Kerry Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'', played by

Linda Hartley-Clark Linda Hartley-Clark (born 28 December 1967) is an Australian actress who played Kerry Bishop on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' from 1989 to 1990. She also did a guest stint in 2005 playing Gabrielle Walker, who in the storyline was ...

. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 February 1989. Kerry is Mavis and

Harold Bishop Harold Wayne Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Ian Smith. The actor was offered the role by the show's creator and executive producer Reg Watson. Smith made his first screen appearance as H ...

's (

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

) only daughter and

David Bishop David Bishop may refer to: *David Bishop (writer) (born 1966), New Zealand novelist, playwright and comics writer *David Bishop (runner) (born 1987), British Scottish international middle-distance athlete *David Bishop (gymnast) (born 1990), New Ze ...

's ( Kevin Harrington) sister. Kerry left home when she was young to travel the world. She met

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

(John Ley) and fell pregnant with their daughter,

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

(

Stephanie McIntosh Stephanie McIntosh (born 5 July 1985) is an Australian actress and singer. She played the role of Sky Mangel in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2003 to 2007. She made a brief appearance for one episode in 2015 as part of the show ...

). Following her arrival in

Erinsborough Erinsborough is the fictional suburb where the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb. ''Neighbours'' storylines primarily centre on the ...

, Kerry began a relationship with

Joe Mangel 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 Lit ...

( Mark Little) and they eventually married. Kerry adopted Joe's son and fell pregnant again. However, while out protesting a duck hunt, Kerry was shot and she and her unborn child died. Kerry departed on 10 September 1990, but Hartley-Clark returned in 2004 and 2006 to record

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

s. She also made an appearance in 2005 as Kerry's

look-alike A look-alike, double, or doppelgänger is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individuals in their own right, ...

Gabrielle Walker.

Casting

Producers introduced the character of Kerry in 1989 to rescue Des Clarke (

Paul Keane Paul Keane (born 16 September 1957) is an Australian actor well known for playing original character Des Clarke in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', opposite Elaine Smith who played his wife Daphne Clarke. Other TV credits include ''Bliss'' and '' ...

) from depression and eventually become his second wife. However, when Kerry began to interact with

( Mark Little), they became popular with viewers who wanted them to get together and the producers agreed with their opinion.

Development

Characterisation

Kerry is the only daughter of Mavis and

(

). After arriving in

, Kerry moved into Number 24 with Harold. However, their very different personalities and views soon became a problem. Kerry had a daughter,

(Miranda Fryer;

), out of wedlock and did not care for religion, which shocked Harold, who was a Christian.

Departure

When her contract came up for renewal in mid-1990, Hartley-Clark realised that she was fed up of working long hours, so she decided to quit the role after twenty months. Of her reason to leave, she stated "Once you start to get out of bed and sit in the toilet at five in the morning wailing, 'I don't want to go!' I think it's time to get out." Hartley-Clark filmed her final scenes as Kerry in July 1990. She stated that Kerry had been a "wonderful" character to portray and she felt she had had a rewarding experience during her time on ''Neighbours''. The decision was taken to kill Kerry off and Hartley-Clark thought that the end was "certainly final." The actress believed it was the "only logical way" to write her character out, as Joe and Kerry would not have just ended their marriage. She quipped, "If you're going to go, you might as well go with a bang! Producers had months to plan Kerry's death and Josephine Monroe, author of ''Neighbours: The First 10 Years'', noted that they chose to make it as poignant as possible. Monroe 1996, p. 100. On-screen, a newly wed Kerry became pregnant, she was finally accepted into the Mangel family by her stepson

Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

(Finn-Greentree Keane;

Ben Guerens Ben Geurens (born 24 December 1979) is an Australian actor. Biography Geurens graduated from National Institute of Dramatic Art, NIDA in 2004. At drama school his credits include ''The Return (play), The Return'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Much Ad ...

), and she was persuaded to return to her campaigning roots. On 10 September 1990, a heavily pregnant Kerry went to protest against duck hunting with her friend

Amber Martin '' Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera created by Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the serial in 1990, by order of first appearance. All characters ...

