Phoebe Bright

Phoebe Gottlieb (also Bright) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Robertson. She made her first screen appearance as Phoebe during the episode broadcast on 23 September 1991. Phoebe is characterised as a studious individual which earns her the title of the "school swat". To secure the role Robertson put on a geeky persona during her audition. The character is also noted for her keen liking of reptiles, particularly her pet snake. The character is most often used in romantic stories with Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and Stephen Gottlieb (Lochie Daddo). Throughout her two year duration, writers developed Phoebe from a bookish teenager into the show's tragic and tortured female. First her father died and she was made homeless. She found love with Todd until producers killed off the character and Phoebe was left grieving and pregnant with his child. She was later held hostage by Todd's father Bob Landers (Bruce Kilpatrick) and gives birth to a daughter named Hope. Phoebe would then begin a relationship with Stephen who would help her bring up Hope. He becomes paralysed and relies on Phoebe for support. She then became a victim to stalking from her obsessive housemate Russell Butler (Stephen Whittaker). Producers decided to write Phoebe out of Neighbours following Daddo's decision to leave, with him complaining that his character was written entirely around Phoebe. She departed the show during the episode broadcast on 15 September 1993.

Robertson was desperate to secure the role of Phoebe when she learned of the casting. She knew that the character was going to be a "bit freaky" and decided play herself up to the persona. She attended the audition wearing thick glasses and her hair in pigtails. Two days later Robertson was informed that she had won the part. Robertson was aged fifteen when she won the role and she decided to carry on with her school work and completed her final exams while filming. Robertson's father was also sceptical about her joining the cast because he believed it was not a viable career.|sign=A description of Phoebe published on Neighbours. com

One of Phoebe's reptiles is a pet snake named Oscar. When Robertson auditioned for the role she was asked if she liked snakes. She pretended to like them to help gain the role. But she was later confronted with snake. She was required to have large snakes around her neck. Although the actual owner was onset in case of emergency. Phoebe is characterised as strong willed and she does not conform to the social normal in society. Robertson told Martyn Palmer from What's on TV that "I like her desire to be herself. In real life you have to make compromises and pretend to be someone you're not especially for the public. That's just not Phoebe's personality." Phoebe's plight was difficult for Robertson to understand. Robertson told Mark McGowan from TV Week that she struggled because unlike Phoebe, she had not lost close family or been made homeless. She added that "Phoebe's a very emotional character. There's been lots of crying to do. Phoebe has had so much upset in her life." Phoebe begins to develop romantic feelings for Josh's best friend Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid). Phoebe decides to deal write her feelings down on a letter to Todd but does not intend to send it to him. In April 1992, a TV Week reporter announced that the couple would lose their virginity together. Todd then seventeen and Phoebe sixteen, the storyline was issue led and Schmid said that "Neighbours is a family show, but it’s also a realistic show." Robertson was unhappy with the scenes because she believed Neighbours did not promote safe sex and condoms. She told a Daily Mail reporter that "in these days of AIDS safe sex should be in every storyline." Neighbours soon provided the actress with another challenging storyline. The character was sixteen years old and discovers that she is pregnant with Todd's baby. In the build up to his final scenes; Todd rushes to prevent Phoebe from having an abortion but is hit by a van and dies. Phoebe decides to keep the baby. After seeing Todd lay in his hospital bed, Phoebe decides that she cannot have an abortion. Todd's death leaves Phoebe struggling by herself. Robertson stated that she's mostly scared and really doesn't know what to do. She's got no family since her father died." Robertson told TV Week's McGowan that Bob wants to secure Phoebe's inheritance she received after her father died. Phoebe is rescued by Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson), but Bob shoots and injures Brad. Robertson concluded that it was "just another drama for Phoebe." The abortion issue also proved controversial in the industry. Robertson told Hilary Kingsley from that "it was a very moral storyline, a difficult one for the scriptwriters to write." Robertson believed that her generation were more willing to discuss the issue. After the scenes were broadcast, Robertson received many letters from teenagers requesting information about abortion. She stated that she was pro abortion and politics and law should not prevent it. Deciding to keep her baby created even more stories surrounding the issue. After Todd's death Phoebe considers giving birth on his grave. She is met with opposition when fellow characters tell her it is a "ghoulish idea". Robertson believed that Phoebe was really guilty about meeting Stephen. She explained that "[Phoebe] tells the new guy to keep away, but then she thinks that Todd would be happy for her and the baby." Stephen had an unsettled childhood with hippy parents, so Phoebe and a baby really appeals to him. But Daddo thought that the storyline was unbelievable because "they meet, get married and have a baby in the space of about two months." Having only known her for six weeks, Stephen proposes to Phoebe at her 18th birthday party. Phoebe feels guilty about her new relationship. She attempts to contact Todd via the use of mediumship and he tells her to move on. Robertson also believed the story developed to rapidily. She told a writer from Inside Soap that she did not believe Phoebe loved Stephen when they agree to marry. Phoebe "wasn't even interested in him at first" but she respected Stephen's perseverance. Robertson added that because Phoebe lost her father and Stephen is older, she views him as a "bit of a father figure". Robertson only had to film labour scenes and not the actual birth. She watched a series of birthing videos to help her portray labour correctly. Robertson tried so hard acting out the labour contractions that she nearly fainted on the set. She told Hilary Kingsley (Daily Mail) that "just acting it, breathing heavily through the contractions, made me feel faint." Writers introduced doubt into the proceedings when nurse Pam Willis (Sue Jones) interrupts their vows. Phoebe fears that Pam has brought her bad news, but is delighted to find she has brought Hope home from hospital. With her family complete the pair finally marry. Stephen feels like a burden to Phoebe and breaks up with her. Daddo told Mary Fletcher writing for Women's Own that Stephen is attempting to "spare Phoebe" from being burdened with "a lifetime of looking after him." Stephen also believes that Phoebe is already preoccupied looking after baby Hope. Stephen's personality completely changes and he tells Phoebe he would rather go into rehabilitation than have her care for him. Phoebe is exhausted trying to care for Hope and visit Stephen. Robertson told a TVTimes writer that despite this she still wants to help. She explained "she's desperate to give Stephen some of the love he gave her when he married her. But she's having it thrown back in her face."

