Irene Roberts

Irene Roberts is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by actress Jacqui Phillips from 1991 and by Lynne McGranger from 1992 to the present.

Character
Irene was an alcoholic who neglected her three children: her eldest, Nathan, ended up in a juvenile detention centre. Of the others, first Finlay and then Damian ran away and ended up being fostered by Michael and Pippa Ross. Irene followed them to Summer Bay where she made several attempts to get them to come back to her, culminating in her breaking into the house while everyone else was out and trying to take them back by force. When she fell down the stairs in the ensuing struggle, she accused the pair of assault and told them she would only drop the charges if they came back to her. In the end, though, she admitted defeat and left the Bay.

Irene returned a year later after Fin nearly drowned in a diving accident. She was now a changed character: she had quit the drink, although she retained a sharp tongue and (at least initially) an unfortunate smoking habit. She had also developed an odd habit of thinking Fin was pregnant, believing on separate occasions that both Blake Dean and Haydn Ross had left her in the lurch. Ironically, with Pippa away at the time, she ended up becoming a surrogate mother to the Fletcher children for the duration, striking up the beginnings of a friendship with Sally, who seemed more willing to accept she had changed than Fin and Damian. When she found the children emptying the drinks cabinet, she told them she needed to know she could resist temptation. Irene became quite involved in Bay life, joining the committee organising the school play, but eventually needed to get back home. She asked Fin and Damian to come with her but once again they turned her down.

When Irene arrived back in town with a bottle of champagne in hand, many residents, notably Michael and Alf, thought she had returned to her old ways. In fact the champagne was non-alcoholic, bought to celebrate Fin finishing her exams. This time Irene settled in the Bay full-time, getting a job at the Diner. Shortly after, Nathan was released from the detention centre and both he and Irene moved in with Adam Cameron. Irene tried to build bridges between Nathan and her younger children but when she found out Nathan had stolen from the school she herself presented the police with the evidence needed to arrest him. Soon after, the house was accidentally burnt down by Sam Marshall.

Irene made an offer to Greg Marshall to buy the beach house and instantly found herself in a bidding war with his current tenants, Luke Cunningham and Roxanne Miller. This came to an abrupt end when Roxy decided to move out anyway. Irene had intended for Fin and Damian to come and live with her but they preferred to stay with Michael and Pippa so instead she ended up sharing with Luke and Tug O'Neale. Irene suffered from a sleepwalking problem and on one early occasion ended up in Luke's bedroom. A series of misunderstandings led both of them to believe the other was attracted to them until Pippa explained the situation.

Another series of misunderstandings resulted in Irene becoming Don Fisher's date to the school formal. Although Irene enjoyed her brief stint as one of the Bay's aristocracy (at least until Jack and Selina spilt paint on her dress during the presentation ceremony) there was never any real possibility of romance between the pair (although Luke once set them up together for a joke).

Irene was given a second shot at parenthood when Selina Cook ran away from home, wanting to stay in the Bay. One of her proudest moments was when Selina changed her surname to Roberts, saying Irene had been more of a mother to her than her own had been. She was less happy when she learned Selina and Damian had slept together but when Selina became pregnant Irene, excited about the prospect of being a grandmother, wanted her to keep the child, which neither of the pair was keen on. In the end Selina had a miscarriage anyway.

Irene gained another lodger when Marilyn Chambers returned to the Bay and after some initial personality clashes the pair became good friends. She was horrified when Selina joined Saul Bennett's cult, the Children of Saul, and relieved when she came to her senses.

Irene's estranged husband Murdoch (or "Mud" as Irene called him) arrived in town and Irene seemed open to the idea of getting back with him until she found out he had been harassing Selina. Irene hid in Selina's bed and when Murdoch tried to climb in with her, thinking she was Selina, she threw him out. She was shocked, however, when Murdoch was later found murdered.

Nathan's cellmate Brian "Dodge" Forbes arrived in town and, despite warnings from the likes of Pippa and Alf who remembered his previous visit, Irene was willing to give him a chance. She was therefore upset when she learned he had killed Murdoch and also tried to kill Steven and Kelly.

