Beth Brennan
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth "Beth" Willis (née Brennan) is a fictional character
from the Australian Network Ten
soap opera Neighbours
, played by Natalie Imbruglia
. She made her debut on-screen during the episode airing on 6 January 1992. She married Brad Willis in 1993, and the couple left Erinsborough
for Perth
. Behind the scenes Imbruglia quit the serial. Beth returned briefly in 1994 for the naming day of Brad's nephew, Zac Willis.
, Imbruglia said that when she auditioned for Neighbours, she was asked to parade up and down in a bikini. She added that this left her with "a lifelong fear of disrobing for the cameras." Beth was originally written into the show for just a few weeks, but she proved popular with viewers and she stayed for two years.
Imbruglia found being a celebrity uncomfortable and when she became disappointed by the scripts given to her, she asked the producers to write her out. Imbruglia was asked to take part in the show's 20th anniversary celebrations, but she declined. When asked about a return to Neighbours she said "I'll always be grateful to the show for launching my career, but I wouldn't want to revisit that time."
's (Kimberley Davies
) harsh words. She came across as over keen and desperate, on different occasions asked Brad Willis to sleep with her, later begging him to stay with her. She also didn't fit the female stereo-type and worked in the construction business, in the show she faced prejudice from male employer who would not offer her an apprenticeship.
Beth's main relationship was with Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson
), their relationship was a long-running storyline, it started when Brad was dating Lucy Robinson
(Melissa Bell
), Beth was filled with jealousy, she showed her strong side of her personality when she began competing with Lucy for Brad's affections. Brad later had an affair with Lauren Carpenter
(Sarah Vandenbergh
) and Beth could not forgive him and left him on his wedding day. Beth and Brad are two characters that knew they were no good for each other (acknowledging the fact on-screen). Through Brad, Beth was portrayed at times begging and pleading for him to stay with her. they later get married and leave the serial.
(Jeremy Angerson). Josh and Brad try to win Beth's affections, but she turns them down because of her lack of trust in males. Bunny arrives and takes Beth and David home. Beth later visits Lucy is Ramsay Street. She decides to stay when after she falls in love with Brad. Lucy then decides she loves Brad too, Brad chooses Lucy leaving Beth upset.
Beth starts working in the Coffee Shop but she decides it isn't the right job for her. She starts working as an apprentice builder with Doug Willis (Terence Donovan
). Beth then finds it hard to cope working with so many males, she thinks about leaving the job and it is made worse when Buzz Wade (Brett Swain) starts bullying her. However Beth decides to carry on and proves everyone wrong.
Beth leaves to see Bunny marry Ken Lawson, when she returns to Ramsay Street, Beth shocks her friends by revealing she is engaged to Rod Baker (Chris Lloyds) who was in his forties. Everyone thought the relationship was moving to fast and refused to accept him because he was twice her age. Beth ignores their worries but when Rod wants to take their relationship to the next level Beth realises she isn't ready to sleep with anyone yet, citing her abuse as a child as the cause of this. Rod is annoyed and doesn't want to be with her and leaves Ramsay Street.
Lucy decides she wants to be a model and leaves. Brad is left devastated, but Beth sees it as her opportunity to be with him, but he just wants to be friends. Beth begs Brad to sleep with her, claiming it shall be easier with him and wants her first time to be with someone she trusts, he turns her down. Whilst out working for Doug, Brad and Beth are forced to share a caravan for the night. They end up sleeping together. They fall in love and start a relationship. As their relationship progresses they decide to become engaged.
After living with the Robinsons for a while, Julie Martin (Julie Mullins) returns, so Beth decides to go and live with Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell
). They are evicted and have to move in with Lou Carpenter
(Tom Oliver
), where Beth becomes good friends with Lauren. Lauren, Beth and Brad start to spend lots of time together. Beth is unaware that Lauren and Brad have become more than just friends and are sleeping together. Bunny arrives and takes a dislike to Brad, but chose to give him a chance for Beth's sake. On her wedding day Beth began to suspect that something was going on between Brad and Lauren, when she asks him, Brad comes clean about their affair. Beth decides she cannot stay and flees to work for her mum on her farm.
Beth later decides to return to Ramsay Street to get her life back together. She acknowledges her love for Brad but states she will never be able to trust him again. She decides to move in with Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan
), Philip Martin
(Ian Rawlings
) splits up with Julie. Beth and Philip begin a relationship but Hannah
(Rebecca Ritters
) and Debbie Martin
(Marnie Reece-Wilmore
) don't approve of their relationship and try and make it hard for them. Philip later realises he is still in love with Julie and he leaves beth for Julie.
Lucy returns and decides to try and get Brad and Beth back together. They avoid each other and deny they want to get back together. As time goes by many of their friends try to convince them to reconcile, in the end they get back together. They decide to try and get married once again. The Willis family are delighted by their plans and everyone helps organise their wedding. On their wedding day they decide to start a new life else where, they marry and afterwards they get on a bus leaving Ramsay Street. Beth later returns to visit her nephew Zac.
