Dee Bliss
Dee Bliss | |
---|---|
Neighbours character | |
Willow Somers |
Dione "Dee" Bliss is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Madeleine West. The actress received the role three days after securing an agent. West deferred her law degree studies to take the part. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 February 2000. The character proved popular with viewers and producers soon promoted her to the main cast. West decided to leave Neighbours at the end of her contract in 2003. She filmed her final scenes in April and Dee made her last appearance on 29 July 2003.
West returned to the show in September 2016. Although initially introduced as Dee, it transpired that West was playing a new character
Casting
West was enrolled in university studying law, when she decided to try acting and found an agent. She secured the role of Dee three days later.[3] West said "It happened pretty quickly. I got the agent, then I went to the audition for Neighbours and luckily I got the part. I know it doesn't always happen that quickly for people, so I consider myself fortunate."[3] West then deferred her law degree studies after she was offered the role.[4][5] Dee became an audience favourite, so the Neighbours producers decided to make her a regular cast member and offered West a new contract.[3]
In July 2002, West was struck by a bus. She needed re-constructive plastic surgery and was written out of Neighbours.[6] West returned to the show a month later and said she was pleased to be back, but found it to be tiring.[6] She said, "It was actually really good because it felt so nice to be back at work and to be not just lying in bed and doing nothing. It was so good to see everyone, so that really kept me occupied. But, I found that weekend that I just crashed and burned."[6]
Development
Relationships
Joel Samuels
Shortly after her arrival, Dee begins dating
Darcy Tyler
In 2001, Dee was paired with local doctor
West explained that Dee wanted revenge and that would serve as her therapy. When Darcy came to see her, Dee pretended everything was okay, as she knew that it would be worth it when she exposed him and Tess as adulterers.[11] West enjoyed the challenge that the plot brought her, saying "I was shocked when I first read the storyline, but I thought it was so dramatic that two best friends would be divided by a man."[11] The actress also hoped that the storyline would have a positive impact on her character, as it was the second time she had been betrayed by her partner, following Joel's affair with her Carrie. West called Dee "too trusting" and thought she would be a changed person at the conclusion of the storyline.[11]
Following the end of her relationship with Darcy, Dee learned she was pregnant with his child. An Inside Soap writer observed that her reaction was "one of shock and horror".[12] With support from her friends, Dee accepts the pregnancy, but does not tell Darcy. Shortly after, Dee slips on some water and falls, landing hard on her stomach.[12] She is rushed to the hospital, where Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) informs her that she has suffered a miscarriage. West stated that Dee is "understandably devastated" by the news.[12] She continued, "As a paediatric nurse, she loves children, and obviously it's deeply upsetting for any woman to lose her own child."[12] While she is recovering, Darcy arrives at the hospital to begin his shift and West added that the last thing Dee needed was "a run-in" with Darcy.[12] To remember the child, Dee plants a roe bush in Ramsay Street.[citation needed]
Departure
In March 2003, West announced that she was to leave Neighbours after her contract expired.
Return
On 15 September 2016, Tiffany Dunk of News.com.au reported that West had reprised her role thirteen years after Dee's supposed death.[17] West returned to filming that same week, with the role continuing through to January 2017.[18] Of her decision to return, West stated, "It is a very rare and wonderful thing when an actor has the opportunity to step back into the shoes of a character they created, even more so when that character had not been seen for some 13 years, and was one as beloved as Dee Bliss. For me, this return to Neighbours is something of a homecoming, to the place where I took my first tentative steps into the entertainment industry, and where I truly learnt my craft."[18]
In an interview with Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy, West said she had been asked to return to the show several times, but she had always been busy with her family and other acting work.[19] When Dee and Toadie's wedding was voted viewers' second favourite Neighbours storyline for the 30th anniversary, West felt "honoured" and thought her return would be a chance to give something back to the fans, as well as allow her the chance to finish Dee's story.[19] It was important to West that Dee's return storyline was plausible and while she was not initially aware of all the details, she thought that it was "really topical" and "juicy".[19] She also speculated that Toadie would go through a range of emotions upon seeing Dee, including remorse and happiness. She continued, "There's going to be some really interesting and hard-hitting scenes for us both to play, along with everyone else in Ramsay Street who will feel the repercussions of Dee's return."[19] West added that she would be filming for "a reasonable chunk of time" and that "the door is always left open."[19]