There was a rare spark of romance for Irene when Mick O'Reilly, a slightly dodgy builder, proposed to her. Irene accepted but then Marilyn found out he already had two wives.

Although the authorities were happy to let Irene look after older children, they weren't going to let her became a foster mum. When Selina found an abandoned baby on the beach, Irene wanted to look after her but was refused permission and had to let Michael and Pippa foster her instead. Her brood did increase, however, when Chloe Richards arrived back in town needing somewhere to stay. Irene wasn't quite as close to Chloe as she was to Selina; when the two girls fought over Jesse McGregor she was firmly on Selina's side. Conversely, she was initially opposed to Selina's relationship with Steven Matheson although she was ironically responsible for reuniting the pair on a trip to England.

When Joey Rainbow, a member of Saul's cult, arrived in town wanting to enrol at the school, Irene was initially wary but quickly realised he was harmless and let him stay with her.

Fin arrived back in town; she had been told she couldn't have children and wanted Irene to be her surrogate. Irene was shocked, as was Fin's boyfriend/husband Robert who she hadn't consulted, but eventually she agreed. Since surrogacy wasn't permitted in Australia at the time, they had to go to the States for the procedure. (Although it wasn't entirely clear, the nature of the procedure suggests Fin is the baby's biological mother.) Soon after Irene had become pregnant, Fin became pregnant anyway. Irene feared she would be left holding the baby but Fin assured her she and Robert would raise both children. Irene gave birth to a baby boy who she and Fin named Paul but almost straightaway he was snatched from the hospital by Wendy, a woman who had lost her own child.

Saul Bennett appeared and told Irene he knew where Paul was. Both Joey and Selina chose to return to the commune in order to find out what he knew but barely escaped with their lives when Bennett set the place on fire, apparently perishing in the blaze. His story gained credence when Wendy's body was also found in the wreckage but a check of the grounds found nothing.

However, Bennett had been telling the truth: one of the girls in the commune, Annie, had taken Paul from the scene and raised him herself for some months. When she confessed what she had done to Father Brian Little, he contacted Irene and suggested she start attending the church, hoping she would meet Annie. The plan worked and Annie returned Paul to Irene, who sent him to live with Fin, Robert and their other son Mark. Irene was initially angry when she realised Brian had known where Paul was but accepted he had done all he could. There was even the possibility of romance between the pair for a while but Irene quickly realised she couldn't take him from his calling.

When Chloe became pregnant by Lachlan Fraser, Irene gained a new nemesis in the form of his mother Diane, who was determined to keep the pair apart and tried to use the fact Chloe had once taken drugs to blackmail her. Irene responded by recording Diane's threats then playing the tape to Lachie. Ironically, Irene would end up working together with Diane to play matchmaker for Chloe and James after Lachie was taken ill but almost immediately clashed with her over her involvement in the couple's lives. Despite this, after an argument with the pair Diane had no-one to turn to except Irene and spent the night getting drunk in her front room and confessing she had once had an affair with the gardener at boarding school. Although Irene enjoyed the incident, when first Chloe and her daughter Olivia then James left town she was probably grateful she wouldn't have to see Diane anymore.

Will Smith turned up on Irene's doorstep, claiming Damian had said he could stay there. Irene seemed surprisingly ready to believe his claims Joey had been badmouthing her but when he tried the same trick on Joey he saw through it. Will had meant to make room for his brother and sister to stay with them but they were happy in foster care. Irene let Will stay on anyway on condition he enrolled at school and his sister Hayley decided to join them after a few months.