(Alison Whyte). Kerry was hit by a stray bullet and both she and her unborn child died. Kerry became the second regular character to die in ''Neighbours'', following

Daphne Clarke Daphne Clarke (also Lawrence) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Elaine Smith. Daphne was created by Reg Watson as one of ''Neighbours twelve original characters. The producer had originally wan ...

's ( Elaine Smith) death in 1988. Hartley-Clark reprised her role as Kerry to voice letters to her on-screen daughter, Sky in 2004 and 2006. Hartley-Clark rejoined the cast in 2005 in the guest role of Kerry's

Gabrielle Walker.

Storylines

Kerry is the youngest child of Harold and Mavis Bishop. She was a free spirit, in great contrast to her brother

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

( Kevin Harrington) who had inherited most of Harold's uptight qualities. When Kerry decided to rebel against Harold's way of life, it caused a great deal of friction and Kerry left home to travel the world. Kerry fell pregnant by fellow hippy

(John Ley) and they had a daughter, Sky. Kerry wanted to settle down, but Eric didn't and so he left them. Kerry is first seen in the coffee shop when

Edith Chubb ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that was first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the serial in 1988, by order of first appearance. Until February, characters were intro ...

(Irene Inescort) complains to Harold about her bringing her own food in. Harold is about to reprimand her but soon recognises Kerry. Harold invites Kerry back to stay with him at Number 24 with him, his wife, Madge (

Anne Charleston Anne Charleston (born 30 December 1942) is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in theatre and television. Charleston started her career in theatre in the mid 1950's, and has been a staple of the small ...

) and her son Henry Ramsay (

Craig McLachlan Craig Dougall McLachlan (born 1 September 1965) is an Australian actor, musician, singer and composer. He has been involved in film, television, the music industry and music theatre for over 30 years. He is best known for appearing in the soap ...

). Kerry accepts. When Kerry meets Joe Mangel who lives across the road, there is an instant attraction as both are free spirits and have had to contend with stuffy parents. When it transpires Kerry has spent the night with Joe, Harold is appalled as he doesn't think Joe is suitable for Kerry and she decides to leave. Joe, at the last minute talks Kerry out of leaving and she repairs her relationship with Harold After a while, Kerry and Joe become engaged and later marry in an unorthodox ceremony in a butterfly house and adopt each other's children, Sky and Toby, respectively. The following year, Tragedy strikes when a heavily pregnant Kerry goes to protest against duck hunting in the marshes with her friend Amber Martin. Kerry is hit by a stray bullet and is rushed to hospital. Joe and Harold are devastated when the doctor tells them Kerry and the baby have died due to the severe blood loss from the shooting. Sixteen years after Kerry's death, Sky gives birth to a baby girl and names her

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

in honour of her mother.

Reception

For her portrayal of Kerry, Hartley-Clark won the 1989

Penguin Award The Penguin Award is an annual award given for excellence in broadcasting by the Television Society of Australia. It was founded in 1954. The award trophy depicts an ear listening to a television tube, but strongly resembles a penguin, hence the ...

for Best Actress in a Drama Serial. A writer for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's ''Neighbours'' website stated that Kerry's most notable moment was "Marrying Joe Mangel in the butterfly enclosure at the zoo." Robin Oliver from ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' branded Kerry "the greenie martyr". A columnist for the ''

Sunderland Echo The ''Sunderland Echo'' is a daily newspaper serving the City of Sunderland, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Easington (district), East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey, Edward Backhouse, Edward Tem ...

'' named Kerry's death as one of ''Neighbours memorable moments. The columnist said it was "One of the most unexpected deaths the show has ever had". Tim Teeman and James Jackson from ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' also named Kerry's death as one of ''Neighbours''' most memorable moments. They said "As the ducks quack all around and Joe gathers her in his befleeced arms, Neighbours eco-hippy Kerry Bishop dies saving ze animals". A ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...

'' reporter called Kerry's death "one of the show's saddest moments".

References

External links

Kerry Bishop
at

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Kerry Neighbours characters Television characters introduced in 1989 Female characters in television Fictional salespeople