West later told Holly Byrnes of The Daily Telegraph that she would be back for fourteen weeks.[20] She also confirmed that Dee would definitely be back, and is not "a ghost, nor is she a figment of Toadie's imagination and she wasn't abducted by aliens."[20] West added that she had plans to write and direct for Neighbours later in 2017.[20] In the 2016 season finale episode, Toadie was shown a photograph of a woman that looked like Dee, leaving him with the possibility that Dee is alive. A trailer showcasing upcoming storylines showed Toadie appearing to meet Dee face to face.[21] During the first episode of 2017, Toadie was shown to be "haunted" by dreams featuring Dee.[22] It was later revealed that the returned Dee was in fact Andrea Somers, an imposter hoping to scam Toadie.[23] After Andrea's exposure and departure, West made an unannounced return appearance on 14 August 2017. The closing credits concealed the character's name by crediting West as a "Special appearance", leading viewers to speculate that West was playing the real Dee.[24] West wore "a flowing white dress", similar to Dee's wedding dress, and viewers also noted her long wavy hair, a style Dee sported shortly before her disappearance.[25] The resolution of the storyline in 2019 confirmed that this appearance was of the real Dee. West continued to play Andrea intermittently from December 2017, again credited as special appearances; in 2018, a hospitalised and mentally unstable Andrea briefly claimed to be Dee once more.[26][27]
On 5 July 2019, the show resolved the mystery of Dee's fate when she meets her lookalike Andrea Somers in "a dramatic showdown" on a cliff top in Byron Bay.[28] Dee, who has spent the last 16–17 years using the name Karen, wants to know who Andrea is, but Andrea does not give much away.[29] The women fight and Dee goes over the cliff, and Andrea returns to Erinsborough pretending to be her. Dee soon makes her way to Erinsborough and Toadie is faced with both women. Moloney said that Toadie is "totally stumped by it".[30] Dee's time away from Erinsborough and what happened to her after the car crash was also explored. West stated, "the intervening 17 years have been very difficult and have changed the fibre of who she is, but at the end of the day, she's still that cheery, funny, well-meaning humanitarian minded Dee that we all came to love."[29] West revealed that Dee and Andrea are twins, who were separated at birth.[29] It was later confirmed that Dee was adopted and Heather is her biological mother.[31] The character made her exit on 8 August 2019, as West's guest stint came to an end.[32]
On 15 December 2019, Fiona Byrne of the
Storylines
2000–2003
Dee and her friend
The couple play a series of practical jokes on one another. This comes to a climax when Joel fakes a letter from a noted art gallery, asking to put on an exhibition of Dee's work. He enlists his friend
Dee realises she has feelings for Toadie and they begin dating. Darcy conspires to break Toadie and Dee up with multiple schemes. Claiming to have turned over a new leaf, he plays the pair off against each other whilst pretending to be a sensitive confidant to both. He also learns Dee was married and invites her former husband,
2017–2020
Thirteen years later, Toadie and his new wife
Dee explains to Toadie their wedding car was tampered by a criminal gang, the Zantucks, who had placed her name on a hitlist shortly before the wedding. After the accident, Cecile's boyfriend,
Nearly a year later, Dee returns to Erinsborough to visit Andrea. Despite Toadie's reservations, Dee enjoys getting to know Andrea and decides to stay local while they reconnect. Dee and Toadie share a passionate kiss after they go fishing together and agree to try dating. When Karl sees how much Susan enjoys having Dee around, he invites her to move in with them. Unknown to both of them, however, was that Andrea wanted to use their connection as an advantage to regain custody of her son,
Dee later discovers that Heather is in the same prison and decides she wants to know her mother. Upon visiting her several times, Dee voices her belief that Heather has genuinely changed, much to Toadie's chagrin. He attempts to force Heather into cutting ties with Dee, much to her annoyance. Although they appear to work this out, Toadie once again tries to prevent Heather and Dee from having a relationship, but Dee tells him that he is the one being controlling and manipulative rather than Heather and questions their relationship. Toadie and Dee later break up, after which Dee asks Heather about her biological father. Dee learns her father's name, but ultimately decides not to investigate further. Owen Campbell (Johnny Ruffo) later manipulates Dee into coming to visit Heather in the prison garden, where he drugs her in order for Andrea to impersonate her again. Andrea is later remanded while trying to flee after kidnapping Hugo, and Heather asks to transfer to another prison. In the meantime, Toadie learns that Dee's father lives in Alaska and has terminal lung cancer. Upon learning this, Dee decides to meet her father as soon as possible. Toadie offers to come with her or wait for her to return, but she declines. After offering Andrea the opportunity to write to their father, Dee says an emotional goodbye to Toadie and leaves for Alaska.
Reception
For her portrayal of Dee, West earned a nomination for
The episode featuring Dee's death earned writer Shane Porteous the Australian Writers' Guild award for Best Episode in a Television Serial in 2003.[41] In 2007, Australian newspaper the Herald Sun placed Dee's death from the car accident at number three on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments.[42] They said, "One of the more dramatic deaths was of Dee, played by Madeleine West. One of the soap's most loved characters, Toadie, was having the time of his life after marrying Dee, but tragedy struck as they drove off to their honeymoon, probably in Mildura. As Toadie leaned over to kiss Dee, he lost control of the car and drove off a cliff into the ocean. Toadie managed to get out of the car, but despite his anguished search, Dee's body was never found".[42] The Daily Telegraph placed Dee and Toadie's wedding at number nine on their list of "Top 10 TV weddings".[43] They said, "Happiness turns to tragedy when Toadie (Ryan Maloney) and Dee (Madeleine West) drive off a cliff on their wedding day and she is killed. He watches as her veil drifts away in the wind."[43]
Sarah Megginson of
Daniel Kilkelly of
References
- ^ Executive producer: Keir Wilkins; Director: Scott Major; Writer: Paul Gartside (8 August 2019). "Episode 8164". Neighbours. 10 Peach.
