Rebecca Napier
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Jane Robinson (née Napier), 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 Jane Hall
Jane Hall (actress)
Jane Hall is an Australian actress and comedian.-Biography:Born in Melbourne, Hall grew up in the Dandenong Ranges....

. The show suffered a ratings decline in early 2007 and plans were put in place for storylines to focus more on relationships and family dynamics. During this period, the character of Rebecca was created and introduced. She made her first on-screen appearance on 13 July 2007. Rebecca is the mother of Oliver Barnes
Oliver Barnes
Oliver Barnes is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by David Hoflin. He made his on-screen debut on 30 January 2007. Oliver is the oldest son of Rebecca Napier and the brother of Declan Napier...

 and Declan Napier
Declan Napier
Declan Napier is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Erin Mullally. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 July 2007. In January 2010 it was announced that original actor James Sorensen had quit the role of Declan and the decision to recast...

. In October 2010, it was announced that Hall was leaving Neighbours. Rebecca departed on 15 March 2011.

Character creation and casting

In 2007, Neighbours suffered a ratings decline and plans were put into place to take a "back to basics" approach where storylines would become less controversial and return to the focus on relationships and family dynamics. It was at this point that the character of Rebecca was created, and Jane Hall was cast in the role. The character was to create a family unit for existing character Oliver Barnes
Oliver Barnes
Oliver Barnes is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by David Hoflin. He made his on-screen debut on 30 January 2007. Oliver is the oldest son of Rebecca Napier and the brother of Declan Napier...

 (David Hoflin
David Hoflin
David Hoflin is a Swedish-born Australian actor. He is most famous for playing Jason Bates in Ocean Girl between 1994 and 1998, and Oliver Barnes in Neighbours between 2007 and 2008.-Career:...

). Of her casting Hall said "Neighbours is a legend of a show, and now, it's getting back to the heart-land, to relationships and family and the ins-and-outs of life." Hall later commented that her character had "shaken up" the series and made it more interesting, she also said that Rebecca has been on tumultuous journey since her inception.

Before the character had appeared on-screen there was speculation that Hall wanted to leave after only one day of filming as Rebecca. During an interview on Rove, Hall spoke about her melt down and what had caused her upset, saying "There is about fifteen to twenty minutes in the studio, per scene to shoot it. So I come in and it's my first day in studio and they have probably my most crucial scene, which is where I [Rebecca] met my son, I've never seen him before, I gave him up when I was 17. A pivotal scene and they say can we shoot it in five minutes, cut along story short I was crap, I went into the producers office and said you've made a terrible mistake, sack me now, we had to re-shoot it, and I wasn't much good the second time around either." She also said that in time she got to grips with her character and managed to portray her to an extent she was herself, happy with.

In October 2010, it was announced that Hall had quit Neighbours along with two other members of the cast, Matthew Werkmeister
Matthew Werkmeister
Matthew Werkmeister is an Australian stage and television actor. He is best known for his role as Zeke Kinski in the soap opera Neighbours which he joined in 2005...

 and Erin Mullally
Erin Mullally
Erin Mullally is an Australian actor and model best known for playing the role of Declan Napier in Neighbours. Mullally was cast in the role after original actor, James Sorensen, left the show. The character of Declan is Mullally's first major television role...

. Of her decision to leave, Hall said "I've decided its time to say 'au revoir' to Erinsborough, it's sad to be leaving...but I'm looking forward to the future and new and exciting acting adventures."

Backstory

Rebecca is the only daughter of Alan Napier (Barry Friedlander) and sister to Marcus Napier (James Lawson). She became estranged from her family when she was a teenager. When she was sixteen, Rebecca found herself pregnant and alone. She is forced into giving her baby son up for adoption to Clifford and Pamela Barnes to raise as their own. This forced Rebecca to grow up quickly and she could not watch her son grow up with another family, so she moved away. Rebecca later gave birth to another son, Declan
Declan Napier
Declan Napier is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Erin Mullally. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 July 2007. In January 2010 it was announced that original actor James Sorensen had quit the role of Declan and the decision to recast...

 (James Sorensen
James Sorensen
James Sorensen is a professional model and actor. He is of Danish, British and Portuguese descent. He has a twin sister and a brother who is 6 years younger.-Biography:...

), but she did not stop thinking about the one she gave up years earlier. Rebecca raised Declan on her own and refused to accept charity from anyone.