, included Imbruglia and Beth in their Top five ex-'Neighbours' stars list in 2002. In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours 25th anniversary Sky
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled twenty-five characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Beth is in the list and describing they state: "Beth was something of a retread of Charlene – she was a tomboy, eventually becoming a builder's apprentice; her young love with the hunk du jour made her well loved; and she left the show to pursue a music career (well, playing Torn until the end of time). Beth and Brad were an inevitable, sunny couple who positively radiated vitamins, but let's not forget the brief period she dated a recently bereaved Phil on some paddleboats." They describe her most memorable scenes as being Contending with the sexist atmosphere at her building job; her brief relationship with Phil and marrying surfer Brad. Channel 5's Holy Soap
website said Imbruglia "melted hearts as dungarees-wearing Beth Brennan".
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 Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
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 Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
. She made her debut on-screen during the episode airing on 6 January 1992. She married Brad Willis in 1993, and the couple left Erinsborough
Erinsborough
Erinsborough is the fictional suburb in which the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb...
for Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Behind the scenes Imbruglia quit the serial. Beth returned briefly in 1994 for the naming day of Brad's nephew, Zac Willis.
Casting
Natalie Imbruglia was sixteen when she won the part of Beth Brennan in Neighbours and she had to relocate to Melbourne for filming. During an interview with This MorningThis Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
, Imbruglia said that when she auditioned for Neighbours, she was asked to parade up and down in a bikini. She added that this left her with "a lifelong fear of disrobing for the cameras." Beth was originally written into the show for just a few weeks, but she proved popular with viewers and she stayed for two years.
Imbruglia found being a celebrity uncomfortable and when she became disappointed by the scripts given to her, she asked the producers to write her out. Imbruglia was asked to take part in the show's 20th anniversary celebrations, but she declined. When asked about a return to Neighbours she said "I'll always be grateful to the show for launching my career, but I wouldn't want to revisit that time."
Characterisation
Beth is "Country girl" at heart, she went on a journey during her time in the serial. Beth came to Ramsay Street in search of a new life, having been abused by her stepfather. She has been described as a "principled and sweet-natured girl". She was portrayed as a virgin desperate to shed her innocence after Annalise HartmanAnnalise Hartman
Annalise Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kimberley Davies. She debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 15 January 1993 and departed in 1996, and a brief return in 2005. Annalise has often been portrayed as having a conniving persona...
's (Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies is an Australian actress most famous for playing Annalise Hartman on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1993 to 1996...
) harsh words. She came across as over keen and desperate, on different occasions asked Brad Willis to sleep with her, later begging him to stay with her. She also didn't fit the female stereo-type and worked in the construction business, in the show she faced prejudice from male employer who would not offer her an apprenticeship.
Beth's main relationship was with Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson
Scott Michaelson
Scott Michaelson is an Australian actor and manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in Neighbours...
), their relationship was a long-running storyline, it started when Brad was dating Lucy Robinson
Lucy Robinson
Lucy Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Melissa Bell. She had previously been portrayed by Kylie Flinker and Sasha Close. She was created by producer Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' original characters. Lucy was a prominent figure...
(Melissa Bell
Melissa Bell (actress)
Melissa Bell is an Australian actress and singer. She was the third actor to play Lucy Robinson in soap opera Neighbours....
), Beth was filled with jealousy, she showed her strong side of her personality when she began competing with Lucy for Brad's affections. Brad later had an affair with Lauren Carpenter
Lauren Carpenter
Lauren Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sarah Vandenbergh. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 February 1993. Lauren is the youngest child of Kathy and Lou Carpenter and sister to Guy...
(Sarah Vandenbergh
Sarah Vandenbergh
Sarah Vandenbergh is an Australian actress.Vandenbergh played the role of Lauren Carpenter in Neighbours, 1993–94, and Kerry in Hollyoaks, 1999–2000. She was also a presenter on Fully Booked in 1997 and has appeared in the guest role of Lana Hemmings in Holby City...
) and Beth could not forgive him and left him on his wedding day. Beth and Brad are two characters that knew they were no good for each other (acknowledging the fact on-screen). Through Brad, Beth was portrayed at times begging and pleading for him to stay with her. they later get married and leave the serial.
Backstory
Beth was born in the countryside, she grew up with her brother David (Simon Stokes). Beth's father died when she was young and her mother, Phyllis "Bunny" Brennan (Jan Huggett) was left to raise them alone. When Beth was sixteen, her mother started a relationship with a new man, Ken Lawson, and he eventually moved in with the family. He started to sexually abuse Beth, so she and David fled to start a new life elsewhere.1992–94
Whilst in surfers paradise Beth meets Brad Wilis, Lucy Robinson and Josh AndersonJosh Anderson (Neighbours)
Josh Anderson may refer to:*Josh Anderson , character who appeared on the soap opera Neighbours*Josh Anderson , Major League Baseball outfielder...
(Jeremy Angerson). Josh and Brad try to win Beth's affections, but she turns them down because of her lack of trust in males. Bunny arrives and takes Beth and David home. Beth later visits Lucy is Ramsay Street. She decides to stay when after she falls in love with Brad. Lucy then decides she loves Brad too, Brad chooses Lucy leaving Beth upset.
