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TV Week Greatest Aussie Characters of All Time results

Home & Away and Kath & Kim characters get top honours from TV Week readers.

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TV Week has named its Greatest Characters of All Time following a reader survey, with Home & Away‘s Alf Stewart, played by Ray Meagher, as the top of the bunch.

Home & Away and Kath & Kim featured high on the list of mostly-nostalgic characters, whether from actors, comedians, animals or animation.

Amongst the more recent entries were Colin From Accounts‘ Ashley (Harriet Dyer), Heartbreak High‘s Quinni Gallagher-Jones (Chloe Hayden), Fisk‘s Helen Tudor-Fisk (Kitty Flanagan), Total Control‘s Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) and Bluey.

1. Home And Away, Alf Stewart – Ray Meagher

2. Home And Away, Irene Roberts Lynne McGranger

3. Kath & Kim, Kath Day Knight – Jane Turner

4. Home And Away, Darryl “Brax” Braxton – Stephen Peacocke

5. Kath & Kim, Kim Craig – Gina Riley

6. Home And Away, Sally Fletcher – Kate Ritchie

7. Kath & Kim, Sharon Strzelecki – Magda Szubanski

8. Mr Squiggle, Created by Norman Hetherington

9. Home And Away, Marilyn Chambers – Emily Symons

10. Neighbours, Harold Bishop – Ian Smith

11. Skippy, Skippy

12. Blue Heelers, Tom Croydon – John Wood

13. The Dame Edna Experience, Dame Edna Everage – Barry Humphries

14. Wentworth, Franky Doyle – Nicole da Silva

15. Blue Heelers, Maggie Doyle – Lisa McCune

16. Bluey, Bluey

17. All Saints, Terri Sullivan – Georgie Parker

18. Here’s Humphrey, Humphrey B Bear – Edwin Duryea/Ross Hutchinson/John Maclean

19. Neighbours, Toadie Rebecchi – Ryan Maloney

20. Home And Away, Leah Patterson-Baker – Ada Nicodemou

21. Offspring, Nina Proudman – Asher Keddie

22. McLeod’s Daughters, Tess McLeod – Bridie Carter

23. McLeod’s Daughters, Claire McLeod – Lisa Chappell

24. Neighbours, Paul Robinson – Stefan Dennis

25. Wentworth, Joan “The Freak” Ferguson – Pamela Rabe

26. Neighbours, Charlene Mitchell – Kylie Minogue

27. All Aussie Adventures, Russell Coight – Glenn Robbins

28. Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Ossie Ostrich – Ernie Carroll

29. Neighbours, Dr Karl Kennedy – Alan Fletcher

30. Neighbours, Susan Kennedy – Jackie Woodburne

31. Play School, Big Ted

32. Wenworth, Bea Smith – Danielle Cormack

33. A Country Practice, Molly Jones – Anne Tenney

34. Doctor Doctor, Dr Hugh Knight – Rodger Corser

35. Neighbours, Bouncer

36. Bananas In Pyjamas – B1 & B2

37. Home And Away, Pippa Ross – Vanessa Downing/Debra Lawrance

38. Packed to the Rafters, Dave Rafter – Erik Thomson

39. All Saints, Dr Mitch Stephens – Erik Thomson

40. Mother & Son, Maggie Beare – Ruth Cracknell, Denise Scott

41. Agro’s Cartoon Connection, Agro

42. Summer Heights High, Mr G – Chris Lilley

43. Neighbours, Scott Robinson – Jason Donovan

44. All Saints, Frank Campion – John Howard

45. The Comedy Company, Kylie Mole – Mary-Anne Fahey

46. A Country Practice, Esme Watson- Joyce Jacobs

47. The Comedy Company, Con The Fruiterer – Mark Mitchell

48. Summer Heights High, Ja’mie – Chris Lilley

49. The Paul Hogan Show, Hoges and other characters – Paul Hogan

50. Offspring, Billie Proudman – Kat Stewart

51. Kingswood Country, Ted Bullpitt – Ross Higgins

52. Fisk, Helen Tudor-Fisk – Kitty Flanagan

53. Five Bedrooms, Heather Doyle – Doris Younane

54. Love Child, Joan Millar – Jessica Marais

55. Acropolis Now, Effie – Mary Coustas

56. Home And Away, Angel Parrish – Melissa George

57. A Place To Call Home, Sarah Adams – Marta Dusseldorp

58. Halifax f.p., Jane Halifax – Rebecca Gibney

59. Sons & Daughters, Patricia “Pat The Rat” Hamilton – Rowena Wallace

60. Heartbreak High, Drazic – Callan Mulvey

61. The Secret Life Of Us, Kelly Lewis – Deborah Mailman

62. Police Rescue, Sergeant Steve “Mickey” McClintock – Gary Sweet

63. The Paul Hogan Show, Strop – John Cornell

64. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Phryne Fisher – Essie Davis