2007–2011

Shortly after her arrival in Erinsborough, Rebecca is revealed to be the biological mother of Oliver Barnes. Rebecca and Oliver meet, but after a short conversation Rebecca walks out, making it clear she does not want to see Oliver again. She later changes her mind and tells Oliver that she wants to get to know him. The pair's meetings become more frequent and Oliver soon comes to regard Rebecca as a mother figure. Rebecca is horrified to learn that Oliver is dating Elle Robinson (Pippa Black
Pippa Black
Pippa Black is an Australian actress. From 2005 to 2009, Black played Elle Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours. Black played Tonya in the NBC series Outsourced from 2010 to 2011.-Career:...

), as she believes that Elle's father, Paul
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...

), whom she spent a romantic weekend with several years earlier, was also Oliver's father. A DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 test later disproves this and Rebecca realises that Oliver's father is her violent ex-partner Richard Aaronow (Blair Venn
Blair Venn
Blair Venn is an Australian actor who is best known for his role on the television series Head Start as Garrett Quinn. He has also appeared in two short stints on the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Brendan Bell and Richard Aaronow. His other television credits include Satisfaction, All Saints,...

). Rebecca later reveals that Richard is also Declan's father too, after he sexually assaulted her.

Rebecca and Paul begin a relationship and she and Declan move in with him. After Rebecca decides to pursue a career in law and takes a university course, Paul begins to feel neglected and he embarks on an affair with Kirsten Gannon
Kirsten Gannon
Kirsten Gannon is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Nikola DuboisShe first appeared on-screen on 19 June 2007. Although Dubois was not contracted as a regular cast member, Kirsten appeared constantly for more than a year...

 (Nikola Dubois
Nikola Dubois
-Neighbours:Dubois appeared as a recurring character on Neighbours. She played the role of Kirsten Gannon in 2007–08. She was nominated in the "Best Bitch" category at the "2008 Inside Soap Awards".-Other TV appearances:*Last Man Standing...

). Elle discovers this, but cannot bring herself to tell Rebecca. Paul asks Rebecca to marry him and she accepts. Paul's ex-wife 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:...

) returns to Erinsborough and it becomes clear that she is blackmailing Paul over his affair. Lyn tells Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy , is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 along...

 (Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...

) about the situation and Susan tells Rebecca the truth. Rebecca ends the relationship and moves out. Rebecca becomes a grandmother, after Oliver's daughter, Chloe (Sarah May) is born.

Rebecca begins a relationship with the Principal of Erinsborough High, Andrew Simpson (Peter Flanigan). Andrew proposes to her and she accepts, but she also realises that she still loves Paul and breaks off the engagement. Rebecca and Paul resume their relationship. Paul disappears after he is blamed for killing his half-sister and Rebecca realises that Paul's niece Sophie Ramsay
Sophie Ramsay
Sophie Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kaiya Jones. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 May 2009. The character was created as part of a new generation of the Ramsay family. Sophie is the youngest of the Ramsay siblings, which also...

 (Kaiya Jones
Kaiya Jones
Kaiya Jones is a Scottish-born Australian actress best known for playing the role of Sophie Ramsay in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. She previously played Jess Cooper in The Saddle Club series 3.-Early and personal life:...

) witnessed the incident. Sophie later tells the police that Paul tried to help her mother. Rebecca becomes a grandmother for the second time when Declan's girlfriend, Bridget Parker
Bridget Parker
Bridget Louise "Didge" Parker is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Eloise Mignon. In 2007 the show was revamped to boost falling ratings in Australia. As part of this, the show's focus returned to family dynamics and the character of Bridget and her family...

 (Eloise Mignon
Eloise Mignon
Eloise Mignon is an Australian actress born in Kuwait.-Career:Mignon was educated at Melbourne Girls College, Wesley College and St Michael's Grammar School her screen credits include a role in Legacy of the Silver Shadow and a main character Mara Lomax in children's sci-fi series Silversun. She...

) gives birth to India (Alia and Gabriella Devercelli). When Bridget dies after a car accident, Rebecca helps Miranda
Miranda Parker
Miranda Parker is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Nikki Coghill. In 2007, the show's focus returned to focus more on family dynamics and the characters of Miranda and her family were created and introduced to help boost falling ratings in...

 (Nikki Coghill
Nikki Coghill
Nicola Vicars Coghill is an Australian actress.-Career:Nikki has appeared in many Australian television series and movies...

) and Steve Parker
Steve Parker
Steven "Steve" Parker is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Steve Bastoni. In 2007, Neighbours decided to return to focusing more on family dynamics and the characters of Steve and his family were created and introduced to help boost falling...

 (Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni is an Italian Australian actor. He is best known for his role in Police Rescue as Constable Yannis 'Angel' Angelopoulos and as Steve Parker in Neighbours.-Television:...

