Nell Mangel
Encyclopedia
Eleanor "Nell" Worthington (previously Mangel) 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 public, who in turn abused Gray constantly because of Nell. In the short time she was in the series her constant sparring with Madge Bishop
(Anne Charleston
) was a focal point in her storylining, as well as being a continual annoyance among her neighbours with her nosy, interfering and nasty attitude. She is often described as one of the series most iconic characters and often referred to as one of their greatest villains.
. Gray decided to quit the series in 1988, one of the main reasons which helped her reach the decision was due to high amounts of abuse received from the general public who failed to distinguish Gray from her character, often taunting her for her character's cantankerous personality. After leaving Gray quit acting all together and moved to the United Kingdom. Co-star Ian Smith
who played Harold Bishop
also passed comment on the situation stating that it was mainly young youths who used to hound Gray, because of their dislike of Nell. Gray spoke about her decision to quit stating: "I loved Neighbours and the rest of the cast were marvellous. But because it was so sucsessful I could barely set foot outside my own door without someone screaming abuse at horrid old "Mrs Mangel". People didn't seem to appreciate it was acting. So I decided to take a break." In 1989 Gray revealed that she would consider returning in the future after everything calmed down.
In the book "Soapbox", Gray compares Nell to Ida Jessup, a character she previously played in The Sullivans
, stating: "Mrs Jessup and Mrs Mangel are sisters under the skin, they were both gossips with too many opinions. But Jessup had saving graces – she would help people – Mangel is mean and bitchy."
) and Joe
(Mark Little
). Amanda was highly praised as she excelled academically and married Peter Harris, a wealthy businessman. She later had a daughter, Jane (Annie Jones
). Joe proved to be a disappointment to his parents and he left home following an argument in which he was accused of robbing a local service station. Nell and Len decide to move into a smaller house in Ramsay Street and are later joined by Jane after Amanda and Peter leave for Hong Kong
.
Nell quickly befriends Helen Daniels
(Anne Haddy
) and Eileen Clarke (Myra De Groot
), the only people she lets refer to her by her christian name. Her nosy and pious views are a constant source of annoyance for her neighbours, in particular Madge Bishop, Charlene Robinson
(Kylie Minogue
) and Daphne Clarke
(Elaine Smith
). When Jane begins seeing Mike Young
(Guy Pearce
) , Nell tries to put a stop to it after receiving poison pen letters about Mike's alleged reputation of taking advantage of girls. After Sue Parker (Kate Gorman) is revealed as the culprit, Nell relents and lets Mike see Jane.
When Len leaves Nell for another woman, she is forced to invent excuses for his absence and at one point prompts suspicion from Jane and her friends, who believe Nell has killed Len, after they dig up the garden and find several of his personal effects. Nell eventually explains Len has left and will not return.
Nell allows Harold Bishop to lodge with her and Jane. Nell is pleased to learn Harold is a devout Christian and a man of high moral standards. Nell developed a rivalry with Madge, which reached a new high after it became clear Harold had the hots for Madge. Nell constantly tried to ruin their romance. Not accepting that she had not managed to split Madge and Harold up, she managed to spoil things on their wedding by playing the church organ badly on purpose. Nell befriends Mike's pet labrador, Bouncer
, and he eventually becomes a family pet.
While helping Daphne decorate a nursery for her unborn baby, Nell climbs up a ladder and is knocked to the ground by Bouncer and as a result suffers amnesia, losing two years of her life. She thinks Jane is still at school and Len is still around. Jane cannot bring herself to tell Nell that Len has left so she fabricates a story in which Len died and his ashes were scattered under the rosebushes in the front garden. Nell is then seen saying goodbye to the rosebushes, prompting people to think Nell is losing her sanity. After her memory returns, Nell decides to sue Des and Daphne, but this action is unpopular with the neighbours and Nell finds herself isolated. She later agrees to settle out of court for a lesser sum.
After a heated confrontation in the street with Madge, Nell suffers a heart attack and rushed to hospital. Amanda returns home from Hong Kong seemingly to see her mother, but it turns out she is on the run for insurance fraud. Nell and Jane tell her to go and she leaves again. Len files for divorce and suggests he and Nell share the proceeds from the sale of Number 32. Nell refuses to leave and blackmails Len by threatening to follow him wherever he moved to, in order to keep the house.
Nell meets John Worthington (Brian James), a retired dentist, and falls in love with him. During this time, Joe returns and slowly manages to repair his frosty relationship with Nell, but takes a dislike to John at first, as he fears he will hurt Nell like his father did. Nell and John marry and move to England, where Nell suffers several health problems. During Annalise Hartman
's (Kimberley Davies
) documentary, Jane reveals Nell is still alive and living in England.
a Satellite television station which airs in the UK, commented on Nell, branding her as one of the series most iconic characters, they also added: "Nell Mangel was a woman who infuriated nearly everyone she encountered. She lived in 32 Ramsay Street from 1986 to ’88 and was interfering, nosey and self-righteous. If ever there was an opportunity to ruin people’s fun, be it rescuing Lucy Robinson from a well, Des and Daphne having a barbecue or Helen having another stroke, Mrs. Mangel would be promptly on the phone to report it to the police, the school or the parent concerned. Ooh, she was a cow!" Also adding Gray's abuse from the public in their opinion was because her portrayal was so convincing.
