REMEMBERING MRS MANGEL
The legend still lives on three decades later…
It’s been almost 30 years since Nell Mangel last appeared on our screens – so why is she still remembered so fondly by Neighbours fans all around the globe?
Funnily enough, it was a different story back in 1988. Mrs Mangel was one of the first villains to stalk Erinsborough, and her meanspirited judgement of her fellow residents left viewers up in arms – so much so that actress Vivean Gray decided to quit her role on the soap after just two years!
“I could barely set foot outside my own door without someone screaming abuse at horrid old Mrs Mangel,” the star said at the time. “People didn’t seem to appreciate it was acting.”
Despite her frosty exterior, Mrs Mangel did have some redeeming features. She stepped in to take care of her granddaughter Jane when the girl’s mother – Nell’s daughter Amanda – moved to Hong Kong. She also had a real fondness for Bouncer the dog, which revealed a softer side buried deep down. And who could forget that wistful way she looked at Harold Bishop during Scott and Charlene’s wedding ceremony?
She may have been gone for nearly 30 years, but the old busybody has still been casting her eye over the locals by way of the infamous portrait of her which hangs in the Lassiters lobby. In fact, Mrs Mangel is so revered among the residents of Ramsay Street that Toadie and Sonya even named their daughter Nell after her!
For someone who was only on our screens for two years, Mrs Mangel left a legacy to last a lifetime. RIP Mrs M – you will be missed!