Love blossoms for Clive & Sheila
MORE THAN 30 YEARS AFTER HE FIRST APPEARED ON THE SHOW, NEIGHBOURS’ GEOFF PAINE IS PART OF ERINSBOROUGH’S HOTTEST NEW ROMANCE…
My first ever scene in Neighbours was in a gorilla suit!” chuckles actor Geoff Paine, who plays Clive, as we question him about his early days in the Aussie soap. “I had done three years of drama school and took myself a tad seriously – but I think that was the best lesson in the business. ‘Okay buddy, scene one, shot one, you’re in a gorilla suit!’. That’s showbiz.”
More than 30 years on, and the Clive we see today is very different – the gorilla suit is gone, and he’s now a well respected doctor at the top of his game. But as we settle down for a natter with star Geoff, he assures us that Clive’s naughty side is still very much present…
You can get away with more than you could 30 years ago!
You left Neighbours in 1989 – did you ever think that you’d be back in the show almost 30 years later?
I had no clue! It’s funny because I’m one of the old boys now, and I was one of the youngies back then. Everything has changed – yet nothing has changed. Some of the characters are different, of course, and some of the stories are more interesting. You can get away with a lot more now than you could 30 years ago! But the core part of the show is still there, and that’s the thing that keeps it going.
What was your reaction when you were first asked to come back?
I laughed! I thought it was hilarious to see how the character has changed. He’s a different man now. The original Clive was happy-go-lucky, whereas the more mature Clive has a history behind him – he’s a bit more conservative now.
What do you think of the romance that he shares with Sheila?
They’re such different characters.
You couldn’t get more yin and yang if you tried – but Sheila brings out the cheekiness in Clive, and he brings out the fun in her. They work well together.
Do you think they have a future?
I very much hope so. Nothing ever runs smoothly, because that’s the nature of Neighbours – but I think that they have a real affection for each other that’s going to blossom. Sheila’s not had much luck in the love department, though I think that the writers have a long-term plan for her and Clive.
What’s it like working so closely with Colette Mann, who plays Sheila?
Hilarious! I’ve known Colette for decades, so we have a great time. We do make each other laugh, and in fact the biggest challenge is acting the serious scenes with one another. Colette showed me the ropes when I first arrived back in Neighbours, because there’s a very intricate scheduling matrix that I had to try to get my head around!
What was it like being a part of Neighbours in its heyday?
I lived in London for a while after I left the show, and that was in the middle of
Neighbours hysteria – so walking down the street was an interesting exercise! But it’s a very different beast now that we have social media. Back in those days, you had to wait for the mail to come in – and I was still getting letters
about Clive for ages after I left.
Clive was a bit of prankster back in the day. Would you like to see the cheeky side of him come back?
We do see the cheeky side of Clive popping out every now and then, and I think that’s what is so lovely about his relationship with Sheila – she brings out the spontaneous side of Clive. There’s a lot of potential for comedy between those two.
And would you fancy getting back in that gorilla suit?
It would be pretty funny. All the Neighbours fans are talking about it on Twitter – they all really want to see Clive back in that gorilla suit!