Roo Stewart
Encyclopedia
Ruth Martha "Roo" Stewart (previously Morgan) is a fictional character
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 Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...

, played by Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke is an Australian actor and singer. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows...

 from 1988 to 1989. The character made her first on-screen appearance 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 be returning and that Georgie Parker
Georgie Parker
Georgina "Georgie" Parker is an Australian television actress. She grew up in the suburb of St. Ives.-Personal life:...

 had been cast in the role. Roo returned on 29 October 2010.

Casting

Clarke played the role of Roo from 1988, until the character was written out a year later after Clarke quit the show. Clarke has been asked to return to the show and reprise her role as Roo many times, but she has never agreed.

In August 2010, it was announced that Ruth would be returning to Home and Away. Producers decided to recast the role after Clarke became busy with other television shows and her career as a children's singer. Former All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...

actress, Georgie Parker was given the role and she began filming her first scenes in the same month. Of her casting, Parker said "I'm thrilled to be back at Channel Seven and to be part of Home and Away. Working with Ray is a joy. We are having a fantastic time together. The whole cast and crew have been wonderful". Of the decision to bring the character back, series producer Cameron Welsh said "We had such a positive reaction to Emily Symons's return as Marilyn; we trust the fans will love having an original character such as Roo back in the Bay. Securing Georgie Parker to bring her back to our screens is a real coup for the show".

Characterisation

Andrew Mercado described Roo as Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...

's (Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...

) "Minxy teenage daughter" in his book, Super Aussie soaps: behind the scenes of Australia's best loved TV shows. In 1988, Alan Bateman wanted Home and Away to tackle serious social issues and a few months later Ruth became the first character to have a teenage pregancy. She also had the first wedding, though it was abandoned. TV Week
TV Week
TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...

describe Roo as "Summer Bay's original spoilt brat" who was never very far from drama. Parker called her "a colourful character who has a strong history with the origin of the show". Parker has said the grown up Roo is very different from the teenager. She said "She was a colourful character when she left. She lost her mother when she was very young, and I think that when girls lose their mothers, they can go off the rails - and that's exactly what Roo did". Parker added that she gets to play the adult who may have learned from past mistakes.

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...

said Roo is "Manipulative, mysterious and returned from living what she claims was the high life in New York", they added that her motives for returning to the Bay will puzzle viewers. During an interview, Meagher said the adult Roo is "still full of energy, bluff and bravado. She's had a few financial problems and is possibly running away from a bloke." He added that Alf has trouble getting her to tell him the truth, but he is "pleased to see her back in the Bay."

1988–89

Roo is the daughter of Alf and Martha Stewart. Her mother died when Ruth was in her early teens and she had, as a result, become very protective of her memory, resenting Ailsa Hogan
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...

 (Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn
Judy Nunn is an Australian actress and author.-Acting career:Her breakout role was as the scheming bisexual reporter Vicky Stafford in the risque soap opera The Box. Her character became a popular cult figure in the series. Nunn continued in the role for the show's entire 1974–1977 run...

) when Alf started dating her.

Roo begins dating Frank Morgan (Alex Papps
Alex Papps
Alex Papps is an Australian actor and television host, who is best known for his role on soap opera Home and Away and as a host of The Factory...

) and they start a band with Lance Smart
Lance Smart
Lance Smart is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The character, played by actor Peter Vroom from 1988 to 1990, returned to the show at least once every year since from 2000 until 2006....

 (Peter Vroom) and Martin Dibble
Martin Dibble
Martin Dibble is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Craig Thompson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode...

 (Craig Thompson). Roo's continued obsession with Ailsa drove a rift between her and Frank, despite nearly sleeping with him as an act of rebellion over Ailsa staying over. Roo contacts her aunt, Morag Bellingham
Morag Bellingham
Morag Bellingham 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 17 June 1988. She appeared until 1989 and briefly appeared in 1993. She returned yearly from 2001 until 2009 and...

 (Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances is a British-born actress based in Australia since the early 1970s. Frances is best known for her recurring role as judge Morag Bellingham on Home and Away.-Early life and personal life:...

), who is a judge and asks her to do a background check on Ailsa. At Alf and Ailsa's engagement party, Roo reveals Ailsa went to prison for killing her abusive father. However, Ailsa's friends and Frank, side with her. Roo begins a feud with Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson
Nicolle Dickson
Nicolle Dickson is an Australian actress who played rebellious Bobby Simpson in soap opera Home and Away from 1988 to 1993.-Early years:...

