Madge Bishop
Encyclopedia
Margaret Mary "Madge" Bishop (née Ramsay, previously Mitchell) is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
, played by Anne Charleston
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986. Madge was one of the matriarchs of the Ramsay family. She departed in 1992, before making a return in 1996. Madge died on 6 April 2001 from terminal cancer.
In December 2000, it was announced that Charleston had decided to leave Neighbours for a second time and that she had already filmed her final scenes. The official Neighbours website said Charleston had left the set on 24 November and details of Madge's exit storyline were being kept secret, but the door was not left open for a future return. Of her departure, Charleston said "Leaving this time around is certainly very different to the last time. Although I thought the last time was also final, I am now leaving knowing that the door will be closed and I won't be going back. I'm happy with the way Madge has been written out - it's very strong and dramatic."
In 2005, Charleston revealed that she left Neighbours because she did not agree with changes the production company made to her character. She said "They tried to mess around with Madge, and tried to make her into a bit of a wimp really, a bit of a victim. I didn't enjoy it because I had spent all those years building up this wonderful strong woman and they tried to take her apart, brick by brick."
describe Madge as being "strong, hot headed and tough". They compare her to other characters stating: "the husky voiced one was the opposite of prim and proper Harold and more than a match for anyone who crossed her path, like Mrs Mangle with whom she had a long running rivalry.
(Francis Bell
) and Tom
(Gary Files
). Madge meets Harold Bishop
(Ian Smith
) in Brisbane and he falls in love with her. Lou Carpenter
(Tom Oliver
) also falls for Madge and he and Harold compete for her affections. Madge meets Fred Mitchell (John Waters) at a school dance and they later become engaged. After they marry, Madge and Fred move to Coff's Harbour and Madge gives birth to their children, Henry (Craig McLachlan
) and Charlene
(Kylie Minogue
). When she discovers that Fred is having an affair with Susan Cole
(Gloria Ajenstat), Madge leaves him.
(Peter O'Brien) and Danny
(David Clencie). Madge's best friend Helen Daniels
(Anne Haddy
), lived next door and Madge gets a job with Helen's grandson, Paul Robinson
(Stefan Dennis
), at the Daniels Corporation. Paul believes that Madge would be better off at the Waterhole pub and she becomes the manager. Max leaves for Queensland and Tom moves in and takes over his business. Charlene also comes to Ramsay Street to live with Madge following an argument with Fred. Charlene holds Madge responsible for the break-up of her and Fred's marriage and she hurts her mother further, when she reveals she is friends with Susan. Fred turns up and Madge initially believes he has changed, but she sees he is still the same and he leaves. When Charlene starts dating Scott Robinson
(Jason Donovan
), Madge fears things between the couple are moving too fast. When Charlene brings home a baby, Sam, she tells Madge that it is her's. Madge is shocked, but grows fond of Sam. Susan turns up at Madge's home and it is revealed that Sam is her child. Madge is hurt, but she lets Susan and Sam stay with her because Fred walked out on them.
Madge briefly dates Ray Murphy (Norman Yemm
). Harold is invited to Ramsay Street by Charlene and Shane and he and Madge realise that they still have feelings for each other. They start dating and Harold moves in with Nell Mangel
(Vivean Gray
). Henry is released from prison and arrives in Erinsborough for a fresh start. Madge tells him to leave, but Charlene convinces her to let him stay. Harold proposes to Madge and she accepts. When Lou hears about the engagement, he flies to Erinsborough to try and win Madge for himself. Madge chooses Harold and they marry. Charlene also gets married to Scott and when they leaves for Brisbane, Madge lets Henry's girlfriend, Bronwyn Davies
(Rachel Friend
), move in. Madge and Harold win the Lottery and they take a trip around the world. In London, they meet Eddie Buckingham
(Bob La Castra
), who comes back to Australia with them and works in their cafe. Harold's daughter, Kerry
(Linda Hartley-Clark), moves in and Madge is happy to be a grandmother to Kerry's daughter, Sky
(Miranda Fryer
).
