls up and the fluffy white legs of the soap landlord's poodle Roly leap out of a car to give it all away: Den Watts is the father of Michelle's baby. After this storyline the programme started to appear in newspaper cartoons as it moved more and more into the public mainstream. Vicki's character was written out in October 1995, after Susan Tully, who played Vicki's mother Michelle, decided to leave the soap.
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Judy Nunn. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Ailsa was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. When Nunn decided to leave to devote more time with her novels, she was one of only four original cast members. The role of Ailsa was briefly played by theatre star Nancye Hayes whilst Nunn was taking leave due to illness in 2000.
Duncan Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 14 June 1989. He was initially portrayed by Allana Ellis, with actor Lewis Devaney taking over the role from 1990 to 1998. Brendan McKensy assumed the role in 1998 until Duncan's departure in 2001. McKensy later reprised the role in 2004 and 2005 and made his last appearance on 13 July 2005. The character was reintroduced on 19 July 2016, with Benedict Wall cast in the role. Duncan is the son of Ailsa and Alf Stewart. His 2016 reappearance marked the first time in 27 years that he, Alf and his half-sister Roo Stewart had been on-screen together. During his time in Summer Bay, Duncan befriends Tori Morgan, becoming a love rival for Nate Cooper.
Ruth "Roo" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Justine Clarke from 1988 to 1989. The character made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1988. Clarke quit the role in 1989 and the character was written out. In August 2010, it was announced that Roo would return to Home and Away with Georgie Parker in the role. The character returned on 29 October 2010.
Carly Lucini is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actress Sharyn Hodgson. She was one of the soap's original female protagonists, appearing as one of the Fletchers' foster children in the pilot episode on 17 January 1988. The soap's primary focus was placed upon the Fletchers and their gang of foster children, moving as outsiders to a caravan park in the seaside town of Summer Bay. Carly remained in the serial as a regular character until 1991, covering issues such as rape, alcoholism and child abuse, as well as a problematic marriage to soldier Ben Lucini, played by actor Julian McMahon. Hodgson has made numerous guest appearances since her exit.
Thomas Edward Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley. He made his first screen appearance in the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. The character departed on 30 April 1990, but reappeared briefly in 2008 as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.
Bobby Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Nicolle Dickson. She was introduced in the pilot episode by executive producer Alan Bateman. Nearly four hundred actresses auditioned to play Bobby, with Dickson taking the role. Bobby is described as a trouble-making teen who is rebellious and a loner. Bobby became a popular character because of her confronting attitude. Bobby's story lines have focused on finding her biological parents, her feud with Roo Stewart, adoption and her marriage to foster brother Frank Morgan. Bobby's marriage to Frank was only implemented when script writers were sure viewers approved of it. At certain points in Bobby's duration, Dickson disapproved of her actions, for instance she became frustrated with her because she decided to find her biological parents without thinking about her foster parents' feelings. Dickson decided to leave the serial in 1993, and the character was killed off in a boat accident. In 1995 Dickson made a cameo appearance when Ailsa Stewart has hallucinations of Bobby in her fridge door. Dickson has received a Logie Award for her portrayal of Bobby and she has been referred to as a "Summer Bay icon".
Celia Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by Fiona Spence. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 January 1988. The character is portrayed as a gossiping busybody and spinster who occupies her time with the Presbyterian church. In her early appearances, she formed an alliance with Donald Fisher and, though she has conservative views, she is not malicious. After one year as Celia, Spence hoped that she would find romance and change her attire. Producers decided to implement change and added smart outfits to the character's wardrobe. Spence decided to leave the series in 1990 and Celia departed the same year. She has since reprised the role on four occasions. After carrying out missionary work in Africa she returned to Summer Bay in 2000, 2002 and 2005. In 2012, it was announced that Spence had agreed to return once again. Originally heralded as the chance for Celia to reconnect with her on-screen brother, Alf Stewart, it was later revealed that she was hiding a shameful secret.
Aviva "Viv" Newton is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away, played by Mouche Phillips. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 July 1989. Phillips audition for the role and informed her she had been successful via an answering machine message. She began filming the same week but Phillips was immediately unhappy with her experience. Viv was written out of the series the following year and she made her final appearance during the episode broadcast on 25 May 1990. Phillips later revealed that she found the role to be unchallenging and the show's writing repetitive. Phillips reprised the role in 1991, for the UK theatre tour of Home and Away: The Musical.
Grant Mitchell is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Craig McLachlan. Grant debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 February 1990. McLachlan had previously appeared on rival soap opera Neighbours playing Henry Ramsay. When his contract was due to be renewed, the Seven Network offered him a more flexible contract to appear in Home and Away, which McLachlan signed. Grant arrives in Summer Bay as a new teacher starting work at the local school. Grant is described as a likeable teacher with a good rapport with his pupils. His unorthodox teaching methods land him with the nickname "Cool Mitch".
Adam Cameron is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Mat Stevenson. Stevenson had previously filmed a guest role on a rival soap opera when he was cast. Adam first appeared on-screen 28 June 1989 until Stevenson left the series in 1994. Adam was reintroduced into the series for a short time in 1999. Adam is characterised as an "intelligent and good-natured guy", though Stevenson said he is a "layabout" who will not do anything that "interferes with having a good time".
Blake Dean is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Les Hill. Blake debuted on screen during the episode broadcast on 26 July 1990.
Morag Buckton QC is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Cornelia Frances. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 June 1988. She appeared until 1989 and briefly appeared in 1993. She returned yearly from 2001 until 2009, again from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2017. Before she died, Frances had expressed her desire to once again become a permanent cast member. Morag has been described as an antagonistic, independent and cold character. Morag is portrayed as a tough lawyer. She has been involved in storylines such as adopting out her illegitimate daughter Bobby Simpson, being widowed, helping her brother Alf Stewart through his many legal battles and a friendship with troubled teen Aden Jefferies. She has been well received by certain critics for her feisty persona, whilst others have criticised her professional skills.
Narelle Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Amanda Newman-Phillips. Narelle debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 25 March 1988, but left the show just over six months later.
Frank Jonathan Morgan is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Alex Papps. Frank debuted on-screen in the serial's pilot episode and was the first character to appear. Frank is one of the five foster children of Pippa and Tom Fletcher who move to Summer Bay to begin a new life. The serial's creator Alan Bateman thought of the idea while observing the locals of a rural town in New South Wales opposing the idea of foster children living in the area. Papps was cast into the role and immediately began receiving fan mail. Frank has been played by actors Bradley Pilato and Michael Scilusa during flashback sequences.