Anne Charleston
Encyclopedia
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
.
police dramas Homicide, Division 4
and Matlock Police
. Other appearances included guest roles in other Crawford's adventure series Hunter
(1967) and Ryan
(1973), and in Network Ten
-produced police drama The Long Arm (1971).
She had continuing roles in soap operas Bellbird and Class of '75, and appeared in Number 96
as a deranged woman who kidnapped Alf and Lucy's baby in late 1975. She had also appeared in the feature film version of Bellbird, Country Town (1971), playing a different character from that which she had played in the series. In the late 1970s and the 1980s she had several small roles in soap opera Prisoner
. Having briefly played the brusque daughter of released prisoner "Mum" Brooks in 1979, Charleston returned for several appearances in the serial as policewomen through the early 1980s before taking the larger recurring role of Deidre Kean, mother of prison toughie Reb Kean (Janet Andrewartha
), in 1984. In 1985 she took a leading regular role in new soap opera Possession
; however, the series was cancelled by the network later that same year due to lower than desired ratings.
Charleston had also enjoyed a busy career acting in the Australian theatre. With St. Martin's Theatre she acted in Wrong Side of the Park, The Irregular Verb, To Love, Angels in Love, A Far Country, The Anniversary, Invitation to a March, Eden House, The Cavern, Have you Any Dirty Washing Mother Dear, Blithe Spirit
and Children's Day.
She also appeared in J C Williamson's Woman in a Dressing Gown starring Googie Withers
, Juggler's Three for the Melbourne Theatre Company Workshop, and The Secretary Bird starring Patrick Macnee
. Other theatre includes Busybody, Port Wine, Night of the Ding Dong, Burst of Summer, Murder in the Cathedral, The Rivals, The Tower, Everyman, Antigone, The Man of Destiny, Otherwise Engaged and The Shifting Heart.
in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
. Madge was a new character added to the series when it switched to Network Ten
. The series became popular in Australia and the United Kingdom in the years following. Through the series Charleston became internationally recognised, and won a Penguin Award
in 1987 for Best Actress.
In 1992, Charleston left the series and emigrated to the Republic of Ireland
. Four years later she accepted the offer to return to Neighbours, reprising the role from 1996. In her second stint in the series, Charleston observed that Madge had been transformed from being bold and fiery to a more meek and passive character, a change that led to her ultimate decision to leave the series in 2000. Her final episode was broadcast in Australia during April 2001.
in an episode of the "Dame Edna Experience" on UKITV
, when Dame Edna Everage
asked Doctor Christiaan Barnard
to give her bridesmaid a face lift. Dame Edna didn't like Madge's new face, so asked the surgeon to reverse the operation restoring Emily Perry
to the role.
After leaving Neighbours for the first time, Charleston lived in Ireland for several years, and returned there after leaving the series again in 2001. With the high levels of popularity enjoyed by Neighbours in the UK, Charleston has now relaunched her career there, and has undertaken theatre and radio work in the UK and Ireland since leaving Neighbours in 2001, and is also a regular performer in pantomime
.
She took the role of Dossa in comedy series Dossa and Joe
and then had the regular role of Betty Waddell in the relaunched series of Crossroads in 2003. In 2004 she was a contestant in the second series of the Living TV reality television show, I'm Famous and Frightened!
In 2005, she had cosmetic surgery performed on her neck, live on British television, on the Channel 5 programme, Cosmetic Surgery Live
. In the same year, she also "regressed
into a previous life", as a poor Irish farm girl, when she appeared in the programme Have I Been Here Before?
.
In late 2006 Charleston joined the cast of Emmerdale
, originating the character of Lily Butterfield
, the estranged sister of Edna Birch
(Shirley Stelfox
) who arrives to attend her great niece Eve's wedding blessing. Unbeknown to Edna and Lily, Edna's son Peter has invited them both to try to get them to make amends. However, a dark family secret will ensure their reunion does not run smoothly.
Of her new role, Charleston said: "I am over the moon to be joining one of my favourite soaps. I am delighted to be playing such a fantastic character." Series Producer Kathleen Beedles
added: "We are thrilled to confirm that Anne will be playing the character of Lily. Viewers can expect to see sparks fly when Edna and Lily are reunited and we are looking forward to welcoming Anne on-set." Charleson's first taping day was on Monday 25 September 2006, and she first appeared on screen on Friday 3 November 2006. She appeared in only three episodes. The character returned in October 2007 for a four month run, and returned again in 2008 on a regular contract. The character was subsequently written out of the serial and made her last appearance on 3 August 2009.