After Harold suffers a heart attack, the couple decide to go on a tour of Australia. During a trip to a beach, Madge stops to speak to an artist and Harold goes missing. Madge finds his glasses on the rocks and it appeared that Harold had been washed out to sea. Madge, Helen and Harold's son in law, Joe
(Mark Little
), hold a memorial service for him on the beach. Madge then decides to leave for Brisbane. Madge returns to Ramsay Street a few months later, and she finds Lou living there. Lou proposes to her, but she tells him that she cannot commit to him so soon after Harold. Lou eventually persuades Madge to give their relationship a chance and when he proposes again, she accepts. She also helps him buy his own car yard. Lou later realises that he cannot replace Harold and calls off the wedding. Madge and Lou remain friends and she sells the coffee shop lease to Cathy Alessi
(Elspeth Ballantyne
). She then returns to Brisbane to help Charlene with her new baby, Daniel.
(Jansen Spencer
). Paul is initially hostile towards Madge, but he eventually warms to her. Madge is diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm and undergoes brain surgery. She loses her eyesight for a while and almost sets the house on fire, when she tries to do some cooking. Her sight later returns.
Madge join the senior ladies basketball team and finds an enemy in the coach, Portia Grant (Sue Ingleton). When Portia is injured, Madge takes her place as captain in the finals. Madge and Harold become surrogate parents to Tad Reeves
(Jonathon Dutton
). Madge goes to Queensland for a few months to look after her new granddaughter, Madison, after Daniel is hit by a car. Madge and Lou go into business together creating a cookery website, Ozechef. Madge also writes a cookbook called Ramsay Recipes, with help from Harold and Lyn Scully
(Janet Andrewartha
). Libby Kennedy
(Kym Valentine
) asks Madge to become the Erinsborough News new agony aunt and Madge agrees. She keeps it a secret from Harold and he is appalled when he finds out the truth as her advice to readers had angered him.
Madge collapses one night when she is locking up the Coffee Shop. She suffers abdominal pains and Karl Kennedy
(Alan Fletcher) sends her to the hospital for tests. Madge learns that she has a cancerous tumour on her pancreas. Madge prepares to fight the cancer, but she is told that it has spread to her liver and she only has six months to live. Madge is angry and refuses to accept her fate, but she soon comes to terms with her situation and tells her family. Paul does not handle the news well as his mother died of cancer. Harold decides to take Madge to Paris and Lou arranges for them to fly in business class. Madge also starts attending Paul's football matches and listening to Tad's music. Madge develops septacemia after cutting her finger and Dee Bliss (Madeleine West
) finds her collapsed on the living room floor. Madge is rushed to hospital and the doctors tell Harold that Madge only has a short time left. Madge returns home to die. Paul and Tad tell her how much she means to them and Lou confesses that he still loves her. Madge then dies in Harold's arms.
(under the pen name John Hanlon) the Australian Writers' Guild
award for "Best Episode in a Television Serial".
In 2007, Australian newspaper the Herald Sun
placed Madge's death at number two on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments. They said "One of the most memorable characters in the show was Madge Bishop, played by Anne Charleston, who now lives in the UK. After enduring so much, she and husband Harold were looking forward to a happy retirement until Madge was diagnosed with cancer, dying a few months later in the arms of Harold in 2001. It was a death that rivaled Daphne's in the sadness stakes". Holy Soap
also named Madge's death as one of their top Neighbours moments. They called her one of the most memorable characters in the show and said viewers were left in mourning when she died in Harold's arms.
Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture
gave Madge a five out of five for her contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons". Deller said "The longest-serving and most loved member of the Ramsay clan was the formidable Madge". Deller added that "Madge was a force to be reckoned with on the street" and she called Madge's death "one of the most emotional storylines in the show". British satellite broadcasting company, Sky
, named Madge one of their twenty-five most memorable Neighbours characters of all time. Of Madge, Sky said "If Helen Daniels was the kindly matriarch of Ramsay Street, Madge was happy to croak her way to being the fiery, fiercely protective mother figure of her pop brood, Craig McLachlan and Kylie. Her temperament made her romance with mild-mannered Harold all the more touching, from initially choosing him over Lou, to being the right and proper owners of the coffee shop, and finally the teary scenes when she died of cancer in 2001. That being said, it's the voice that she's really remembered for, standing on a causeway and yelling Harold's name at the ocean like a demented fishwife."
Virgin Media included Madge in their top ten favourite soap characters poll in 2007. Orange UK
describe Madge's style as being "slightly transexual" and they stated "She was the gravel-voiced matriarch of Ramsay Street. When she wasn't busy fending off the advances of Lou Carpenter, ruling tomboy daughter Charlene with an iron grip or running the coffee shop, she was marrying Harold Bishop."
