Scott Robinson (Neighbours)

Scott Robinson
Neighbours character
Jason Donovan as Scott Robinson (1989)
Portrayed by	Darius Perkins (1985) Jason Donovan (1986–2022)
Duration	1985–1989, 2022
First appearance	18 March 1985 (1985-03-18)
Last appearance	28 July 2022 (2022-07-28)
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Reg Watson
Introduced by	Reg Watson (1985) Jason Herbison (1989)
Darius Perkins as Scott Robinson (1985)
In-universe information Occupation Student Paper boy Journalist Family Robinson Father Jim Robinson Mother Anne Robinson Brothers Paul Robinson Sisters Lucy Robinson Half-brothers Glen Donnelly Half-sisters Julie Martin Jill Ramsay Wife Charlene Robinson (1987–) Sons Daniel Robinson Daughters Madison Robinson Grandfathers James Robinson Bill Daniels Grandmothers Bess Robinson Helen Daniels Aunts Rosemary Daniels Other relatives Laura Dennison Nikki Dennison

Scott Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. He was created by Reg Watson as one of the serial's twelve original characters. Originally played by Darius Perkins, he made his debut during the first episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Perkins was 20 years old when he received the role of teenager Scott. He felt some anxiety about his audition performance and did not think anything was going to come from it, until the production company contacted him a month later to sign on as Scott. When production moved to Network Ten in 1986, producers wanted "a more upfront" Scott and the role was recast to Jason Donovan, who joined the cast following his graduation from school. He made his debut on 12 February 1986, and producers hoped Donovan's blond hair and blue eyes would increase the character's appeal. Perkins later said that he had been physically and mentally exhausted after filming for nine months, and felt unable to continue in the role of Scott.

At the beginning of Neighbours, Scott is a 16 year old high school student, living at home with his father, grandmother, and three siblings. Scott is shown to be close with his father, whom he respects. He is initially characterised as a normal, happy teenager, with an increasing interest in girls as he becomes an adolescent. His best friend was neighbour Danny Ramsay (David Clencie), a role Donovan originally auditioned for. Scott's early storylines include a romance with fellow student Kim Taylor (Jenny Young) and being accused of robbery. With Donovan in the role, Scott was portrayed as charming, perceptive, neat, and likeable, leading him to become the show's male pin up. Donovan's popularity set a new standard for casting directors, which they felt they had to meet every time they introduced a new "stud" character. Producers soon created a story arc around Scott's relationship with Charlene Mitchell, played by Kylie Minogue.

Scott and Charlene's romance led to increased ratings for Neighbours and the show's publicist capitalised on Minogue and Donovan's popularity with viewers. Scott and Charlene experience a variety of problems during their first 12 months together. When Scott suggests they should move in together, this caused controversy on and off-screen, with some Neighbours viewers expressing their concern about a young unwed couple moving in together. Producers then decided that the couple would marry instead and their wedding was broadcast on 1 July 1987 to two million Australian viewers. To keep the relationship interesting, writers scripted a kiss between Scott and Jane Harris (Annie Jones). On 7 March 1989, it was announced that Donovan had quit Neighbours to pursue a music career, and his exit aired on 18 May 1989. For his portrayal of Scott, Donovan won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent (1987) and Most Popular Actor (1988). He was twice nominated for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality. In 2022, Donovan agreed to reprise his role, alongside Minogue, for what was believed (at the time) to be the show's final ever episode.^[1][2] Subsequently, Amazon announced that they had picked up the series for their Freevee streaming service, and Amazon started filming the revived series in April 2023.^[3][4]