In January 2010 it was announced that Charleston would be joining the touring production of Calendar Girls
as Jessie (Miss January).
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland and the UK. She is known for her roles as Madge Bishop
Madge Bishop
Margaret Mary "Madge" Bishop 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...
in 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...
and Lily Butterfield
Lily Butterfield
Lily Butterfield is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Anne Charleston. She made her first appearance on 3 November 2006. Lily is Edna Birch's estranged sister and the biological mother to Edna's son, Peter Birch...
in Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
Early career
Anne Charleston first became widely recognisable in Australia in the early 1970s on television, taking various guest roles in the Crawford ProductionsCrawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian television production company founded by Hector Crawford; the present incarnation of the company, Crawfords Australia, is now a subsidiary of the WIN television corporation.-History:...
police dramas Homicide, Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
and Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
. Other appearances included guest roles in other Crawford's adventure series Hunter
Hunter (Australian Crawfords TV series)
Hunter was an Australian espionage adventure television series screened by the Nine Network from 5 July 1967 to 1969. The series was created by Ian Jones and produced by Crawford Productions....
(1967) and Ryan
Ryan (TV series)
Ryan was an Australian adventure television series screened by the Seven Network from 27 May 1973. The series was produced by Crawford Productions and had a run of 39 one hour episodes....
(1973), and in 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...
-produced police drama The Long Arm (1971).
She had continuing roles in soap operas Bellbird and Class of '75, and appeared in Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
as a deranged woman who kidnapped Alf and Lucy's baby in late 1975. She had also appeared in the feature film version of Bellbird, Country Town (1971), playing a different character from that which she had played in the series. In the late 1970s and the 1980s she had several small roles in soap opera Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
. Having briefly played the brusque daughter of released prisoner "Mum" Brooks in 1979, Charleston returned for several appearances in the serial as policewomen through the early 1980s before taking the larger recurring role of Deidre Kean, mother of prison toughie Reb Kean (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:...
), in 1984. In 1985 she took a leading regular role in new soap opera Possession
Possession (TV series)
Possession is an Australian television series screened in 1985 and made by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Nine Network. It was the brainchild of the television producer, Reg Watson....
; however, the series was cancelled by the network later that same year due to lower than desired ratings.
Charleston had also enjoyed a busy career acting in the Australian theatre. With St. Martin's Theatre she acted in Wrong Side of the Park, The Irregular Verb, To Love, Angels in Love, A Far Country, The Anniversary, Invitation to a March, Eden House, The Cavern, Have you Any Dirty Washing Mother Dear, Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit (play)
Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
and Children's Day.
She also appeared in J C Williamson's Woman in a Dressing Gown starring Googie Withers
Googie Withers
Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
, Juggler's Three for the Melbourne Theatre Company Workshop, and The Secretary Bird starring Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
. Other theatre includes Busybody, Port Wine, Night of the Ding Dong, Burst of Summer, Murder in the Cathedral, The Rivals, The Tower, Everyman, Antigone, The Man of Destiny, Otherwise Engaged and The Shifting Heart.
Neighbours
In 1986, Charleston was cast as Madge MitchellMadge Bishop
Margaret Mary "Madge" Bishop 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...
in 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...
. Madge was a new character added to the series when it switched to 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...
. The series became popular in Australia and the United Kingdom in the years following. Through the series Charleston became internationally recognised, and won a Penguin Award
Penguin Award
The Penguin Award is an annual award given for excellence in broadcasting by the Television Society of Australia. It was founded in 1954.The award trophy depicts an ear listening to a television tube, but strongly resembles a penguin....
in 1987 for Best Actress.
In 1992, Charleston left the series and emigrated to the Republic of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Four years later she accepted the offer to return to Neighbours, reprising the role from 1996. In her second stint in the series, Charleston observed that Madge had been transformed from being bold and fiery to a more meek and passive character, a change that led to her ultimate decision to leave the series in 2000. Her final episode was broadcast in Australia during April 2001.
After Neighbours
In 1989, Charleston took on the role of another 'Madge', Madge AllsopMadge Allsop
Madge Allsop is a fictitious character invented by satirist Barry Humphries as the long-time companion of his most popular and enduring character, Dame Edna Everage. First mentioned in Edna's monologues in the 1960s, Madge was subsequently depicted on stage, TV and film, over three decades, by...
in an episode of the "Dame Edna Experience" on UKITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, when Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
asked Doctor Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.- Early life :...
to give her bridesmaid a face lift. Dame Edna didn't like Madge's new face, so asked the surgeon to reverse the operation restoring Emily Perry
Emily Perry (English actress)
Patricia Emily Perry was an English actress and dancer. Born in Torquay, Devon, England, she was best known for her recurring role as Madge Allsop, Dame Edna Everage's long-suffering, silent "bridesmaid" from Palmerston North, New Zealand-Early life and career:According to one obituary, Perry...
to the role.