A scottish
national newspaper, The Scotsman
has also praised the character for her nasty streak saying: "Vivean Gray made more of an impact in that short time on the Aussie soap than most actors manage in their entire careers. As the cantankerous Mrs Mangel – arch nemesis of feisty Madge Ramsay – Gray played one of the most detestable villains ever to set foot in Ramsay Street. Her nosiness and holier-than-thou-ness were bad enough, but it was in her dealings with Madge where she really raised the hackles of the Neighbours faithful." Media brand Orange have commented that Nell was interfering and nosy. To celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary, Yahoo conducted a poll to find out who was the viewers favourite character of all time, in the results Nell came in joint third place along with Charlene Mitchell
. Kate Bevan of The Guardian
called Nell a "proto-Dot Cotton".
Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan reviewed Nell in their 1989 book "The Neighbours Factfile", of her they commented: "[She was] never addressed by her Christian name because she is so frosty and disliked by the other residents of Ramsay Street, this gossiping, interfering old busybody is referred to everyone as 'Mrs. Mangel'." Popular culture website "TV Cream" refer to Nell as "Jane's interfering nan".
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 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...
. 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 public, who in turn abused Gray constantly because of Nell. In the short time she was in the series her constant sparring with 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...
(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:...
) was a focal point in her storylining, as well as being a continual annoyance among her neighbours with her nosy, interfering and nasty attitude. She is often described as one of the series most iconic characters and often referred to as one of their greatest villains.
Casting
Vivean Gray was cast in the role after she previously played a similar role to that of Nell in a fellow Australian soap opera titled The SullivansThe Sullivans
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-classMelbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives...
. Gray decided to quit the series in 1988, one of the main reasons which helped her reach the decision was due to high amounts of abuse received from the general public who failed to distinguish Gray from her character, often taunting her for her character's cantankerous personality. After leaving Gray quit acting all together and moved to the United Kingdom. Co-star 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....
who played 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...
also passed comment on the situation stating that it was mainly young youths who used to hound Gray, because of their dislike of Nell. Gray spoke about her decision to quit stating: "I loved Neighbours and the rest of the cast were marvellous. But because it was so sucsessful I could barely set foot outside my own door without someone screaming abuse at horrid old "Mrs Mangel". People didn't seem to appreciate it was acting. So I decided to take a break." In 1989 Gray revealed that she would consider returning in the future after everything calmed down.
Characterisation
Nell is a very much a busy body, she is interfering, nosy and always gossiping. She is frosty and old-fashioned as she does not like to be called by her first name. She constantly spies on her Neighbours and tells tales about them. She insists she is a good Christian woman. She constantly moans and whines throughout her time in the serial. She has also been portrayed to fend off other characters if they tried to be nice to her. It was the mixture of all these traits that allow Nell to become one of the most hated soap characters of her time. In the Neighbours twentieth anniversary book Nell is described as being "the Ramsay Street gossip, the Queen Bee of the cul-de-sac, and her constant interfering in the affairs of her neighbours did not always endear her to the street". Upon her departure, behind the scenes scriptwriters decided to give Nell a pleasant exit plot, seeing Nell finally finding hapiness.In the book "Soapbox", Gray compares Nell to Ida Jessup, a character she previously played in The Sullivans
The Sullivans
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-classMelbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives...
, stating: "Mrs Jessup and Mrs Mangel are sisters under the skin, they were both gossips with too many opinions. But Jessup had saving graces – she would help people – Mangel is mean and bitchy."
Storylines
Nell married Len Mangel (John Lee) and they had two children, Amanda (Briony BehetsBriony Behets
Briony Behets is a British-born actress who found fame acting in Australian soap operas of the 1970s.-Early life:...
) and 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...
). Amanda was highly praised as she excelled academically and married Peter Harris, a wealthy businessman. She later had a daughter, Jane (Annie Jones
Annie Jones
Annie Jones was an American bearded woman, born in Virginia. She toured with showman P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction...
). Joe proved to be a disappointment to his parents and he left home following an argument in which he was accused of robbing a local service station. Nell and Len decide to move into a smaller house in Ramsay Street and are later joined by Jane after Amanda and Peter leave for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Nell quickly befriends 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:...
) and Eileen Clarke (Myra De Groot
Myra De Groot
Myra De Groot was an English-born actress prominent on such Australian television series as The Sullivans, Prisoner and Neighbours. On Neighbours, De Groot played meddling street gossip Eileen Clarke....
), the only people she lets refer to her by her christian name. Her nosy and pious views are a constant source of annoyance for her neighbours, in particular Madge Bishop, Charlene Robinson
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...
