Jane: joy and heartbreak
SHE RECEIVES NEWS THAT HER NAN HAS PASSED AWAY…
It’s the end of an era this week, after news reaches Ramsay Street that local legend Mrs Mangel has sadly died.
Her death is made even more tragic by the fact that her granddaughter, Jane, is back in Erinsborough trying to retrieve some valuable stamps from her nan’s old house. So when Jane finds out that her beloved relative has passed away while she wasn’t by her side, the poor woman is distraught…
“Jane is totally devastated, and wracked with guilt that she wasn’t there with her nan at the end,” sighs Annie Jones, who recently reprised the role of Jane. “It’s so heartbreaking for Jane – I bawled my eyes out when I first read the scripts! It’s very relatable, as it’s something all grandchildren have to go through.”
Prior to receiving the shock news, Jane is thoroughly enjoying a good catch-up with her former boss, Paul Robinson – and as sparks fly between the pair, could there be more than just a stroll down memory lane on the cards?
“There’s perhaps a slight twinkle – they’ve known each other for a lifetime, so they see the best in each other,” grins Annie. “I’m not sure Jane has any ambitions to become the next Mrs Robinson, though. That would be wife number six for Paul – it sounds a bit risky!”
The jovial atmosphere is shattered once Jane gets a call to say that Mrs Mangel has died, forcing her to cut short her trip to Erinsborough. But before she heads back to the UK to plan her grandmother’s funeral, Paul has one final,
touching gesture for Jane – as he presents her with the portrait of Mrs Mangel that his own grandmother, Helen Daniels, painted three decades ago.
While it will no doubt be an upsetting moment for longtime Neighbours fans as they say goodbye to one of the show’s most iconic characters, Vivean Gray – who played her – sadly passed away in July 2016, aged 92. And Annie has some very fond memories of working with the late star.
“Vivean was such a wonderful actress, and she was hysterically funny,” she remembers. “She loved cricket and animals, and was quite the archaeologist – going on digs in Egypt. She was a fascinating woman who, just when you thought that you had her worked out, would surprise you time and time again!”