Hilary Robinson 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 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 Anne Scott-Pendlebury

Anne Scott-Pendlebury

Anne Scott-Pendlebury is an Australian television and film actress, who played the role of Hilary Robinson in the soap opera, Neighbours during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 June 1987, returning in 1988, in a guest capacity and returned in a permanent role in 1989 and left the show in 1990. She made a cameo in 2005. She was central to many storylines including Tax evasion

Tax evasion

Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...

, animal rights

Animal rights

Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...

 and interfering with her neighbours personal lives.

Storylines

Hilary often clashed with her cousin Jim Robinson

Jim Robinson (Neighbours)

James "Jim" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Dale. He made his first on-screen appearance on 18 March 1985, which was the shows first episode. Jim was the patriarch of the Robinson family. Dale departed the show in 1993 after...

 (Alan Dale

Alan Dale

Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...

), she arrives to attend 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...

) and Charlene Mitchell

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...

's (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...

) wedding. She later discovers 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...

) has married Gail Lewis (Fiona Corke

Fiona Corke

Fiona Corke is an Australian actress best known for her role as Gail Robinson on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:Corke began her career with a minor role in the film 'I Live with Me Dad'...

) for business reasons, nearly exposing their secret. Hilary inferes with Jim's love life, match making him with her friend Beverly Marshall

Beverly Marshall

Beverly Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The character was originally played by Lisa Armytage and she made her first on-screen appearance on 6 July 1987. Shaunna O'Grady took over from Armytage and began playing the character from 16 March 1989 until her...

 (Lisa Armytage), the later marry. She is later thrown out of the Robinson household for telling Nick Page (Mark Stevens) he isn't part of the Robinson family, moving in with Sharon Davies (Jessica Muschamp) while Edith Chubb (Irene Inescort) is away, she then begins fueding with Joe Mangel

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...

) and Kerry Bishop

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), Kerry becomes enraged by Hilary after she sets up an aviary, Kerry, an animal rights activist releases the birds, Hilary argues with her, she later attempts to save some of the birds and Hilary falls from a ladder, 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...

) saves her life.

Matt Robinson

Matt Robinson (Neighbours)

Matthew "Matt" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ashley Paske...

 (Ashley Paske

Ashley Paske

Ashley Paske and educated at Figtree High School is an actor, best known for his role in the television series Neighbours...

) is later revealed to be Hilary's son. She initially tries to keep it a secret until he blackmails her, telling her he will walk out on her for good, in turn making Hilary publicly reveal him as her son. Hilary later begins a relationship with Kenneth Muir (Roger Boyce), they later split up when he finds out Hilary has been tax evading. Hilary decides to leave Ramsay Street permanently, this angers Paul, after Hilary withdraws her funding of the Robinson Corporation. Hilary leaves, Matt later joins her.

Hilary returns in a cameo appearance during Annalise Hartman

Annalise 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...

) documentary. She credited her time living in the street as helping her rebuild her relationship with Matt.

Reception

Ruth Deller of entertainment 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:...

 commented on Hilary stating: "Jim's cousin Hilary was one of the street's best busybodies. She was mostly a recurring guest character in the series, although she did have a stint as a permanent resident. She was a bit of a 'fusspot' but with her heart in the right place".

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Neighbours, the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 asked readers to nominate their 20 favourite obscure characters. Hilary came in fourth place and the readers called her "perpetually bitchy and irascible – got on everyone's nerves and was hugely funny". They added, "Appeared sporadically in the late 80s. She wasn't based in Erinsborough but somehow got Jim and Beverly together -as if Dr Bev would ever have been a friend of such an old witch!!". In Neighbours: The Official Annual 1991, John McCready and Nicola Furlong said that Sharon Davies (Jessica Muschamp) never got any peace and tranquillity when Hilary was around. They also said Scott-Pendlebury had made a mark on Neighbours. The Evening Times

Evening Times

The Evening Times is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The paper, an evening sister paper of The Herald, was established in 1876. The paper's slogan is "Nobody Knows Glasgow Better"....

said Hilary "is the tactless cousin of The Robinson family who despite all her faults did bring Beverly and Jim together."