), Ailsa's friend. Tired of her behaviour, Alf sends Ruth to boarding school in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

.

Roo begins dating Brett Macklin (Gerry Sont) and she gets pregnant. Brett's reaction to this to book an abortion for her. Roo returns to Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...

 and tries convincing Frank that he is the baby's father. She pretends to accept Alf and Ailsa's relationship so she will be allowed to stay. Roo sleeps with Frank and arranges for Alf to catch them together. She tells her aunt, Celia Stewart
Celia Stewart
Celia Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was played by Fiona Spence. The character was a regular on the show from 1988 to 1990...

 (Fiona Spence
Fiona Spence
Fiona Spence is a British-born stage and television actress. One of the most recognisable Australian television stars during the early 1980s, she is best known for her roles in the Australian television series Prisoner and Home and Away...

), that she is pregnant with Frank's baby. Frank agrees to marry her and Roo tries to accept Alf and Ailsa marriage. Brett turns up and tells Roo the mumps
Mumps
Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...

 has left him infertile and that he now wants the baby. She refuses to let him back into her life, so Brett goes to Morag, who tries to talk Roo into changing her mind. In the middle of her wedding, she reveals that Frank is not the father of her baby. Frank drives off in anger and swerves off the road to avoid Bobby and the car falls into a ditch, almost killing him.

The incident leaves Ruth an outcast within the town. Morag tries to persuade her to move to the city with her, but Celia talks her out of it. Brett applies for custody, but Roo suggests they sort it out between themselves. She begins helping Brett's family as they set up a business in the Bay. She is pleased when Alf and Ailsa's differences over the development causes them to split up. With Ailsa returning to town to be Christopher Fletcher's (Ashleigh Bell-Weir) godmother, Roo fakes stomach pains to stop Alf attending the christening. However, by hyperventilating she sends herself into premature labour and gives birth to a baby girl, who she names, Martha
Martha MacKenzie
Martha Jane MacKenzie is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Jodi Gordon. Martha made her first on-screen appearance on 8 September 1988. She was originally played by Burcin Kapkin until her departure in 1989...

 (Burcin Kapkin). She is pleased when Frank seems to take an interest, until she learns that he is dating Bobby. Brett tries to force Ruth into giving him custody of Martha. He kidnaps the baby and Roo considered suicide, before she is informed that Brett had returned Martha. Roo refuses to press charges and the couple realise that they cannot raise Martha, so they give her up for adoption. Roo then begins to accept Ailsa, when she and Alf reconcile.

Roo decides to take a break from the Bay and when she returns, she reveals that she has a new boyfriend, David Lee (Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong (Australian actor)
Anthony Wong is an Australian actor. His most well known role is that of Ghost from The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, a role which was greatly expanded in the video game Enter the Matrix, in which he starred alongside Jada Pinkett Smith as the lead...

). Alf and Celia are slightly shocked as David is Chinese and they are uncomfortable with Roo being in a mixed race relationship. Alf eventually gives the pair his blessing, but David later leaves town. Frank and Bobby marry and Roo is stunned to learn Bobby is Morag's daughter and thus her cousin. Ruth takes a job at the Macklin Corporation. Her manager, Nicholas Walsh (Robert Taylor), sends nasty letters to Ailsa and frames Ruth, with help from Morag. With Alf and Ailsa believing the letters are from her, Roo moves in with Celia and then with Morag. When Alf discovers the truth, he apologizes and Ruth moves back in. She then starts dating Simon Yates (Christopher Saunders).

Ailsa becomes pregnant, which pleases Ruth. Alf and Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher (Home and Away)
Thomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...

 (Roger Oakley
Roger Oakley
Roger Oakley is a New-Zealand-born character-actor noted for his performances on Australian television., but more recently active as a Theatre Performer....

) go missing on a fishing trip and Ailsa goes into premature labour. Roo stays with her as her half-brother Duncan
Duncan Stewart (Home and Away)
Duncan Stewart is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away, the son of Alf and Ailsa. The character was portrayed by first by actress Allana Ellis in 1989 and was born in the episode airing on 9 June 1989. Actor Lewis Devaney portrayed Duncan from 1990 to 1998. Brendan...

