Zoe Davis is a fictional character from the Australia soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Ally Fowler. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1986.
| Zoe Davis | |||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||
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| Portrayed by | Ally Fowler | ||||
| First appearance | 20 January 1986 | ||||
| Last appearance | 3 September 1986 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Introduced by | Reg Watson | ||||
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Casting
editAfter Possession was cancelled in May 1985, Fowler had "an availability check" made on her for an upcoming character in Neighbours, however, the serial was cancelled shortly afterwards. When Network Ten picked it up, Fowler wondered if the part would come up again and it did.[1] She had been planning a long overseas trip when she was offered a year-long contract to play Zoe.[1] She told Marie Ussher of TV Week that she had set herself a deadline of January 1986 to begin her travels, as her sister was living in England and a close friend had also gone overseas, but the Neighbours role stopped that. She hoped to travel after she finished with the show.[1] Fowler had concerns about typecasting, having played Angela Hamilton in Sons and Daughters for 18 months, and felt that playing Zoe for a year would be long enough.[1] Fowler was also excited to be working alongside her former Sons and Daughters co-star Anne Haddy again.[1] Fowler's casting came at a time when producers wanted to improve the show with the addition of several new and older cast members.[2]
In May 1986, Fowler announced that she would be leaving Neighbours.[3] She chose not to extend her contract with the show after June. Fowler's character remained on-screen until September.[3] TV Week's Patrice Fidgeon reported that Zoe would then be rested in case Fowler wanted to return to the show in the future.[3] In 2016, Fowler re-joined Neighbours as another character, Nina Williams.[4][5]
Development
editZoe was described by James Oram, author of Neighbours: Behind the scenes, as being "fickle and unpredictable to an incredible degree", she has a sharp wit and is also blunt, but not heartless.[6] Josephine Monroe, who wrote The Neighbours Programme Guide, noted that Zoe was both "charming and infuriating".[7] She had a "devil-may-care" attitude towards finances, trouble and inconvenience.[7] Zoe also had many careers, including; singer, dancer, saleswoman and waitress. Monroe commented that Zoe took her jobs seriously, but could not choose between them.[7] Zoe was an old school friend of Daphne Lawrence (Elaine Smith) and she came to Erinsborough for her wedding to Des Clarke (Paul Keane).[7] A writer for the BBC called Zoe and Daphne's relationship "stormy".[8] When Des and Daphne went on their honeymoon, Zoe house sat for them and set about "sinking her claws into Ramsay Street."[7]
According to Oram, "romance is the only game she really likes to play and this she pursues most of all, but not always wisely."[6] Zoe longed to be "truly in love", but it often eluded her.[6] Zoe developed a relationship with Jim Robinson (Alan Dale), which shocked the other Ramsay Street residents as Zoe was much younger than Jim. The couple also had very different personalities.[6]: 108 [9] Dale believed that there was nothing wrong with an older man being involved with a younger woman.[6]: 108 Zoe and Jim's relationship did not sit well with Jim's family and his youngest child, Lucy (Kylie Flinker), was especially unhappy about it.[7] Jim's son, Paul (Stefan Dennis), made things difficult for Zoe, but she was unaware that he actually liked her.[8] Jim proposed to Zoe and she later discovered she was pregnant.[8] Jim was "reluctant" to become a father again and he and Zoe grew distant, as she wanted the baby.[7] However, Zoe collapsed at home one day after suffering an ectopic pregnancy and she was left "heartbroken" when she miscarried the baby. She and Jim then split up.[8][6]: 111 Paul almost confessed his feelings to Zoe, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Zoe's ex-boyfriend, Tony Chapman (Peter Bensley).[8][10] Tony offered Zoe a job and proposed to her. They then left Erinsborough together.[7]
Storylines
editZoe suddenly arrives in Erinsborough to see Daphne Lawrence, who she had not spoken to in years. She chats up Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien), Mike Young (Guy Pearce) and later Jim Robinson. When Zoe learns that Daphne is to marry Des Clarke, she convinces them to let her move in until after the wedding. Zoe's behaviour annoys Max Ramsay (Francis Bell), Paul and Clive Gibbons (Geoff Paine). Daphne reluctantly gives her a trial at the Coffee Shop, but she loses the job after buying too much champagne for an office party. Zoe later temps at the Daniels Corporation until Sue Wright (Gael Ballentyne) is promised the job, but Sue is not good enough and Zoe gets the job on a permanent basis. Des's ex-girlfriend, Andrea Townsend (Gina Gaigalas), and her son, Bradley (Bradley Kilpatrick), arrive and Zoe begins to feel jealous. She is also concerned about being frozen out of a relationship with Des.
