| Series: | Neighbours |
| Scott Robinson | |
| Portrayer: | Darius Perkins (1985) Jason Donovan (1986–2022) |
| Creator: | Reg Watson |
| Introducer: | Reg Watson (1985) Jason Herbison (1989) |
| Years: | 1985–1989, 2022 |
| Classification: | Former; regular |
| Occupation: |
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| Imagesize2: | 200px |
| Family: | Robinson |
| Father: | Jim Robinson |
| Mother: | Anne Robinson |
| Wife: | Charlene Robinson (1987–) |
| Brothers: | Paul Robinson |
| Sisters: | Lucy Robinson |
| Halfsisters: | Julie Martin Jill Ramsay |
| Halfbrothers: | Glen Donnelly |
| Sons: | Daniel Robinson |
| Daughters: | Madison Robinson |
| Grandfathers: | James Robinson Bill Daniels |
| Grandmothers: | Bess Robinson Helen Daniels |
| Aunts: | Rosemary Daniels |
| Relatives: | Laura Dennison Nikki Dennison |
Scott Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was created by Reg Watson as one of the serial's twelve original characters. Originally played by Darius Perkins, he made his debut during the first episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott. He felt some anxiety about his audition performance and did not think anything was going to come from it, until the production company contacted him a month later to sign on as Scott. When production moved to Network Ten in 1986, producers wanted "a more upfront" Scott and the role was recast to Jason Donovan, who joined the cast following his graduation from school. He made his debut on 12 February 1986, and producers hoped Donovan's blond hair and blue eyes would increase the character's appeal. Perkins later said that he had been physically and mentally exhausted after filming for nine months, and felt unable to continue in the role of Scott.
At the beginning of Neighbours, Scott is a 16 year old high school student, living at home with his father, grandmother, and three siblings. Scott is shown to be close with his father, whom he respects. He is initially characterised as a normal, happy teenager, with an increasing interest in girls as he becomes an adolescent. His best friend was neighbour Danny Ramsay (David Clencie), a role Donovan originally auditioned for. Scott's early storylines include a romance with fellow student Kim Taylor (Jenny Young) and being accused of robbery. With Donovan in the role, Scott was portrayed as charming, perceptive, neat, and likeable, leading him to become the show's male pin up. Donovan's popularity set a new standard for casting directors, which they felt they had to meet every time they introduced a new "stud" character. Producers soon created a story arc around Scott's relationship with Charlene Mitchell, played by Kylie Minogue.
Scott and Charlene's romance led to increased ratings for Neighbours and the show's publicist capitalised on Minogue and Donovan's popularity with viewers. Scott and Charlene experience a variety of problems during their first 12 months together. When Scott suggests they should move in together, this caused controversy on and off-screen, with some Neighbours viewers expressing their concern about a young unwed couple moving in together. Producers then decided that the couple would marry instead and their wedding was broadcast on 1 July 1987 to two million Australian viewers. To keep the relationship interesting, writers scripted a kiss between Scott and Jane Harris (Annie Jones). On 7 March 1989, it was announced that Donovan had quit Neighbours to pursue a music career, and his exit aired on 18 May 1989. For his portrayal of Scott, Donovan won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent (1987) and Most Popular Actor (1988). He was twice nominated for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality. In 2022, Donovan agreed to reprise his role, alongside Minogue, for what was believed (at the time) to be the show's final ever episode.[1] [2] Subsequently, Amazon announced that they had picked up the series for their Freevee streaming service, and Amazon started filming the revived series in April 2023.[3] [4]
Scott is one of the twelve original characters conceived by the creator and then executive producer of Neighbours, Reg Watson.[5] Darius Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott.[6] When Perkins learned the telemovie Matthew and Son, in which he starred alongside Paul Cronin, was not going to be picked up to series, he knew he was free to join the cast of Neighbours.[7] He told Patrice Fidgeon of TV Week that he had already heard about Neighbours before any decision had been made about Matthew and Son, but he had not decided on what he wanted to do that year, admitting that he "didn't want to lock myself into a situation I couldn't get out of."[7] Perkins admitted to feeling anxious about his performance following his audition for Scott. He told Fidgeon: "I didn't have the faintest idea about the character I was supposed to be playing."[7] The serial's producers deliberately kept the character outlines vague, except for the character's age, gender, and hair colour. Perkins reckoned this was to prevent character information escaping before they were ready to start filming.[7] It was around a month before Perkins heard back about his audition and he came to believe nothing was going to happen. The Grundy Organisation later got in contact to ask him to sign on to play Scott. Perkins told Fidgeon that he had a six-month contract with a six-month option on their side, but that was as far as he wanted to commit to the show.[7] He stated "I prefer not to be tied at all, but that's the way it goes. They have to have their security."[7] His casting was publicised in the 26 January 1985 issue of TV Week.[8] Perkins made his debut as Scott in the show's pilot episode broadcast on 18 March 1985.[5]
After concerns over Perkins' reliability and a series of rows, producers decided to recast the role of Scott when production moved to Network Ten.[9] [10] Jason Donovan, then 17, was given the role following his graduation from school.[11] Donovan was originally asked to audition for the role of Danny Ramsay while Neighbours was in the planning stages, but his father, actor Terence Donovan, advised him against it and told him to finish school first.[12] He initially did not want his son to become an actor as he felt the industry was too "unstable."[13] Donovan admitted that had never watched Neighbours before joining the cast, saying "I'd sort of flicked through it once, but that was all."[12] He made his debut as Scott on 12 February 1986.[14] Scott soon became the serial's new "pin-up" character and Donovan's image and popularity in the role set a high standard for casting directors, which they felt they had to meet each time they were introducing a "stud" type character.[15]