Beth starts working in the Coffee Shop but she decides it isn't the right job for her. She starts working as an apprentice builder with Doug Willis (Terence Donovan
Terence Donovan (actor)
Terence Donovan , also known as Terry Donovan, is an English-born Australian actor and the father of fellow actor and entertainer Jason Donovan...
). Beth then finds it hard to cope working with so many males, she thinks about leaving the job and it is made worse when Buzz Wade (Brett Swain) starts bullying her. However Beth decides to carry on and proves everyone wrong.
Beth leaves to see Bunny marry Ken Lawson, when she returns to Ramsay Street, Beth shocks her friends by revealing she is engaged to Rod Baker (Chris Lloyds) who was in his forties. Everyone thought the relationship was moving to fast and refused to accept him because he was twice her age. Beth ignores their worries but when Rod wants to take their relationship to the next level Beth realises she isn't ready to sleep with anyone yet, citing her abuse as a child as the cause of this. Rod is annoyed and doesn't want to be with her and leaves Ramsay Street.
Lucy decides she wants to be a model and leaves. Brad is left devastated, but Beth sees it as her opportunity to be with him, but he just wants to be friends. Beth begs Brad to sleep with her, claiming it shall be easier with him and wants her first time to be with someone she trusts, he turns her down. Whilst out working for Doug, Brad and Beth are forced to share a caravan for the night. They end up sleeping together. They fall in love and start a relationship. As their relationship progresses they decide to become engaged.
After living with the Robinsons for a while, Julie Martin (Julie Mullins) returns, so Beth decides to go and live with Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell
Benjamin Grant Mitchell
Benjamin Grant Mitchell is a writer, singer and actor now living in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of The Last Great Day, an 'autobiographical' novel released in 2011....
). They are evicted and have to move in with Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
(Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver is an English television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:...
), where Beth becomes good friends with Lauren. Lauren, Beth and Brad start to spend lots of time together. Beth is unaware that Lauren and Brad have become more than just friends and are sleeping together. Bunny arrives and takes a dislike to Brad, but chose to give him a chance for Beth's sake. On her wedding day Beth began to suspect that something was going on between Brad and Lauren, when she asks him, Brad comes clean about their affair. Beth decides she cannot stay and flees to work for her mum on her farm.
Beth later decides to return to Ramsay Street to get her life back together. She acknowledges her love for Brad but states she will never be able to trust him again. She decides to move in with Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan
Bruce Samazan
Bruce Samazan is an Australian actor who appeared in several soap operas and drama series on Australian television, the only actor to have played regular roles in Australia's "Big Three" soap operas of the 1990s .-E Street:Samazan was a brickie's labourer, until 1989 when he accompanied his...
), Philip Martin
Philip Martin (Neighbours)
Philip Gordon Martin is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten 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...
(Ian Rawlings
Ian Rawlings
Ian Rawlings is an Australian actor. He had two long-running roles in Australian soap operas.-Television Work:He started out playing the role of the spiteful and scheming Wayne Hamilton in Sons and Daughters...
) splits up with Julie. Beth and Philip begin a relationship but Hannah
Hannah Martin
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...
(Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters is an Australian actress, mostly known for her role as Hannah Martin in the soap opera Neighbours. She first appeared in the show in 1992 when she was eight years old and remained in the show for a further seven years...
) and Debbie Martin
Debbie Martin
Deborah "Debbie" Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Marnie Reece-Wilmore. She made her first on-screen appearance on 27 July 1985. Debbie was initially played by Mandy Storvik and later Katrina McEwan. Reece-Wilmore was cast in the role in 1992...
(Marnie Reece-Wilmore
Marnie Reece-Wilmore
Marnie Reece-Wilmore is an Australian actor from Sydney. She is best known for her role in Neighbours during the 1990s.-Early work:...
) don't approve of their relationship and try and make it hard for them. Philip later realises he is still in love with Julie and he leaves beth for Julie.
Lucy returns and decides to try and get Brad and Beth back together. They avoid each other and deny they want to get back together. As time goes by many of their friends try to convince them to reconcile, in the end they get back together. They decide to try and get married once again. The Willis family are delighted by their plans and everyone helps organise their wedding. On their wedding day they decide to start a new life else where, they marry and afterwards they get on a bus leaving Ramsay Street. Beth later returns to visit her nephew Zac.
Reception
British newspaper, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, included Imbruglia and Beth in their Top five ex-'Neighbours' stars list in 2002. In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours 25th anniversary Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled twenty-five characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Beth is in the list and describing they state: "Beth was something of a retread of Charlene – she was a tomboy, eventually becoming a builder's apprentice; her young love with the hunk du jour made her well loved; and she left the show to pursue a music career (well, playing Torn until the end of time). Beth and Brad were an inevitable, sunny couple who positively radiated vitamins, but let's not forget the brief period she dated a recently bereaved Phil on some paddleboats." They describe her most memorable scenes as being Contending with the sexist atmosphere at her building job; her brief relationship with Phil and marrying surfer Brad. Channel 5's Holy Soap
Holy Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
website said Imbruglia "melted hearts as dungarees-wearing Beth Brennan".