) organise the funeral. Miranda and Steve decide to move away to Oakey and try to take India with them, but Rebecca refuses to let them take her away from Declan.

Rebecca asks Paul to marry her, but he refuses. Later, after a chat with Elle, Paul changes his mind and accepts Rebecca's proposal. Rebecca and Paul's wedding is interrupted by Lyn when she announces that she and Paul are still married. Rebecca is furious that Lyn ruined her day and she and Lyn have a scragfight outside Rebecca's house in front of the neighbours. Lyn later signs the divorce papers and decides to stay in Erinsborough. She purchases Harold's Store and she and Rebecca, who runs Charlie's Bar, try to sabotage each other's businesses. On Christmas Eve, Paul surprises Rebecca by asking her to marry him in Charlie's and she accpets. After the ceremony, Paul's youngest son Andrew
Andrew Robinson (Neighbours)
Andrew Benito Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jordan Smith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 November 1991. Shannon Holmes previously played the role from the character's birth in 1991 until 1992...

 (Jordan Smith
Jordan Smith (actor)
Jordan Patrick Smith is a Scottish-born Australian actor best known for playing Andrew Robinson in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Personal life:...

) turns up.

Paul buys PirateNet and he appoints Rebecca CEO. Declan tells Rebecca that Paul has been lying to her about his financial situation. If PirateNet fails, her name is on the papers and the creditors will bankrupt her. When she gives Paul a chance to tell her himself, he does not bring it up and Rebecca asks Toadfish Rebecchi
Toadfish Rebecchi
Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Ryan Moloney. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 February 1995....

's (Ryan Moloney
Ryan Moloney
Ryan Moloney is an Australian actor best known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Before Neighbours:...

) advice about getting out of the contract. Rebecca threatens Paul with a divorce and he tells her the truth. He later tries to persuade her to sell PirateNet and Rebecca announces live on air that the station will be closing. At a telethon to save the station, Paul plays a recording that reveals Stephanie Scully
Stephanie Scully
Stephanie Jo "Steph" Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Carla Bonner. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 October 1999. Stephanie is the eldest daughter of Joe and Lyn Scully and the mother to a son, Charlie...

 (Carla Bonner
Carla Bonner
Carla Bonner is an Australian actress best known for playing the role of Steph Scully in the soap opera Neighbours, a role she played from 1999 to 2010...

) is carrying Daniel Fitzgerald
Daniel Fitzgerald (Neighbours)
Daniel Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Tucker. He made his first on-screen appearance on 1 September 1999. Dan becomes a teacher at Erinsborough High and shares a house with fellow teacher, Tess. He remained as a recurring...

's (Brett Tucker
Brett Tucker
Brett Alan Tucker is an Australian actor and singer. He was a series regular in The Saddle Club and McLeod's Daughters...

) baby and Rebecca is disgusted with him. She then asks him to leave home. Paul sells PirateNet and tries to win her back. Rebecca allows Paul to move back home after he agrees to take six months off from Lassiter's.

Declan tells Rebecca all about Paul's embezzlement and Diana Marshall
Diana Marshall
Diana Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jane Badler. She made her first on-screen appearance on 22 June 2010. Badler had a four month contract with the show and she began filming her first scenes in April following a successful audition...

 (Jane Badler
Jane Badler
Jane Badler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Diana, the chief antagonist in NBC's science fiction TV series, V, between 1983-85. Badler also appeared in ABC's "reimagined" version of V in 2011, again playing an alien named Diana, who this time is the mother of...

) tells her that Paul cheated on her. Rebecca is devastated and goes to Lassiter's. Paul is pushed off the mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...

 and Rebecca runs out of the hotel to see him lying on the ground. Rebecca is questioned twice by Detective Mark Brennan
Mark Brennan (Neighbours)
Mark Brennan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by model and television presenter Scott McGregor. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 August 2010. McGregor initially had a four week guest contract with the show, but this was increased to six months...

 (Scott McGregor
Scott McGregor (model)
Scott McGregor is an Australian model, television presenter and actor.-Career:Since 2005 he has worked as a model on the Nine Network program Temptation, as well as television presenting work for Foxtel...

). She is devastated when news of Paul's affair with Diana is revealed and she later breaks down in Lyn's arms. Declan gives Rebecca a set of divorce papers and she takes them to Paul. Paul tells her that he remembers who pushed him and Rebecca leaves the room and tells Declan that Paul knows everything. Declan wants them to leave and when Kate finds Declan packing, Rebecca tells her that she pushed Paul. She says that she did it after she went to confront him about sleeping with Diana and threatening Declan. Paul tells her that he will tell the police Declan pushed him if she leaves him. Rebecca is impressed when Paul runs a story about Ringo Brown
Ringo Brown
Ringo Brown is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Sam Clark. Clark was given the role after he entered and won a Dolly magazine competition. He made his first on-screen appearance on 24 January 2007...