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 Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston is an Australian actress currently based in Galway, Ireland and the UK. She is known for her roles as Madge Bishop in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and Lily Butterfield in Emmerdale.-Early career:...
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986. Madge was one of the matriarchs of the Ramsay family. She departed in 1992, before making a return in 1996. Madge died on 6 April 2001 from terminal cancer.
Casting
Charleston was cast as Madge in Neighbours in January 1986 and she shortly became one of the show's most popular actors. Charleston quit Neighbours in 1992, but when she suffered financial difficulties following a failed lawsuit and debts, she returned in 1996. Of her return, Charleston said "When Neighbours asked me back, I didn't have any option. It was the only way to get back on my feet."In December 2000, it was announced that Charleston had decided to leave Neighbours for a second time and that she had already filmed her final scenes. The official Neighbours website said Charleston had left the set on 24 November and details of Madge's exit storyline were being kept secret, but the door was not left open for a future return. Of her departure, Charleston said "Leaving this time around is certainly very different to the last time. Although I thought the last time was also final, I am now leaving knowing that the door will be closed and I won't be going back. I'm happy with the way Madge has been written out - it's very strong and dramatic."
In 2005, Charleston revealed that she left Neighbours because she did not agree with changes the production company made to her character. She said "They tried to mess around with Madge, and tried to make her into a bit of a wimp really, a bit of a victim. I didn't enjoy it because I had spent all those years building up this wonderful strong woman and they tried to take her apart, brick by brick."
Characterisation
Virgin MediaVirgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
describe Madge as being "strong, hot headed and tough". They compare her to other characters stating: "the husky voiced one was the opposite of prim and proper Harold and more than a match for anyone who crossed her path, like Mrs Mangle with whom she had a long running rivalry.
Backstory
Madge is the only daughter of Dan (Syd Conabere) and Edna Ramsay (Jessica Noad) and sister to MaxMax Ramsay
Max Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Francis Bell. He made his first on-screen appearance in the show's pilot episode on 18 March 1985. Max was the patriarch of the Ramsay family and Ramsay Street is named after his grandfather...
(Francis Bell
Francis Bell (actor)
Francis Bell was a UK-born New Zealand resident actor who achieved international stardom playing the part of original character Max Ramsay in the early years of the popular Australian soap opera, Neighbours. during his career he also acted in Australian serials The Sullivans and Sons and...
) and Tom
Tom Ramsay
Tom Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Gary Files. He made his first on-screen appearance on 12 May 1986. Tom is the middle child of Dan and Edna Ramsay and brother to Max and Madge. He departed on 2 February 1991.-Casting:In 1986,...
(Gary Files
Gary Files
Gary Files was born in Melbourne, Australia and is an Australian-Canadian actor, writer and director who has resided in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has lived in Australia since 1976.-Early life:...
). Madge meets Harold Bishop
Harold Bishop
Harold Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ian Smith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 January 1987. Smith was offered a role by Neighbours creator and executive producer Reg Watson...
(Ian Smith
Ian Smith (actor)
Ian Smith is an Australian soap opera character actor and television screenwriter, best known today for his long-running role as the caring, kindly coffee shop owner Harold Bishop in the soap opera Neighbours....
) in Brisbane and he falls in love with her. 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:...
) also falls for Madge and he and Harold compete for her affections. Madge meets Fred Mitchell (John Waters) at a school dance and they later become engaged. After they marry, Madge and Fred move to Coff's Harbour and Madge gives birth to their children, Henry (Craig McLachlan
Craig McLachlan
Craig McLachlan is an Australian actor and singer. He appeared in shows such as Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Bugs and Home and Away.-Biography:...
) and Charlene
Charlene Robinson
Charlene Edna Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 1986 when she came to join her mother Madge in Ramsay Street. Charlene was a tomboy and later worked as a Mechanic...
(Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
). When she discovers that Fred is having an affair with Susan Cole
Susan Cole
Susan Cole is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Gloria Ajenstat. She made her first on-screen appearance on 11 August 1986 and departed on 28 January 1987.-Storylines:...
(Gloria Ajenstat), Madge leaves him.