65. The Norman Gunston Show, Norman Gunston – Garry McDonald

66. Full Frontal, Poida – Eric Bana

67. SeaChange, Laura Gibson – Sigrid Thornton

68. The Sullivans, Dave Sullivan – Paul Cronin

69. Mystery Road, Jay Swan – Aaron Pedersen, Mark Coles Smith

70. The Flying Doctors, Tom Callaghan – Andrew McFarlane

71. Upper Middle Bogan, Amber Wheeler – Michala Banas

72. Love Child, Martha Tennant – Miranda Tapsell

73. Jack Irish, Jack Irish – Guy Pearce

74. The Sullivans, Grace Sullivan – Lorraine Bayly

75. Fast Forward, Pixie-Ann Wheatley – Magda Szubanski

76. The Comedy Company, Col’n Carpenter – Kym Gyngell

77. SeaChange, Daniel “Diver Dan” Della Bosca – David Wenham

78. Against The Wind, Jonathan Garrett – Jon English

79. The Secret Life Of Us, Evan Wylde – Samuel Johnson

80. Colin From Accounts, Ashley – Harriet Dyer

81. The Aunty Jack Show, Aunty Jack – Grahame Bond

82. The Young Doctors, Grace Scott – Cornelia Frances

83. Rake, Cleaver Greene – Richard Roxburgh

84. Cop Shop, Danni Francis – Paula Duncan

85. A Place To Call Home, Regina Standish – Jenni Baird

86. E Street, “Wheels” – Marcus Graham

87. Please Like Me, Josh – Josh Thomas

88. Total Control, Alex Irving -Deborah Mailman

89. Heartbreak High, Quinni Gallagher-Jones – Chloe Hayden

90. Number 96, Abigail – Bev Houghton

91. A Town Like Alice, Bryan Brown – Joe Harman

92. Homicide, Leonard Teale – David Mackay

93. Love My Way, Claudia Karvan – Frankie Paige

94. The Box, Judy Nunn – Vicki Stafford

95. Return To Eden, Stephanie Harper – Rebecca Gilling

96. Utopia, Tony Woodford – Rob Sitch

97. Mr Inbetween, Ray Shoesmith – Scott Ryan

98. Division 4, Frank Banner – Gerard Kennedy

99. Frontline, Mike Moore – Rob Sitch

TV Tonight ran similar lists in 2012:

Alf Stewart our favourite Soap character

Maggie Beare our favourite sitcom character

Skippy, our favourite Live Animal character.

 

Dame Edna our favourite Variety TV Character

Source: TV Week

Updated.

27 Responses

  1. Notable omissions, from a UK viewer’s perspective, are Helen Gordon (The Young Doctors), Madge Bishop (Neighbours), Helen Daniels (Neighbours), Nell Mangel (Neighbours) and Sheila Florance’s portrayal of Lizzie Birdsworth (Prisoner).

    It is good to see a nod to the memorable Prisoner reboot, Wentworth, but other than that this list strongly reflects the viewing tastes of the home audience, Especially striking is the prominence of characters from Home and Away. I believe this show still airs over here but remains one of the few soap imports from Australia to which the UK audience has never really warmed.

    The Sullivans, which features, was also dire.

  2. Maybe I’m showing my age but I’m surprised no one has remembered Claude The Crow and Norm The Kangaroo from Shirl’s Neighbourhood. Both iconic Australian characters from a time when the networks made quality and fun children’s television.

  3. Some other bugbears from the list. Cornelia’s character in The Young Doctors was known as Sister Scott. Her first name Grace, was rarely used. I’m not sure if they still use the term Sister for a head nurse, but that is how she was known. Pippa from H&A should have been listed as Pippa Fletcher Ross. Vanessa Downing was never Pippa Ross. I’m also thinking Ada Simmons from The Young Doctors. I know there is only 100 places, but some of the shows listed, although I enjoyed, have not been embedded in our Phyche. I’m thinking Love Child in particular, could have been left out. I would also say Doctor, Doctor is in the same boat, although Rodger Corser deserves to be on the list. They took a while to find a hit show for him.

  4. What the? No Dorrie Evans from Number the 96? Don Finlayson, Aldo Goudoulfis. I really think this list was made by someone under 40 years old. I think Prisoner should have been listed with Wentworth. Those characters were certainly iconic, even before the Foxtel series began. I also thought of Vivianne Grey’s Mrs Jessup/Mangle. The neighbourhood gossp was a staple in Aussie soaps. Dorrie and Mrs J, pre-dated Esme Watson.

  5. Sorry to spoil it for everyone. But there actually is 100 greatest characters – according to the printed magazine at least. Julie Rafter (by Rebecca Gibney) from Packed to the Rafters is listed at number 12. Everyone else below that moves down one position….

    Some notable omissions, like anyone from Prisoner, PJ from Blue Heelers (Martin Sacks won heaps of Logies fr his role), Plucka Duck and Dickie Knee from hey Hey It’s Saturday, among others.

    A shame that Ray Shoesmith (from Mr Inbetween) and Cleaver Greene (from Rake) are ranked so lowly…

    1. I don’t have a problem with Foxtel shows (or the very fab Wentworth) being included. I suspect the list was drawn from options offered by TV Week. There are a lot of similar names to a survey I ran in 2012, but I prefer to leave blank options (as in current TVT Awards voting) so that the list is not weighted.

  8. Too many H&A stars. Missing characters from Round the Twist, Lift Off, Cornelia Frances, Recovery’s masked Enforcer and Roy & HG. Irene originally played by Jacqui Phillips.

      1. According to @jimbo k = Sorry to spoil it for everyone. But there actually is 100 greatest characters – according to the printed magazine at least. Julie Rafter (by Rebecca Gibney) from Packed to the Rafters is listed at number 12. Everyone else below that moves down one position….

  13. Someone at Typo Week needs to go back to Play School. In the original TV Week list, they have Kitty Flanagan as ‘Kitty Flanagawyer’, Joyce Jacobs playing Esme Watson listed as ‘Esme Watson Joyce – Jacobs’, and Agro as ‘Argo’.

  14. Awww no Vivean Gray as either in The Sullivans as Mrs Jessup (885 episodes) or in Neighbours as Mrs Mangles (267 episodes), thought one would make the Top 99, I’ll just pretend they just missed out then and were #100 and #101.

    I’ve looked through a couple of times so hope I didn’t miss one being in.

  15. Wow ! Not one character from the original Prisoner. How is that possible ? Sheila Florence’s Lizzie Birdsworth would be definitely near the top for me.

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