Scott James Robinson was a character in Neighbours from Episode 1 - 18 March 1985 to Episode 964 - 18 May 1989. He was originally played by Darius Perkins but Jason Donovan later took over the role, first appearing in Episode 188 - 12 February 1986 and last appearing as a regular character in Episode 964 - 18 May 1989, before a return 33 years later in Episode 8903 - 28 July 2022. Scott became one of the show's most popular characters and his romance with Charlene Mitchell/Robinson was very popular with viewers. Scott is the son of Jim Robinson and Anne Robinson, and the brother of Paul Robinson and Lucy Robinson. Scott and Charlene later have two children, a son Daniel and daughter named Madison.
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, a role Donovan originally auditioned for. Scott's early storylines include a romance with fellow student Kim Taylor 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. 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. In 2022, Donovan agreed to reprise his role, alongside Minogue, for a one-off appearance.
Biography
Scott Robinson was born in 1968 to Jim Robinson and Anne Robinson. He was one of several children born to the couple, the others being Paul Robinson, Julie Robinson/Martin and Lucy Robinson. Scott did not know he had a secret half brother, Glen Donnelly. Scott grew up at No 28 Ramsay Street. Scott lives on Ramsay Street with his father Jim, grandmother Helen Daniels and his siblings Paul, Julie and Lucy. Scott's mother, Anne died giving birth to Lucy. Scott becomes close friends with his neighbour Danny Ramsay. Scott falls for his classmate Kim Taylor but her mother, teacher Marcia disapproves. When Danny and Eddie Sherwin doctor a recorded conversation between Scott and Kim to make sound more sexual than it really it is, Marcia forces Eddie to play the tape in class which humiliates Kim. Despite Scott protesting his innocence, The Taylors forbid him to see Kim and threaten to call the police. Scott and Kim then run away and hide out in an abandoned monastery. Scott returns home but Kim runs away. Scott later tracks down Kim who is pregnant and helps her reconcile with Marcia. Scott and Danny witness their neighbour Carol Brown being mugged and try to go to her aid but she accuse them of attacking her, prompting the boys to flee and hide out on Mrs. Forbes' farm where they work for her, tending to her land. They eventually return home. Scott and Danny then squabble over Wendy Gibson but eventually patch up their friendship.
When Scott is late back from a school trip, Jim and Helen worry and further grief comes when the police find a body of a 16-year-old boy in the river, with Scott's wallet. Jim goes to identify the body and is relieved it is not Scott. Scott (now Donovan) phones from a country hospital and explains he ran away from the school trip after being accused of rape and tried to hitch a lift but was mugged in the process. Soon after, Scott notices someone breaking into Number 24, the house next door to his. On challenging the intruder, he receives a punch for his troubles. Madge Mitchell arrives on the scene to discover it is her daughter Charlene, who has not seen Scott since they were children.
Scott in 1987
Scott befriends Mike Young. Scott and Charlene begin dating and go through teething problems. Scott proposes and Charlene accepts. Jim and Madge are against the engagement. Helen acts as a mediator and points out that Jim and Anne were roughly Scott and Charlene's age when they got married. Scott and Charlene marry and soon move into Number 24 together. Their marriage's first test comes when Jane Harris starts to help Scott with his HSC retakes, they become close and kiss. Charlene wants nothing to do with either of them upon finding out. Jane eventually convinces Charlene to give Scott another chance. Scott and Charlene's marriage undergoes another test when Steve Fisher begins giving Charlene driving lessons and attempts to make advances on her, but Scott and Charlene reconcile towards their first anniversary.
Charlene is offered a mechanic apprenticeship in Brisbane and is forced to make the difficult choice of leaving Erinsborough and the couple share an emotional farewell. Scott stays on at Number 24, but visits her frequently. During Charlene's absence, Scott fights off the affections of Sylvie Latham and later Poppy Skouros, before moving to Brisbane for good. Scott and Charlene later have two children, a son Daniel and daughter named Madison.
Thirty-three years following his departure, Scott returns to Ramsay Street with Charlene after being invited by Charlene's cousin Shane Ramsay. Scott and Charlene find that no one is home, so they go to Number 24 and reminisce over when they first met. During a Ramsay Street party, Scott and Charlene are reunited with Jane and Mike. Scott also sees Paul and Harold Bishop, and they continue partying.
First and last lines
"Where've you been?" (First line)
--
"She won't be the only one." (Final line)
Memorable info
Birthday: 1968
Full Name: Scott James Robinson
Nickname - Scotty
Trivia
- Scott is one of the twelve original characters conceived by the creator and then executive producer of Neighbours, Reg Watson. Darius Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott. 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. 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." 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." 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. 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. He stated "I prefer not to be tied at all, but that's the way it goes. They have to have their security." His casting was publicised in the 26 January 1985 issue of TV Week. Perkins made his debut as Scott in the show's pilot episode broadcast on 18 March 1985.
- After concerns over Perkins' reliability and a series of rows, producers decided to recast the role of Scott when production moved to Network Ten. Jason Donovan, then 17, was given the role following his graduation from school. 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. He initially did not want his son to become an actor as he felt the industry was too "unstable." Donovan admitted that had never watched Neighbours before joining the cast, saying "I'd sort of flicked through it once, but that was all." He made his debut as Scott on 12 February 1986. 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.
- In an October 1988 interview with TV Week's Leigh Reinhold, Perkins addressed the rumours that he was fired from Neighbours for a drug problem, calling them "invented stories". 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. 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." He had also blamed a failed relationship for being unable to handle the pressure, which he said was "a bit of a cop-out." 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." 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.
Family
Father Jim Robinson
Mother Anne Robinson
Grandfathers James Robinson, Bill Daniels
Grandmothers Bess Robinson, Helen Daniels
Siblings Julie Martin (half, same mother), Jill Ramsay (half, same mother), Glen Donnelly (half, same father) Paul Robinson, Lucy Robinson
Great grandfathers Sam Robinson
Nephews - Cameron Robinson, Robert Robinson, Andrew Robinson, David Tanaka, Leo Tanaka, Harry Ramsay
Nieces - Amy Williams, Elle Robinson, Kate Ramsay, Sophie Ramsay
Adoptive Aunt - Rosemary Daniels
Great Aunts - Laura Dennison, Gwen Simpson
Second Cousin - Nikki Dennison
Spouse Charlene Mitchell (1987-)
Children Daniel Robinson (1992), Madison Robinson (1995)
See also
Gallery
