Daphne Clarke
Encyclopedia
Daphne Rose Clarke is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
, played by Elaine Smith
. She made her first on-screen appearance in the serial's first episode on 18 March 1985. Daphne a stripper hired for Des Clarke
's bucks party and she moved in him. She and Des fell in love and were later married. Daphne gave birth to a son, Jamie. Smith quit her role in 1987, but she returned the following year to bring closure to her character's storyline. Daphne was involved in a car accident and she died on 25 March 1988.
to play the role of Daphne, but she joined the cast of Zoo Family
instead. Elaine Smith auditioned for a guest role in Neighbours in 1984. However, her appearance, particularly her short hair, caught the attention of the casting director and Smith was signed up to play Daphne by Jan Russ
. Smith said "The casting director had expected me to turn up sporting long, straight hair. In fact, my different look was something he wanted for Daphne and I became one of the five original cast members".
In 1987, Smith decided to quit Neighbours to pursue other roles. She said "As an actress, I'm in the business to play a variety of roles. When you're limited to one role it's hard, even though Daphne developed extremely well. There's a desire to get out and do other things." Daphne's exit storyline saw her leave Erinsborough to attend to her dying father. In January 1988, it was announced that Smith would be returning to the show, after she and the producers agreed that viewers would not accept Daphne and Des splitting up. Smith filmed her scenes in February. Daphne was involved in a car accident, which left her in a coma. The West Australian
said this was "allegedly a delaying tactic while Grundy tried to persuade Smith to sign a new contract." On 25 March 1988, Daphne died and became the first regular character to do so.
Daphne returned in March 1988 after her father had died but was involved in a horrific car accident that ended up with her in a coma. After a few days, she awoke from the coma and spoke the famous words "I love you too, Clarky". Unfortunately, she suffered cardiac arrest and died.
In 2003, it was revealed that Daphne had left shares for Jamie under the linoleum at Number 28 Ramsay Street, where Karl
and Susan Kennedy
were currently living which set up a plot arc for Jamie's brief return to the show.
said Daphne's most notable moment was "Going into labour with Jamie at a riverside picnic." Orange UK
branded Daphne and Des as one of the most popular couples in the serial's history.
The Times
named Daphne's death as one of their top 15 most memorable Neighbours moments. They said "Like, was that her in the bed or an actress with a Daphne wig? The romance of Des and Daphne (Mr Ordinary and the ex-stripper) was an early Neighbours classic so we felt this one hard". In 2007, Australian newspaper the Herald Sun
placed Daphne's death at number six on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments. They said "When Neighbours was at its peak in 1988, there was no more popular character then Daphne Clarke, played by Elaine Smith. Her soulmate was neighbour Des Clarke, the couple married and were perfectly happy, until Daphne was involved in a car crash on the way back from her father's funeral. She was in a coma for months, but in her last dying moments she managed I love you too, Clarkey, before passing away. Her death was watched by millions of viewers both in Australia and the UK".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Elaine Smith
Elaine Smith (actress)
Elaine Smith found fame as an actress on Australian television.She is best known for her role as Daphne Clarke in the soap opera Neighbours...
. She made her first on-screen appearance in the serial's first episode on 18 March 1985. Daphne a stripper hired for Des Clarke
Des Clarke (Neighbours)
Desmond Kingsley "Des" Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Paul Keane. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode.-Stroylines:...
's bucks party and she moved in him. She and Des fell in love and were later married. Daphne gave birth to a son, Jamie. Smith quit her role in 1987, but she returned the following year to bring closure to her character's storyline. Daphne was involved in a car accident and she died on 25 March 1988.
Casting
Watson originally wanted Rebecca GibneyRebecca Gibney
Rebecca Catherine Gibney is a New Zealand born Australian actress.-Biography:Gibney was born the youngest of six children, and brought up in Wellington. She has said she wasn't so much funny as a "bit odd" as a child. "I was a bit like Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family...
to play the role of Daphne, but she joined the cast of Zoo Family
Zoo Family
Zoo Family is an Australian children's television series on the Nine Network Australia that first screened in 1985. The series was produced by Crawford Productions and was based on the book by Robin Klein. It was filmed at the Melbourne Zoo. It was later shown in reruns on Nickelodeon in the United...
instead. Elaine Smith auditioned for a guest role in Neighbours in 1984. However, her appearance, particularly her short hair, caught the attention of the casting director and Smith was signed up to play Daphne by Jan Russ
Jan Russ
Jan Russ is an Australian Casting director and actor best known for her work on the soap opera Neighbours from the show's beginning in 1985 to her departure in 2009. Russ was also the casting director on Prisoner until the show's cancellation...
. Smith said "The casting director had expected me to turn up sporting long, straight hair. In fact, my different look was something he wanted for Daphne and I became one of the five original cast members".
In 1987, Smith decided to quit Neighbours to pursue other roles. She said "As an actress, I'm in the business to play a variety of roles. When you're limited to one role it's hard, even though Daphne developed extremely well. There's a desire to get out and do other things." Daphne's exit storyline saw her leave Erinsborough to attend to her dying father. In January 1988, it was announced that Smith would be returning to the show, after she and the producers agreed that viewers would not accept Daphne and Des splitting up. Smith filmed her scenes in February. Daphne was involved in a car accident, which left her in a coma. The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
said this was "allegedly a delaying tactic while Grundy tried to persuade Smith to sign a new contract." On 25 March 1988, Daphne died and became the first regular character to do so.
Storylines
Des and Daphne fall in love and get engaged. She had failed to reach the altar a few times but eventually got married. In 1987, she gave birth to a baby boy, Jamie. It was around this time that her father came back into her life and revealed he was dying. Daphne left Ramsay Street in October 1987 to look after her ailing father.Daphne returned in March 1988 after her father had died but was involved in a horrific car accident that ended up with her in a coma. After a few days, she awoke from the coma and spoke the famous words "I love you too, Clarky". Unfortunately, she suffered cardiac arrest and died.
In 2003, it was revealed that Daphne had left shares for Jamie under the linoleum at Number 28 Ramsay Street, where Karl
Karl Kennedy
Karl Raymond Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Fletcher. The character and his family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Karl made his first on-screen appearance on 20 September 1994 along with his...
and Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy , is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 along...
were currently living which set up a plot arc for Jamie's brief return to the show.
Reception
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
said Daphne's most notable moment was "Going into labour with Jamie at a riverside picnic." Orange UK
Orange UK
Orange is a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom, which launched in 1994. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was purchased by France Télécom in 2000, which then adopted the Orange brand for all its other mobile communications activities...
branded Daphne and Des as one of the most popular couples in the serial's history.
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
named Daphne's death as one of their top 15 most memorable Neighbours moments. They said "Like, was that her in the bed or an actress with a Daphne wig? The romance of Des and Daphne (Mr Ordinary and the ex-stripper) was an early Neighbours classic so we felt this one hard". In 2007, Australian newspaper the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
placed Daphne's death at number six on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments. They said "When Neighbours was at its peak in 1988, there was no more popular character then Daphne Clarke, played by Elaine Smith. Her soulmate was neighbour Des Clarke, the couple married and were perfectly happy, until Daphne was involved in a car crash on the way back from her father's funeral. She was in a coma for months, but in her last dying moments she managed I love you too, Clarkey, before passing away. Her death was watched by millions of viewers both in Australia and the UK".