1986–1992
Madge goes to Ramsay Street and moves in with Max and his two sons, ShaneShane Ramsay
Shane Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Peter O'Brien. He made his first appearance on-screen in the first Neighbours episode on 18 March 1985. Shane is the son of Max and Maria Ramsay...
(Peter O'Brien) and Danny
Danny Ramsay
Daniel "Danny" Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by David Clencie. He made his first on-screen appearance in Neighbours first episode on 18 March 1985. Danny became the first character to speak in the show...
(David Clencie). Madge's best friend Helen Daniels
Helen Daniels
Helen Daniels is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Anne Haddy. Following the death of Jim Robinson in 1993, she remained the only original character left in the series until her own death in 1997, making her the second longest-serving original character...
(Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy was an Australian film and television actress, best known for her role in the long-running soap opera, Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
), lived next door and Madge gets a job with Helen's grandson, Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (Neighbours)
Paul Stewart Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, a long-running serial drama about social life in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. He is played by Stefan Dennis. Paul debuted in the serial's first episode in 1985 and appeared on a...
(Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor, best known for playing the role of Paul Robinson in the soap opera, Neighbours, from its first episode in March 1985 to the present day...
), at the Daniels Corporation. Paul believes that Madge would be better off at the Waterhole pub and she becomes the manager. Max leaves for Queensland and Tom moves in and takes over his business. Charlene also comes to Ramsay Street to live with Madge following an argument with Fred. Charlene holds Madge responsible for the break-up of her and Fred's marriage and she hurts her mother further, when she reveals she is friends with Susan. Fred turns up and Madge initially believes he has changed, but she sees he is still the same and he leaves. When Charlene starts dating Scott Robinson
Scott Robinson (Neighbours)
Scott James Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jason Donovan. He made his first on-screen appearance on 18 March 1985, in the show's first episode. Scott was originally played by Darius Perkins until he was recast.-Casting:Darius...
(Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
), Madge fears things between the couple are moving too fast. When Charlene brings home a baby, Sam, she tells Madge that it is her's. Madge is shocked, but grows fond of Sam. Susan turns up at Madge's home and it is revealed that Sam is her child. Madge is hurt, but she lets Susan and Sam stay with her because Fred walked out on them.
Madge briefly dates Ray Murphy (Norman Yemm
Norman Yemm
Norman Yemm is an Australian actor who is probably best known for his long-running role as Norm Baker in the television drama The Sullivans....
). Harold is invited to Ramsay Street by Charlene and Shane and he and Madge realise that they still have feelings for each other. They start dating and Harold moves in with Nell Mangel
Nell Mangel
Eleanor "Nell" Worthington is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Vivean Gray. She made her first on-screen appearance on 29 April 1986. She was known almost exclusively to others as "Mrs Mangel". The character caused controversy among some of the...
(Vivean Gray
Vivean Gray
Vivean Gray is an English actress, who found her niche playing gossipy characters in Australian television series. In her early life, she lived in England but moved to Australia after she had trouble finding any acting opportunities...
). Henry is released from prison and arrives in Erinsborough for a fresh start. Madge tells him to leave, but Charlene convinces her to let him stay. Harold proposes to Madge and she accepts. When Lou hears about the engagement, he flies to Erinsborough to try and win Madge for himself. Madge chooses Harold and they marry. Charlene also gets married to Scott and when they leaves for Brisbane, Madge lets Henry's girlfriend, Bronwyn Davies
Bronwyn Davies
Bronwyn Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Rachel Friend. She made her first on-screen appearance on 7 July 1988. Bronwyn is the sister of Sharon Davies. Bronwyn fell in love with Henry Ramsay and when he left for New Zealand, she...
(Rachel Friend
Rachel Friend
-Career:Friend joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours in 1988, when she was eighteen. Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies. Friend quit Neighbours in 1990. That same year saw her win the Logie Award for "Most Popular Actress".Other roles have...
), move in. Madge and Harold win the Lottery and they take a trip around the world. In London, they meet Eddie Buckingham
Eddie Buckingham
Edward "Eddie" Buckingham is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Bob La Castra. He made his first on-screen appearance on 2 April 1990. La Castra created the character for himself after he was told that casting him the soap would be difficult due to his ethnic...
(Bob La Castra
Bob La Castra
Bob La Castra or Robert La Castra was an a popular Australian children's television show presenter in the 1980s. Best known for his appearances on the children's show Wombat...