's (Sam Clark
Sam Clark
-Studio albums:-Singles:-Music videos:-Filmography:-Awards and nominations:-External links:* on SoundCloud...

) death in the paper. However, when he tries to kiss her, she pulls away and later tells him that she does not want anything to do with him. Rebecca finds herself attracted to Michael Williams
Michael Williams (Neighbours)
Michael Williams is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sandy Winton. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 May 2010. Winton joined the cast in March 2010 and he admitted that playing Michael may prove to be a challenge. Michael is the father of Natasha...

 (Sandy Winton
Sandy Winton
Sandy Winton, born Alexander Gordon, is an Australian actor currently playing the role of Erinsborough High Principal, Michael Williams, in the soap-opera, Neighbours.-Career:...

) after she joins the School Social committee. When Michael discovers that Rebecca and Paul are sleeping in separate beds, Rebecca tells him that Paul will not let her go. Paul forces Rebecca into renewing their vows and after the ceremony she tells Paul how she feels. Paul gives her a ticket to Oakey, so she can clear her head. She writes a letter to Michael telling him that she did not lie about her feelings for him.

Rebecca returns from Oakey and Mark questions her about Paul again. She goes to see Michael in his hospital room and tells him that she did not stop thinking about him. Paul interrupts them, but Rebecca tells Michael that she will come back. Rebecca tells Declan that she loves Michael after he catches them about to kiss. Rebecca decides to help Lyn out after realising that Paul is blackmailing her. She tells Lyn to bring it up in front of her at dinner. Paul is angry with Lyn, but Rebecca later explains that it was her plan. Declan tells Rebecca that he thinks her affair with Michael is dangerous, but Rebecca explains that she is going to be nice to Paul until he tells the police that the fall was an accident. Rebecca supports Andrew and his girlfriend, Natasha
Natasha Williams (Neighbours)
Natasha Williams is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Valentina Novakovic. The role of Natasha is Novakovic's first acting job and she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne for filming...

 (Valentina Novakovic), when they discover they are having a baby. Rebecca advises them to tell Michael and Paul. Michael tells Rebecca that he is fed up with waiting and that he does not understand why she cannot leave Paul. She tells him that she was the one who pushed Paul and becomes upset when Michael walks away. Rebecca tells Paul that she wants to get back to how they were before, but she does not want his accident hanging over them. Paul produces an affidavit, which states that his fall was an accident and that he refuses the right to press charges against her. He tells her that it just needs to be signed and lodged, but he wants to spend one evening with her at Lassiter's. Michael later apologises to Rebecca. She spends the night with Paul at Lassiter's and he signs the affidavit. When Rebecca gets home, she tells Declan to get India and pack their things. Paul finds them and Rebecca tells him that their marriage is over and that she no longer loves him. They move into a hotel and she tells Michael that she is free. Paul then decides to get revenge on Rebecca. When he has her thrown out of the hotel, Michael asks her and India to move in with him. Declan calls Oliver and he, Carmella and Chloe arrive to get Rebecca. Rebecca tells them that she cannot leave Michael and later agrees to marry him. However, she changes her mind about leaving when she realises that Paul will not stop his revenge campaign against her. Rebecca tells Susan the truth about Paul's accident and then she, Declan and India leave Erinsborough.

Reception

After scenes involving the character fighting with Lyn Scully aired, Darren Rowe of entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

 praised the scenes and branding it "one of the best episodes of 2009". Also stating: "It is a classic scene and quite simply Neighbours at its absolute best!". Jim Schembri of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...

commented on Rebecca's choice in men after her partner Paul Robinson revealed he killed Gus Cleary, stating that she has a bad history of attraction to violent men.

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:...

 praised Rebecca's character development stating: "Rebecca was such a badly-written, flaky character when she first arrived in Ramsay Street, but thankfully the scriptwriters soon realised just what an asset actress Jane Hall was to the show and turned her around to become awesome. As someone who can stand up to Paul Robinson (back to his best: being both a bit good and very bad) but yet also care for him, she has been a great addition and the chemistry between both characters has been a real tonic for the show." 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...

commented on Paul's obsession with her stating: "You can’t help feeling that nothing short of a stake through the heart is going to keep Paul out of Rebecca’s life."

External links

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