After leaving Neighbours for the first time, Charleston lived in Ireland for several years, and returned there after leaving the series again in 2001. With the high levels of popularity enjoyed by Neighbours in the UK, Charleston has now relaunched her career there, and has undertaken theatre and radio work in the UK and Ireland since leaving Neighbours in 2001, and is also a regular performer in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
.
She took the role of Dossa in comedy series Dossa and Joe
Dossa and Joe
Dossa and Joe was a 2002, bittersweet television comedy series, written and directed by Caroline Aherne and starring Anne Charleston as Dossa and Michael Caton as Joe....
and then had the regular role of Betty Waddell in the relaunched series of Crossroads in 2003. In 2004 she was a contestant in the second series of the Living TV reality television show, I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened was a Living TV reality TV show in which 8 celebrities stayed for three nights in a "haunted" castle. They had to then do terrifying challenges in order to raise money for charity; each one was evicted until only the winner was left.The first series aired on Friday 12...
In 2005, she had cosmetic surgery performed on her neck, live on British television, on the Channel 5 programme, Cosmetic Surgery Live
Cosmetic Surgery Live
Cosmetic Surgery Live, "All New Cosmetic Surgery Live", is a UK TV show broadcast on Five. It is presented by Vanessa Feltz, cosmetic surgeon Dr Jan Adams and Daniella Westbrook, and features both live and prerecorded footage of plastic surgery and body modification."Dr Jan and Vanessa will be...
. In the same year, she also "regressed
Past life regression
Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations, though others regard them as fantasies or delusions. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a...
into a previous life", as a poor Irish farm girl, when she appeared in the programme Have I Been Here Before?
Have I Been Here Before?
Have I Been Here Before? is an ITV daytime programme, presented by Phillip Schofield, made by ITV Productions. The programme offers celebrity guests the chance to see if they have lived before, in a past life...
.
In late 2006 Charleston joined the cast of Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
, originating the character of Lily Butterfield
Lily Butterfield
Lily Butterfield is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Anne Charleston. She made her first appearance on 3 November 2006. Lily is Edna Birch's estranged sister and the biological mother to Edna's son, Peter Birch...
, the estranged sister of Edna Birch
Edna Birch
Edna Birch is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Shirley Stelfox.In a village marred by affairs, double-crossing and sin, widow Edna is a paragon of virtue. She first appeared on the show in 2000, but had been living in the village for many years...
(Shirley Stelfox
Shirley Stelfox
Shirley Stelfox is an English actress, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She is best known as Edna Birch in British Soap Opera Emmerdale....
) who arrives to attend her great niece Eve's wedding blessing. Unbeknown to Edna and Lily, Edna's son Peter has invited them both to try to get them to make amends. However, a dark family secret will ensure their reunion does not run smoothly.
Of her new role, Charleston said: "I am over the moon to be joining one of my favourite soaps. I am delighted to be playing such a fantastic character." Series Producer Kathleen Beedles
Kathleen Beedles
Kathleen Beedles originates from Rogart in Sutherland. She attended Golspie High School where she did some acting in a film with Tom Hanks. She is a former Series Producer of British television soap opera Emmerdale. She took over from Steve Frost during 2005. Kathleen was producer and series editor...
added: "We are thrilled to confirm that Anne will be playing the character of Lily. Viewers can expect to see sparks fly when Edna and Lily are reunited and we are looking forward to welcoming Anne on-set." Charleson's first taping day was on Monday 25 September 2006, and she first appeared on screen on Friday 3 November 2006. She appeared in only three episodes. The character returned in October 2007 for a four month run, and returned again in 2008 on a regular contract. The character was subsequently written out of the serial and made her last appearance on 3 August 2009.
In January 2010 it was announced that Charleston would be joining the touring production of Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls (play)
Calendar Girls is a stage play based on the film of the same nameAfter a successful tryout at the Chichester Festival Theatre and a lengthy national tour, a stage adaptation of the film started previewing in April 2009 at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End. The cast included Lynda Bellingham,...
as Jessie (Miss January).