When Irene had to go away to look after Fin, she asked Ailsa Stewart to keep an eye on the children. She was therefore angry when she returned to find Ailsa had effectively abandoned Joey, Will and Hayley to fend for themselves at the beach house, after Duncan had manipulated her into believing Joey (who was on medication for schizophrenia) was a danger to them. Although they eventually patched up their differences, Irene decided to quit her job at the Diner, feeling she didn't fit in with the new youth-orientated atmosphere. She took a job as the school secretary, even though she had no secretarial experience, and although Marilyn covered for her for a while when he found out the truth Don had no choice but to sack her. Irene felt ashamed when she had to sign on for the first time in her life and her esteem was not helped by her new boyfriend, school inspector Anthony Doyle, insisting on paying for everything. However, once Irene had completed a computer course Don gave her her job back.

When the Smiths' father, Ken, another recovering alcoholic, arrived in the Bay, Irene was quite taken with him. When he fell off the wagon big time, he had to leave but returned when he had sobered up, arranged for his other son Nick to come and live with them and asking Irene to marry him. Although not overly impressed by the romanticism of the moment (Ken was putting out the rubbish at the time), Irene eventually agreed and was also persuaded to have a big wedding (mainly because Colleen Smart thought it was a silly idea). However, shortly before the wedding was due to take place, Ken was killed in an accident at the garage where he worked, seemingly fulfilling some prophetic dreams that Irene had been having.

Irene shut down after the incident, alienating Hayley and causing Nick to believe she didn't want them around anymore until she put him straight. Needing some way of lashing out, she threw her engagement ring into the sea, angry Ken had bought it instead of using the money to buy better equipment. She almost immediately regretted the decision and was relieved when Hayley found the ring washed up near the shore.but later Irene had deal with other lost when lost her close friend Ailsa stewart died of heart attack.

Irene soon had a fight on her hands when property developer Dennis Scott wanted to redevelop her street. Although the rest of the residents agreed to his deal, Irene wanted to stay where she was. Scott used every trick he could think of to get her to change her mind, sending thugs to threaten her and bricks through her window, while the neighbours threatened to sue her for financial loss if the deal fell through. At a town meeting opinion seemed against Irene until Alf stood up and reminded the residents of the good Irene had done and how she had the right to live where she wanted. Irene found it a hollow victory, however, when Scott, facing bankruptcy, committed suicide.

Irene's experience of alcoholism clouded her judgment somewhat when Noah Lawson developed a drink problem. Irene insisted he needed to stop drinking completely, which was at odds with his counsellor Flynn Saunders' attempts to get him to limit his drinking and also threw a spanner in his relationship with Hayley. In the end, Flynn had to ask Irene to back off and let him handle things his way. Around the same time Irene gladly welcomed Gypsy Nash into her family when she found out she was pregnant with Will's child.

Nathan returned to town on being released from prison and Irene decided to give him a chance. Although they clashed a few times, this time he didn't let her down. After becoming involved with an Irish nurse, Grace O'Connor, he ended up moving to Ireland with her.

Irene became fond of Jim Tyler, a tramp who had once been a teacher, and, along with Don and Brodie, encouraged him to return to his old life. However they only succeeded in giving him a nervous breakdown when he was forced to confront the fact he had accidentally run over and killed his son. She gained her first post-Ken love interest in the shape of Paris Burnett, who intermitently filled in for Don as head teacher. Romance first blossomed between them when they were stranded together after being caught up in the ferry disaster during the town's 150th anniversary celebrations. However things soon fizzled out when he had to leave the area.

When Kit Hunter also developed alcohol problems, Irene took her in and helped her through it. She had to ask her to leave when she stole from her, although in fact Kit merely meant to buy her a thank you present and intended to return the money. She was the first person Tasha Andrews connected with at the hospital and took her in as well. Jesse also ended up staying with her when he returned to the Bay. More controversially, she also gave a home to Kane Phillips, who many in the Bay still mistrusted, and when he married Kirsty let her move in as well.

Irene was shocked to learn Tasha's biological mother was Angie Russell and was wary when Angie's cousin Josie got in touch with her, refusing to let Tasha live with her. Irene was partly right to be worried since Josie was effectively helping Ian Osborne, Tasha's father and one of the richest men in Australia, to spy on them. Ian eventually decided Tasha was best off with Irene. Although she talked Ian out of punishing her, Irene never had the best relationship with Josie and wasn't sorry when she left the Bay. Oddly, Irene was also suspicious of Peter Baker when he arrived in the Bay, thinking an experienced police officer wouldn't move to a quiet spot unless he was hiding something.