Zoe begins dating Jim and Paul fears Zoe is out for his father's money. Jim's daughter, Lucy also dislikes Zoe and she is constantly rude to her. She pours a jug of water over Zoe and begins making nuisance calls. On one occasion, Zoe fetches a whistle and blows it down the phone. This leaves Lucy with a burst eardrum and she gives up. Her behaviour towards Zoe then begins to mellow. Des gives Zoe some counselling over her scratchcard addiction and warns her about going over the limit on her credit card. Zoe's addiction also concerns Paul. Zoe models for an advertising poster for the Coffee Shop to earn some extra money.
After a short stay at a guest-house in the mountains, Zoe returns to Ramsay Street and is much more mature. She pretends to be seriously ill, but Clive is not fooled, until Zoe suddenly feels a sharp pain in her stomach and collapses. She suffers an ectopic pregnancy and miscarries Jim's child. Zoe runs into her ex-boyfriend, Tony Chapman, and they rekindle their relationship. Tony asks Zoe to come and work for him, but she tells him that she cannot leave the Daniels Corporation. Paul falls for Zoe, but after a jealous outburst from him, Zoe leaves to work for Tony. Tony proposes to Zoe and she admits that she may not be able to have children. However, Tony wants to be with Zoe regardless of her situation and they get engaged. Zoe leaves Ramsay Street to move in with Tony. Zoe comes back to see Daphne when she is admitted to the hospital with meningitis. Zoe helps Susan Cole (Gloria Ajenstat) with her son, Sam (Thomas Hamston), while Susan goes for a job interview. Des learns that Zoe has taken out a second credit card and has gone over the limit, so he writes her a financial plan and forces her to cut up her cards. Zoe announces that Tony needs her to return to work for him and she leaves.
Reception
editA writer for the BBC's Neighbours website said Zoe's most notable moment was "Causing Lucy to become temporarily deaf."[11] Monroe stated "Zoe was one of the wildest and most unconventional women Erinsborough ever knew."[7] Fergus Shiel from The Sydney Morning Herald called Zoe a "saucy secretary."[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Ussher, Marie (21 December 1985). "Ally grounded!". TV Week. p. 69.
- ^ Mercado 2004, p.207.
- ^ a b c Fidgeon, Patrice (10 May 1986). "Nervous Neighbours". TV Week. p. 33.
- ^ Moran, Jonathon (23 February 2016). "Ally Fowler has not been on the set of Neighbours for 30 years but will cause chaos on her return". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (24 February 2016). "Neighbours casts Ally Fowler as Amy Williams's mother... and she's been in the show before". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Oram 1988, p.122.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Monroe 1994, p.133–4.
- ^ a b c d e "Character: Zoe Davis". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 April 2005. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ Julians, Joe (22 December 2018). "Who is Neighbours' Jim Robinson again? 8 things you need to know about the returning character". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ a b Shiel, Fergus (17 July 2006). "What would the world's second-longest-running, prime-time soap be without Paul Robinson?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ "Character: Zoe Davis". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 April 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- Mercado, Andrew (2004). Super Aussie Soaps. Pluto Press Australia. ISBN 978-1-86403-191-1.
- Oram, James (1988). Neighbours: Behind the scenes. Angus & Robertson. ISBN 978-0-207-16075-2.
- Monroe, Josephine (1994). The Neighbours Programme Guide. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-86369-831-6.
External links
edit- Character profile at the BBC
- Character profile at Neighbours.com