In an October 1988 interview with TV Weeks Leigh Reinhold, Perkins addressed the rumours that he was fired from Neighbours for a drug problem, calling them "invented stories".[16] He told Reinhold that he had refused to continue with the show when it moved to Network Ten in 1986. Having been working for nine months, Perkins was both physically and mentally exhausted, and felt unable to continue in the role of Scott.[16] Perkins stated "Drugs had nothing to do with me leaving. It was a personal decision. I was feeling trapped at the time. Towards the end I didn't think I was giving enough of myself. I didn't want to end up not wanting to watch myself on screen."[16] He had also blamed a failed relationship for being unable to handle the pressure, which he said was "a bit of a cop-out."[16] Perkins was shocked by some of the press stories written about a supposed drug dependency, and said that when he attended casting sessions, he thought people were probably wondering whether he was "'out of it' or not."[16] Perkins admitted that he was glad not to be with Neighbours, despite its success at the time, or in Donovan's shoes. He wished Donovan well, but he did not want to be him, adding that he wanted to build his acting career slowly to gain respect.[16]
As the serial begins, Scott is a 16 year old high school student, living at home with his widowed father Jim Robinson (Alan Dale), his grandmother Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy), and three siblings Paul (Stefan Dennis), Julie (Vikki Blanche), and Lucy (Kylie Flinker; Sasha Close).[17] Scott was shown to be close with his father, but had a strained relationship with his older brother Paul.[10] His best friend was neighbour Danny Ramsay (David Clencie). Scott was billed as "a normal, usually happy 16-year-old".[18] An Inside Soap writer called him "a dark-haired, geeky schoolboy".[19] Margaret Koppe of TV Radio Extra said Scott was moving into the adolescent stage and gaining an interest in girls.[18] He eventually fell "hopelessly in love" with Kim Taylor (Jenny Young).[20] In her book, Soap Box, Hilary Kingsley wrote that Scott was not "such a goodie" while played by Perkins.[21] One of the character's early storylines saw him and Danny get into trouble with the police over a suspected robbery, and they flee Erinsborough to work on a farm. They later fight over Wendy Gibson (Kylie Foster).[21] As Neighbours moved to Network Ten, producers wanted "a more upfront" Scott.[12] To facilitate the recast from Perkins to Donovan, Scott goes missing on a school trip and is briefly presumed dead, before he reappears played by Donovan. Producers hoped the actor's blond hair and blue eyes would increase the character's "bankable appeal".[12]
After Donovan took over the role, Kingsley branded Scott "the star schoolboy of Neighbours and described him as "polite, perceptive, neat and nice."[21] She thought it was likely he folded his own clothes too, making him stand out among the teenagers of the time.[21] Although Scott was involved in "the occasional teenage hiccup" he was both "likeable" and "hard working".[22] Donovan shared some similarities to Scott, including being raised by a single parent.[23] Donovan stated "I've done most of the things Scott's done – school exams and things like that – so I don't really have to go too far to understand his character."[24] The actor admitted to not being happy with Scott's attitude, calling him "very moody and a bit hard to play sometimes".[23] He tried to bring as much comedy and lightness to the role that he could, as he believed Neighbours should have light characters and not "always heavy drama."[23] The character soon became the show's male "pin up".[25] Writer Josephine Monroe observed that Donovan turned Scott into "every girl's dream date".[26] He was perceived as being cute, as well as "witty and charming".[26] He continued to be close to his father, whom he respected and looked up to, while he was also protective of younger sister Lucy.[26] After leaving school, the character's ambition was to become a journalist.[26]
In April 1986, Kylie Minogue joined the cast as Charlene Mitchell, daughter of Scott's neighbour Madge Mitchell (Anne Charleston). Her first scene was with Scott, who thinks she is trying to break into Madge's house. When he goes to stop her, Charlene punches him in the mouth. Minogue ended up punching Donovan for real during filming.[27] The actors had previously worked together in an episode of Skyways when they were younger.[28] Donovan later recalled that he encountered Minogue for the first time on-set in the wardrobe bus. She reminded him of their work on Skyways after he failed to recognise her. He stated that they soon become good friends as their characters became acquainted.[29] Producers soon created a story arc for the characters that saw them enter into a romantic relationship.[27] Scott and Charlene's romance contributed to a boost in ratings for Neighbours and the show's publicist, Brian Walsh, capitalised on Minogue and Donovan's increasing popularity with viewers and rumoured off-screen romance.[27] Donovan felt that his on-screen rapport with Minogue was due to their professionalism. He stated "When you've known someone for a long time and you get on with them well, then it's quite easy to create a professional chemistry. That's what you see between us in Neighbours."[28] Minogue believed the couple's relationship helped the characters to become fan favourites, saying "In the storyline they break up and get back together. People like Scott and Charlene being a couple. It's probably the most normal relationship in the show."[30] Donovan admitted that he would not want to date someone like Charlene, as he thought she was "far too stroppy" for him.[28]