), who comes back to Australia with them and works in their cafe. Harold's daughter, Kerry
Kerry Bishop
Kerry Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Linda Hartley-Clark. She made her first on-screen appearance on 1 February 1989. Kerry is the only daughter of Mavis and Harold Bishop and sister to David Bishop. She gave birth to a daughter, Sky, and...
(Linda Hartley-Clark), moves in and Madge is happy to be a grandmother to Kerry's daughter, Sky
Sky Mangel
Sky Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Stephanie McIntosh. She made her first on-screen appearance on 1 February 1989, played by Miranda Fryer. McIntosh took over the role on 13 August 2003 when the character returned to the show...
(Miranda Fryer
Miranda Fryer
Miranda Fryer is an Australian actress who played the part of Sky Bishop/Mangel in the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1989 to 1991.-External links:...
).
After Harold suffers a heart attack, the couple decide to go on a tour of Australia. During a trip to a beach, Madge stops to speak to an artist and Harold goes missing. Madge finds his glasses on the rocks and it appeared that Harold had been washed out to sea. Madge, Helen and Harold's son in law, Joe
Joe Mangel
Walter Joseph "Joe" Mangel is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Mark Little. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 8 August 1988. Little later departed the serial and Joe left in 1991. In 2005 Little agreed to reprise the role as part...
(Mark Little
Mark Little (Australian actor)
Mark Little , is an Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, born in Brisbane, Queensland.-Career:Little appeared in a string of Australian films and TV series during the 1980s. He also performed his own comedy/performance in Melbourne's burgeoning comedy clubs throughout the eighties...
), hold a memorial service for him on the beach. Madge then decides to leave for Brisbane. Madge returns to Ramsay Street a few months later, and she finds Lou living there. Lou proposes to her, but she tells him that she cannot commit to him so soon after Harold. Lou eventually persuades Madge to give their relationship a chance and when he proposes again, she accepts. She also helps him buy his own car yard. Lou later realises that he cannot replace Harold and calls off the wedding. Madge and Lou remain friends and she sells the coffee shop lease to Cathy Alessi
Cathy Alessi
Catherine "Cathy" Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Elspeth Ballantyne. She made her first on-screen appearance on 29 July 1992 and remained until her departure on 4 August 1993.-Storylines:...
(Elspeth Ballantyne
Elspeth Ballantyne
Elspeth Ballantyne is an Australian actress, born in Adelaide. Having started her career as a laboratory Technician, she then attended the prestigious drama school, the National Institute for Dramatic Arts...
). She then returns to Brisbane to help Charlene with her new baby, Daniel.
1996–2001
Four years later, Helen contacts Madge and tells her that Harold is alive. Harold is suffering from amnesia and Madge flies back to Erinsborough to see him. Madge tries to make him remember her and their life in Erinsborough. Madge decides to stay in Erinsborough and she moves in with Helen. Lou tries to win her back again, but gives up. Harold eventually regains his memory and he and Madge renew their wedding vows. They later move back into Ramsay Street and buy back the lease of the Coffee Shop. Madge and Harold host a French exchange student, Claire Girard (Adele Schober), for a few weeks and Helen dies. Harold and Madge become foster parents to Paul McClainPaul McClain
Paul McClain is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jansen Spencer. Paul made his first appearance on 4 November 1997. Paul departed on 11 December 2001...
(Jansen Spencer
Jansen Spencer
Jansen Spencer is an Australian actor best known for his part in the worldwide Australian Soap, Neighbours. Jansen Spencer played Paul McClain between the years of 1997 to 2001...
). Paul is initially hostile towards Madge, but he eventually warms to her. Madge is diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm and undergoes brain surgery. She loses her eyesight for a while and almost sets the house on fire, when she tries to do some cooking. Her sight later returns.
Madge join the senior ladies basketball team and finds an enemy in the coach, Portia Grant (Sue Ingleton). When Portia is injured, Madge takes her place as captain in the finals. Madge and Harold become surrogate parents to Tad Reeves
Tad Reeves
Wayne Terrance "Tadpole" Reeves is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jonathon Dutton...
(Jonathon Dutton
Jonathon Dutton
Jonathon Dutton is an actor who started his career playing the role of Tad Reeves in the Australian soap opera Neighbours....