 (Allana Ellis) is born, shortly before Alf is found. Roo finds herself working closely with Frank and when he is offered a promotion in the city, he celebrates by kissing Roo. She feels guilty about the kiss and when Frank goes to the city without Bobby, everyone assumes he and Roo had an affair. Roo is upset when Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...

 (Katie Ritchie) blames her for the break-up. Bobby tells her that she and Frank would have broken up anyway and gives them her blessing. Roo then goes to the city to meet Frank and tells him she wants to give their relationship another go. Frank and Roo marry, but they split by the time Frank returns to town. Roo later moves to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, where she is joined for a time by both Martha and Duncan. In the intervening years, viewers learn Roo has a near fatal car-accident and Alf flies out to New York to visit her while she recovers.

2010—

Roo returns to the Bay and goes to the caravan park, where she meets Miles Copeland
Miles Copeland (Home and Away)
Miles Copeland is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Josh Quong Tart. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 30 November 2007. Ryley Mickle and Jackson Edwards played Miles in flashback sequences, showing him at ages three and...

 (Josh Quong Tart
Josh Quong Tart
Josh Quong Tart is an Australian actor who has performed in several television, commercial and film roles.-Biography:...

). Roo goes to see Alf and he is shocked to see her. Roo tells him that she has come for a visit as a job fell through and she had some Frequent-flyer miles to use up. She tells Alf that she has not seen Duncan in a while, but received a short phone call from Martha, who is safe and in the United States. Roo gets texts and calls from a man named Tim, who tells her that he loves her. Roo ignores the messages, but later listens to them and becomes upset. She also receives two other messages about an overdrawn bank account and someone taking legal action against her. Roo's, aunt Colleen Smart
Colleen Smart
Colleen Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Lyn Collingwood. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 March 1988. She was introduced as a recurring character by producer Alan Bateman. She served as comic relief...

 (Lyn Collingwood
Lyn Collingwood
Lyn Collingwood is an Australian actress. Collingwood was cast as Colleen Smart on Home and Away and was recurring character in 1988–1989, and returned in 1997 for one episode and then returned in 1999 as regular character....

), is also shocked to see her and she starts to bring up things from Roo's past. Roo tells Alf that she will be staying for a few weeks. Robert Robertson (Socratis Otto) questions Roo about Hugo Austin (Bernard Curry
Bernard Curry
Bernard Curry is a Sydney-based Australian actor, best known for his role in soap operas Neighbours and Home and Away.-Career:...

) and Martha for the Federal Police and she tells him that she has not been in contact with them. Roo tries to persuade Gina Austin (Sonia Todd
Sonia Todd
Sonia Todd is an Australian actress.She studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and starred in Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann...

) to use the money Hugo left to help them out. Gina is reluctant and does not agree to the plan. Roo tells Alf that she and Gina are bonding, when he sees them together. Gina finds one of Roo's credit cards cut in half, despite it not being expired. She runs a credit check on Roo and discovers that she is broke. Roo is confronted by Gina, who thinks she wants Hugo's money for herself. Roo denies this and Gina gives her the benefit of the doubt. Roo tells Alf to get a lawyer when rumours begin that he killed Penn Graham (Christian Clark
Christian Clark
Christian Clark is an Australian actor. He appeared in the role of Will Griggs in the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours from 2006 to 2007...

). She tells Robertson that Alf is innocent and he asks her to get Alf to confess.

Reception

Ausculture named Roo fifth on their Top Ten Aussie Soap Villains list. They called Ruth "evil" for trying to break up Alf's relationship with Ailsa, lying to and trying to marry Frank, leaving him at the altar and later having an affair with him. They added "If she hadn't already left town, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that she was driving the speedboat that struck down Summer Bay's beloved butch Bobby and killed her. On the plus side, she does have the rather hilarious name of 'Roo'."

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...

 said Roo's most memorable moment is "Bowling over her dad Alf by unexpectedly arriving back in Summer Bay after more than two decades away." When she slept with Miles, The Sun television magazine Buzz said: "Will she ever give up her wild-child way?"
Jaci Stephen writing for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...

highlighted the fact that Roo and Sid were fighting an attraction for one another. She said she could guess they would give into their desires in a number of "days rather than weeks." Laura Morgan writing for All About Soap
All About Soap
All About Soap is a fortnightly UK magazine, released on Tuesday. Storylines of the shows it covers are from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia....

hoped Roo would not steal Sid from Marilyn and said: "Keep your hands off that Sid, Roo!"

External links

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