) and Daphne Clarke
Daphne Clarke
Daphne Rose Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Elaine Smith. She made her first on-screen appearance in the serial's first episode on 18 March 1985. Daphne a stripper hired for Des Clarke's bucks party and she moved in him. She and Des fell in love...
(Elaine Smith
Elaine Smith (actress)
Elaine Smith found fame as an actress on Australian television.She is best known for her role as Daphne Clarke in the soap opera Neighbours...
). When Jane begins seeing Mike Young
Mike Young (Neighbours)
Michael James "Mike" Young is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Guy Pearce. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986...
(Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
) , Nell tries to put a stop to it after receiving poison pen letters about Mike's alleged reputation of taking advantage of girls. After Sue Parker (Kate Gorman) is revealed as the culprit, Nell relents and lets Mike see Jane.
When Len leaves Nell for another woman, she is forced to invent excuses for his absence and at one point prompts suspicion from Jane and her friends, who believe Nell has killed Len, after they dig up the garden and find several of his personal effects. Nell eventually explains Len has left and will not return.
Nell allows Harold Bishop to lodge with her and Jane. Nell is pleased to learn Harold is a devout Christian and a man of high moral standards. Nell developed a rivalry with Madge, which reached a new high after it became clear Harold had the hots for Madge. Nell constantly tried to ruin their romance. Not accepting that she had not managed to split Madge and Harold up, she managed to spoil things on their wedding by playing the church organ badly on purpose. Nell befriends Mike's pet labrador, Bouncer
Bouncer (Neighbours)
Bouncer is a fictional Labrador Retriever from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 February 1987 and he exited the series on 12 February 1993 after six years...
, and he eventually becomes a family pet.
While helping Daphne decorate a nursery for her unborn baby, Nell climbs up a ladder and is knocked to the ground by Bouncer and as a result suffers amnesia, losing two years of her life. She thinks Jane is still at school and Len is still around. Jane cannot bring herself to tell Nell that Len has left so she fabricates a story in which Len died and his ashes were scattered under the rosebushes in the front garden. Nell is then seen saying goodbye to the rosebushes, prompting people to think Nell is losing her sanity. After her memory returns, Nell decides to sue Des and Daphne, but this action is unpopular with the neighbours and Nell finds herself isolated. She later agrees to settle out of court for a lesser sum.
After a heated confrontation in the street with Madge, Nell suffers a heart attack and rushed to hospital. Amanda returns home from Hong Kong seemingly to see her mother, but it turns out she is on the run for insurance fraud. Nell and Jane tell her to go and she leaves again. Len files for divorce and suggests he and Nell share the proceeds from the sale of Number 32. Nell refuses to leave and blackmails Len by threatening to follow him wherever he moved to, in order to keep the house.
Nell meets John Worthington (Brian James), a retired dentist, and falls in love with him. During this time, Joe returns and slowly manages to repair his frosty relationship with Nell, but takes a dislike to John at first, as he fears he will hurt Nell like his father did. Nell and John marry and move to England, where Nell suffers several health problems. 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, Jane reveals Nell is still alive and living in England.
Reception
Although at the time Nell was disliked by some of the viewers, she later became remembered as an iconic character. Comedy CentralComedy Central (UK)
Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
a Satellite television station which airs in the UK, commented on Nell, branding her as one of the series most iconic characters, they also added: "Nell Mangel was a woman who infuriated nearly everyone she encountered. She lived in 32 Ramsay Street from 1986 to ’88 and was interfering, nosey and self-righteous. If ever there was an opportunity to ruin people’s fun, be it rescuing Lucy Robinson from a well, Des and Daphne having a barbecue or Helen having another stroke, Mrs. Mangel would be promptly on the phone to report it to the police, the school or the parent concerned. Ooh, she was a cow!" Also adding Gray's abuse from the public in their opinion was because her portrayal was so convincing.
A scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
national newspaper, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
has also praised the character for her nasty streak saying: "Vivean Gray made more of an impact in that short time on the Aussie soap than most actors manage in their entire careers. As the cantankerous Mrs Mangel – arch nemesis of feisty Madge Ramsay – Gray played one of the most detestable villains ever to set foot in Ramsay Street. Her nosiness and holier-than-thou-ness were bad enough, but it was in her dealings with Madge where she really raised the hackles of the Neighbours faithful." Media brand Orange have commented that Nell was interfering and nosy. To celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary, Yahoo conducted a poll to find out who was the viewers favourite character of all time, in the results Nell came in joint third place along with 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...
. Kate Bevan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called Nell a "proto-Dot Cotton".
Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan reviewed Nell in their 1989 book "The Neighbours Factfile", of her they commented: "[She was] never addressed by her Christian name because she is so frosty and disliked by the other residents of Ramsay Street, this gossiping, interfering old busybody is referred to everyone as 'Mrs. Mangel'." Popular culture website "TV Cream" refer to Nell as "Jane's interfering nan".