Next Neighbours devised a "cuckoo in the nest" storyline for Phoebe and was created to disrupt her marriage. Following their wedding, Phoebe and Stephen begin to struggle financially. They reluctantly advertise for a lodger and Russell Butler (Stephen Whittaker) moves in. Whittaker told Mary Fletcher of Woman's Own that "he wants to get rid of Stephen, endear himself to Phoebe and take over as Hope's dad." So Russel is "quite shocked" when Phoebe does not respond to his advances. The actor believed that Russell had lost all sense of reality and following the shun becomes "threatening and manipulative" and "Phoebe is left not knowing what to do next". An Inside Soap journalist later revealed that Russell would carry out a threat to steal hope. The incident leaves Phoebe with "nerves on red alert" and "struck dumb with fear". She is too scared of Russell to protect Hope and lets him snatch her. Stephen and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) decide to get revenge by paying a bike gang to attack Russell. However their plan fails and Wayne Duncan (Jonathan Sammy Lee) is left for dead as they mistake his identity.

In August 1993, columnists from Shout and Inside Soap reported that both Robertson and Daddo were leaving their roles. Unlike Stephen, Simone's character had been axed from Neighbours. Robertson had attended a meeting with a female producer who informed her that Phoebe was being written out of the series. Recalling her shock, Robertson told a writer from The Herald that "I just sort of sat there but the producer seemed really upset. She said 'oh, you guys I feel so bad.' So I started comforting her. Saying 'no everything's fine, don't be upset." Daddo's departure however was influenced by disappointment of storylines. Chrissie Camp of TV Week reported that "industry sources" believed Daddo was "wasted" being paired with Robertson's heavily pregnant character. The following year, Daddo revealed that he became "frustrated" with Stephen being nothing more than Phoebe's husband.

Phoebe appears at Erinsborough High School but her alternative personality makes her unpopular with fellow students. Josh loses a bet with friends and is forced to ask Phoebe on a date. But she is upset to learn the truth and is forced to work with him on a school play. Josh then becomes attracted to her and they start dating. They are soon confronted with Phoebe's disapproving father, Arthur. When Phoebe sternly defends their relationship Arthur suffers a heart attack. She decides to be more open about her relationship and Arthur agrees to let them be together. But while Josh is away from Ramsay Street she develops feelings for Todd who reciprocates. Josh is angry by the betrayal but eventually forgives his friends. Arthur dies following a stroke and Phoebe's headmistress, Dorothy takes her in. Phoebe and Todd decide to consummate their relationship without using contraception and Phoebe becomes pregnant. She wants to have an abortion and Todd supports her decision, but when Phoebe goes to the abortion clinic, he changes his mind. He rushes to the clinic and is knocked down by a van. He is taken to hospital and Phoebe hears about his accident and does not have an abortion. Todd dies and later Phoebe has visions of him in which he tells her he will always be there for her and his daughter. When Phoebe visits Todd's grave, she meets Stephen. They form a bond and fall in love. Phoebe is surprised when Stephen proposes to her, but she accepts. Phoebe goes into labour and Stephen delivers the baby girl. Phoebe names her daughter, Hope (Laura Pearson). Stephen and Phoebe marry a few weeks later. Dorothy leaves Phoebe and Stephen to their new home and they decide to run the coffee shop. They take in a problematic lodger Russell. He tries to kiss Phoebe, harasses her and steals Hope Stephen uses a bike gang to scare Russell away from Ramsay Street. Stephen is paralysed in an explosion and the pair have to save their relationship. They then decide to open their own record store in Anson's Corner and leave Erinsborough. Stephen's brother Mark reveals that Phoebe and Stephen have five children upon his return to Erinsborough.

A writer for the BBC described Phoebe's most notable moment as "Being held hostage at number 30 by Bob Landers." A columnist from Inside Soap wrote "Simone plays the freakiest girl in school, an oddball who doesn't worry about looks and fashion, has weird ideas and even keeps a snake as a pet. Romance is last on her list of priorities." Hilary Kingsley from Woman branded her "funny Phoebe funny glasses, funny hairstyle, funny undertaker father and funny peculiar pet." She added that the character evolved into three stages being funny Phoebe, fateful Phoebe and fulfilled Phoebe. Kingsley also noted that "by rights [Robertson] should be punch drunk from playing more emotion packed scenes than any other young character since the long running Aussie soap opera began." A reporter from TVTimes branded Phoebe "the freaky girl who keeps a snake for a pet". They added that the character's teenage pregnancy was a "hard hitting story". Referencing Phoebe's endless dramas, a Daily Mirror reporter stated "you have to hand it to Neighbours' Phoebe the girl's got stamina." They added "It seems only yesterday she was a gawky, bespectacled schoolgirl with a pet snake, a peculiar undertaker father and a crush on classmate Todd."