Irene found herself effectively sacked as school secretary by Paris' replacement Barry Hyde once her contract expired. Fortunately, Tasha, who had inherited a great deal of money from her adoptive parents, was on hand to help out, buying Alf's share of the Diner for Irene and putting her in partnership with Leah Patterson-Baker. Irene's family was extended when Kim Hyde came to stay with her after one too many arguments with Barry but ironically, much to the surprise of them both, Irene then started seeing Barry and he moved in.

Soon after Irene began becoming irritable and paranoid. This was the result of mercury poisoning, the work of her new lodger Corey Henderson, who was after revenge on Irene and all the other members of the jury who had sent his father to prison. (When this happened was not entirely clear.) Irene ended up so irrational she was sectioned and when a gloating Corey told her what he had done she was unable to get anyone to believe her. Fortunately Jack Holden realised the truth in order to save Irene from a lethal dose, placed in some chocolates delivered to her by an oblivious Barry. Corey was arrested and Irene recovered.

Irene was distraught when Chloe was killed in a car accident on a rare visit to the Bay. She was horrified by suggestions Diane should look after Olivia, insisting Chloe would want her to stay with her. After a somewhat inept custody hearing (in which the arbitrator didn't even bother to speak to Olivia in private), Diane was awarded custody and Barry had to stop Irene running away with Olivia. However James then turned up to reveal in her will Chloe had stated under no circumstances was Olivia to live with Diane and in fact had awarded custody to him. Irene breathed a sigh of relief that Chloe's wishes had been honoured but was concerned that Barry had been unwilling to look after Olivia. She told him she would always be a mother to someone and ended their relationship.

History seemed to repeat itself when Tasha became involved with a cult, the Believers. Although she eventually came to her senses, this time it was too late: Tasha had already been drugged and raped by one of the cult (believed at the time to be Jonah Abraham although this was later retconned). Tasha and Robbie married and moved in with Irene, bringing up the child as their own. Irene was uncharacteristically trusting when Charity Fernbrook, a supposedly reformed member of the cult working as a midwife, offered to help with the baby and ended up delivering her to the cult leader, Florence White (also known as Momma Rose). Irene did win self however by persuading Charity to tell them where the baby was. Irene won hoilday overseas in early 2006 for four weeks,but when she return she had deal with lost of her best friend Beth Hunter who died in car chase just days after she return from her hoilday. and was not able attend her funeral because they was no one else to look after the Diner since her parter Leah was overseas herself. Irene is last middle age women left on show. Irene gained another charge in the shape of Belle Taylor and, when she turned out to be the daughter of Amanda Vale, once more found herself in a tug with a blood relative, with Belle seemingly moving from living with one of them to the other on a virtually weekly basis. This time though Irene and Amanda did part on good terms with Irene agreeing she deserved a decent send-off. Soon after she also took in Annie Campbell.

Irene was shocked to discover Jonah, now calling himself Michael, was working on Bruce Campbell's farm. Along with Martha she organised a virtual witch hunt, organising a town meeting with the aim of telling everyone what a bad person he was. Bruce halted the meeting by threatening to take Annie back to live with him. Conversely, Irene refused to let Annie live on the farm while Michael was there but began to thaw towards him when he helped Annie and Geoff recover some personal belongings when the farm was repossessed and gave a home to their dog.

Irene's suspicious streak reared its head again when Roman Harris started working at the Diner as a potential replacement for Leah. Irene was convinced he was no good, even going so far as to attempt to run a background check, until an unusually insightful Colleen helped her realise she merely resented him for not being Leah and she agreed to give him a chance. They now seem to be getting along great and are even going into business with each other again on the new Diner, after the previous building had to be demolished because of subsidence.