Daphne Clarke

The character of Daphne was introduced to Neighbours as a "saucy stripper with a heart of gold."[1] In their 1989 book, The Neighbours Factfile, Neil Wallis and Dave Hogan wrote that Daphne came from a rich, but uncaring family.[5] They were rarely mentioned on-screen, making her past somewhat of a mystery.[6] Daphne had received a good education and worked in an office as a secretary, until she told her sexist boss to "jump in a lake."[2][4] Daphne then chose to become a stripper rather than ask her mother, Tina (Beverley Dunn), for a loan.[5] Of Daphne's profession as a stripper, Smith explained "The whole point of Daphne being a stripper is that she's completely counter to the black stockings and garters cliche. She's a bright girl from a good background who gets fed up with being ogled and pinched by men in her secretarial job and says, right I might as well make some money out of it."[7]

With her spiky hair and bright clothing, Daphne stood out from other female characters on television at the time.[8] She was portrayed as a strong, smart and independent woman. She was often shrewd and "a warm friend" to those around her.[2] Tony Johnston, author of Neighbours: 20 years of Ramsay Street stated that Daphne had "an appealing mix of cheek, savvy and the-girl-next-door."[9] She was a woman in charge of her own life, which helped her to become the serial's first "sweetheart."[9] Smith told Kingsley that her favourite aspects of Daphne's personality were her confidence and stubborn streak.[4] Smith also commented that Daphne wore "zanier clothes" than she did and was more outgoing.[7] The fact that she embodied a "no-nonsense approach" to life and was not embarrassed by her profession as a stripper, meant Daphne became an immediate favourite with viewers.[8]

The way she treated the serial's teenagers as adults also endeared her to the younger viewers.[8] Daphne gave up her career as a stripper to run the coffee shop, which her grandfather Harry Henderson (Johnny Lockwood) gave to her, after he won it in a poker game.[4] Kingsley commented that Daphne ran the business like "a pro".[4] Daphne's position in the coffee shop meant that customers often confided in her and she helped mediate between several parents and their children. She also gained the trust and affection of the teenage characters, most notably Mike Young (Guy Pearce), who she took under her wing, later becoming his legal guardian.[6]

The first episode of Neighbours saw Daphne hired to strip at Des Clarke's (Paul Keane) bucks party.[11] When the night was interrupted by a neighbour, Daphne left some belongings behind and returned the following morning to collect them. After Des's fiancée called the wedding off, Daphne realised that Des needed a lodger to help him pay the mortgage off and moved in.[11] Des was instantly attracted to Daphne, but he tried to hide his feelings and became awkward around her.[10] Josephine Monroe, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, wrote that the local men queued up to date Daphne, but it was Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien) who first caught her eye and they soon began a relationship.[11]

During Neighbours' first-season finale in 1985, Daphne broke up with Shane and proposed to Des, who accepted.[12] However, on the day of their wedding, Daphne's bridal car was hijacked by a bank robber and she was late to the church. Having been stood up five times in the past, Des gave up waiting and left.[12] The couple failed to sort out what had happened and their relationship ended.[12] Daphne rekindled her romance with Shane and they became engaged, but Daphne became worried about rushing into marriage on the rebound and they eventually ended their engagement.[12] Following advice and encouragement from his mother, Eileen (Myra De Groot), and friend, Clive (Geoff Paine), Des tried to "woo Daphne back."[12]

In June 1986, Stephen Cook from TV Week announced that Daphne would accept a proposal from either Des or Shane, which would definitely result in her getting married.[13] Smith told Cook "I don't know whether Daphne actually needs a man in her life but she's certainly got two men there. It's a triangle that's developed, but to try and give a rational explanation to it is next to impossible."[13] Smith thought Daphne was ideal for Shane and that she had a great deal of love for him. On the other hand, Daphne also loved Des, who she trusted and had become good friends with.[13] O'Brien stated that as far as Shane was concerned, Daphne was the only woman he ever loved and thought that he was more suited to her than Des.[13] Keane commented that despite being engaged five times and stood up once by Daphne, Des had always loved her. He added "It was love at first sight for Des."[13]

Cook later revealed that it was Des who would propose to and marry Daphne.[12] The wedding episodes were broadcast in July and Cook quipped that from the moment Daphne moved into Ramsay Street, there had always been a feeling that she and Des would eventually marry.[12] Despite Shane having once been Des's "rival in romance", he acted as best man.[12] Cook added that the wedding, which saw most of the regular cast on-set, was "no small affair".[12] A few months after the wedding, Daphne became pregnant. Her pregnancy lasted over the usual nine months and Smith explained that the producers had stretched it out for longer, so they could tie it into other storylines.[6] Daphne and Des's son, Jamie (S.J. Dey), arrived in July 1987 and became the first baby to be born in Neighbours.[8]

In 1987, after two and a half years of playing Daphne, Smith decided to leave Neighbours and asked to be written out.[4][14] She felt that while Daphne had been "a bit of a challenge at first", she felt trapped by her persona.[15] Smith also believed that the role no longer offered her variety and she did not want to stay to be bored, but comfortable.[15] As Daphne was one of Neighbours' most popular characters, the producers chose not to kill her off.[16] Instead Daphne's father, Allen (Neil Fitzpatrick), re-entered her life and told her he was dying. Realising that she only had a short time to make her peace with him, Daphne took Jamie and moved away to nurse Allen.[14][16] Viewers were not satisfied with this ending for the character, especially as it meant Daphne and Des would have to break up, a situation that they would not accept.[16][17]

Smith agreed to return for a few days in 1988 to finish off Daphne's storyline.[14][17] According to Keane in a later interview, Smith requested to return in a dialogue-free capacity after learning that a body double had been hired for Daphne's death.[18] Smith told Robyn Harvey from The Sydney Morning Herald, "I wanted Daphne to die. I didn't want to be stuck in a television series for the rest of my life. I'd taken Daphne as far as she could go. She's run the gamut of every life experience she could possibly have. I'd had enough."[19] Smith told Nicola Murphy (TV Week) that she would resume filming in February but was not privy to the details of Daphne's final story because producers withheld her scripts.[20] On-screen Daphne was critically injured during a car crash on the way to her father's funeral and she was left in a coma.[14] Off-screen, representatives from the serial's production company tried to persuade Smith to sign a new contract, but she refused. Daphne briefly regained consciousness to say "I love you Clarkey" to Des, before becoming the first regular character to die on-screen.[14][17]