). Madge goes to Queensland for a few months to look after her new granddaughter, Madison, after Daniel is hit by a car. Madge and Lou go into business together creating a cookery website, Ozechef. Madge also writes a cookbook called Ramsay Recipes, with help from Harold and Lyn Scully
Lyn Scully
Lynette "Lyn" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Janet Andrewartha. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 21 October 1999, along with her family and remained a prominent feature within the show until late 2006...
(Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha is an Australian actress. She is famous for playing on-going roles in two popular Australian soap operas: that of Reb Kean in Prisoner and Lyn Scully in Neighbours.-Biography:...
). Libby Kennedy
Libby Kennedy
Elizabeth Grace "Libby" Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 and departed in 2004, before returning on 12 November 2007. Libby is the only daughter of Karl and Susan Kennedy...
(Kym Valentine
Kym Valentine
Kym Valentine is a Maltese Australian actress best known for her portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
) asks Madge to become the Erinsborough News new agony aunt and Madge agrees. She keeps it a secret from Harold and he is appalled when he finds out the truth as her advice to readers had angered him.
Madge collapses one night when she is locking up the Coffee Shop. She suffers abdominal pains and Karl Kennedy
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...
(Alan Fletcher) sends her to the hospital for tests. Madge learns that she has a cancerous tumour on her pancreas. Madge prepares to fight the cancer, but she is told that it has spread to her liver and she only has six months to live. Madge is angry and refuses to accept her fate, but she soon comes to terms with her situation and tells her family. Paul does not handle the news well as his mother died of cancer. Harold decides to take Madge to Paris and Lou arranges for them to fly in business class. Madge also starts attending Paul's football matches and listening to Tad's music. Madge develops septacemia after cutting her finger and Dee Bliss (Madeleine West
Madeleine West
Madeleine West is an Australian actress known for her TV roles, having played Dee Bliss on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2000–2003 and high-class escort Mel on Satisfaction from 2007 to 2010.-Career:...
) finds her collapsed on the living room floor. Madge is rushed to hospital and the doctors tell Harold that Madge only has a short time left. Madge returns home to die. Paul and Tad tell her how much she means to them and Lou confesses that he still loves her. Madge then dies in Harold's arms.
Reception
The episode featuring Madge's death earned writer Shane PorteousShane Porteous
John Shane Porteous is an Australian television character actor, TV screenplay scriptwriter, theatre actor, animation layout artist, and animation voice artist.-Biography:...
(under the pen name John Hanlon) the Australian Writers' Guild
Australian Writers' Guild
The Australian Writers' Guild is the professional association for all performance writers, that is, writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962 and is recognised throughout the industry in Australia as being the voice of performance writers...
award for "Best Episode in a Television Serial".
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 Madge's death at number two on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments. They said "One of the most memorable characters in the show was Madge Bishop, played by Anne Charleston, who now lives in the UK. After enduring so much, she and husband Harold were looking forward to a happy retirement until Madge was diagnosed with cancer, dying a few months later in the arms of Harold in 2001. It was a death that rivaled Daphne's in the sadness stakes". 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...
also named Madge's death as one of their top Neighbours moments. They called her one of the most memorable characters in the show and said viewers were left in mourning when she died in Harold's arms.
Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture
Lowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
gave Madge a five out of five for her contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons". Deller said "The longest-serving and most loved member of the Ramsay clan was the formidable Madge". Deller added that "Madge was a force to be reckoned with on the street" and she called Madge's death "one of the most emotional storylines in the show". British satellite broadcasting company, 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....
, named Madge one of their twenty-five most memorable Neighbours characters of all time. Of Madge, Sky said "If Helen Daniels was the kindly matriarch of Ramsay Street, Madge was happy to croak her way to being the fiery, fiercely protective mother figure of her pop brood, Craig McLachlan and Kylie. Her temperament made her romance with mild-mannered Harold all the more touching, from initially choosing him over Lou, to being the right and proper owners of the coffee shop, and finally the teary scenes when she died of cancer in 2001. That being said, it's the voice that she's really remembered for, standing on a causeway and yelling Harold's name at the ocean like a demented fishwife."
Virgin Media included Madge in their top ten favourite soap characters poll in 2007. 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...
describe Madge's style as being "slightly transexual" and they stated "She was the gravel-voiced matriarch of Ramsay Street. When she wasn't busy fending off the advances of Lou Carpenter, ruling tomboy daughter Charlene with an iron grip or running the coffee shop, she was marrying Harold Bishop."