- ^ Executive producer: Jason Herbison; Director: Chris Abshead; Writer: Stephanie Carter (24 June 2021). "Episode 8392". Neighbours. 10 Peach.
- ^ a b c Herbison, Jason (2002). "The Inside Interview: Madeleine West". Inside Soap.
- STV. 20 November 2009. Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Devlyn, Darren (2 December 2009). "Madeleine West plays a hooker in Satisfaction". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ a b c "Neighbours star back after being hit by bus". Breaking News.ie. 4 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d Herbison, Jason (April 2000). "Who's a naughty boy?". Soaplife (7): 38.
- ^ "Soap updates – May plotlines". Soaplife (10): 16–17. May 2000.
- ^ "Daddy Dearest". Neighbours.com. July 2000. Archived from the original on 11 January 2001. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Herbison, Jason (18–31 August 2001). "Dirty Darcy". Inside Soap (33): 23.
- ^ a b c d e f Herbison, Jason (15–28 September 2001). "A woman scorned!". Inside Soap (188): 23.
- ^ a b c d e "Miscarriage of justice". Inside Soap (194): 20. 8–21 December 2001.
- ^ Randall, Tim (1 March 2003). "Soap gossip..." Daily Record. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ Miller, Kylie (10 April 2003). "Networking". The Age. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ a b Herbison, Jason (18–24 October 2003). "My real life wedding will be nothing like Toadie's!". Inside Soap (42): 18–19.
- ^ McManus, Bridget; Ellis, Scott (12 June 2014). "Hold on, weren't you lost at sea?". The Age. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ Dunk, Tiffany (15 September 2016). "Madeleine West to reprise role of Ramsey Street's Dee Bliss, despite onscreen "death"". News.com.au. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Kilkelly, Daniel (15 September 2016). "Neighbours reveals one of its biggest comebacks ever as Dee Bliss returns from the dead". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Kilkelly, Daniel (16 September 2016). "Neighbours spoilers: Madeleine West answers all our burning questions on Dee Bliss's return". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ a b c Byrnes, Holly (3 January 2017). "Look who's back, baby: Madeleine West on raising six kids and returning to Neighbours". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (2 December 2016). "Neighbours releases an amazing new promo teasing Toadie coming face to face with Dee". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (9 January 2017). "Neighbours spoilers: Toadie Rebecchi is haunted by wife Dee Bliss in today's episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ Baillie, Katie (2 February 2017). "Neighbours spoilers: HUGE twist as truth about Dee Bliss' return is revealed". Metro. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (14 August 2017). "Neighbours airs a shocking new Dee Bliss twist and there are far more questions than answers". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Knox, David (15 August 2017). "Madeleine West return leaves Neighbours fans guessing". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (15 July 2018). "Neighbours schemer Andrea Somers claims she's the REAL Dee in another massive twist". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (16 July 2018). "Neighbours puts a huge Dee Bliss clue in the show's closing titles". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Hughes, Johnathon (24 June 2019). "Andrea and Real Dee finally meet in Neighbours clifftop showdown!". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Miller, Rebecca (28 June 2019). "Neighbours spoilers: 'Am I allowed to say?' Dee Bliss star drops huge secret about Andrea". Daily Express. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ Penwill, Alice (6–12 July 2019). "Caught in the middle!". Inside Soap. pp. 38–39.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (14 July 2019). "Neighbours to reveal the whole truth over Dee Bliss and Andrea Somers after a DNA test". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (28 July 2019). "Neighbours confirms Dee Bliss exit plot as she makes a big decision". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ Byrne, Fiona (15 December 2019). "Madeleine West returns to Neighbours as Dee Bliss". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ Knox, David (5 April 2020). "Madeleine West returns to Neighbours". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ Courtis, Brian (22 April 2001). "Time for hottest show in town". The Age. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- Newsround. 13 June 2002. Archivedfrom the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
- ^ "Battle of the soaps!". Inside Soap (39): 38. 27 September – 3 October 2003.
- ^ Schembri, Jim (24 July 2003). "Tuesday". The Age. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Barnier, Linda; Doherty, Ben (18 June 2002). "Bus-ted and bruised". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ "Character: Dee Bliss". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 April 2004. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Winners 1968–2006" (PDF). Australian Writers' Guild. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Your all-time favourite moment". Herald Sun. 11 July 2007. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's wedding on Neighbours is the No.1 television wedding". The Daily Telegraph. 2 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ SheKnows Entertainment. Archived from the originalon 3 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Tyler, Laura-Jayne (3–9 August 2019). "Hits & misses!". Inside Soap. No. 31. p. 98.
- ^ Beresford, Adam (16 March 2020). "The Definitive Ranking Of The 35 Greatest Neighbours Characters Of All Time: #20-11". HuffPost. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ Strutt, Sam (3 March 2022). "Neighbours: the 10 best memories, from Scott and Charlene to Madge's ghost". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
External links
- Dee Bliss at the Official Neighbours website
- Dee Bliss at BBC Online