Evil nanny

Neighbours star Kerry Armstrong tells us how wicked Alice manages to infiltrate the Rebecchi household…

The mysterious Alice Wells moves into the Rebecchi house this week as the family’s nanny – and soon causes even more trouble for the clan!

When Alice turned up out of the blue, kindly offering to help Sonya with Nell and Hugo, the stressed mum hired her, thinking she’d be the solution to all their problems. Alice claims to be in the neighbourhood dealing with her deceased daughter’s estate – but is she really who she says she is? And who is her daughter?

“Alice knows what Sonya’s weaknesses are, and she uses those to her advantage,” explains Kerry Armstrong, who plays the newcomer. “There’s almost a sociopathic side to Alice and she doesn’t really see people as people – she sees them as obstacles. The directors, writers and I were kept on our toes trying to work out exactly how far she would go.”

Alice finds herself drawn to little Hugo, and after her wrongdoings, feels that she has to confide in someone. Perhaps there’s a scrap of goodness in her after all…

“She’s so sweet and wonderful to him,” sighs Kerry. “It’s like Alice is Mary Poppins in one instance and then reveals all of her devious acts to a small child in the kitchen. Then she bakes shortbread, so it’s great!”

Alice is the latest in a long line of villains to move into Ramsay Street, and the actress tells us that she loves finally getting to play someone bad.

“I just think she’s the most wonderful character,” chuckles Kerry. “She’s terribly evil, which is a lot of fun to play. I was the one who said to my agent, ‘I want to play baddies this year’. Alice is a terrible person. If she ever existed, I’d run a mile. Or I’d lock her up and throw away the key!”