Irene Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away. She was originally played by actress Jacqy Phillips from her introduction in Episode 887 shown on 29 October 1991, until 13 May 1992 (Episode 1003). Following Phillips' departure, the part was recast to Lynne McGranger, who debuted in Episode 1147, broadcast on 12 January 1993. Irene was initially a recurring character, but on 7 October 1993 McGranger was promoted to the regular cast. McGranger is one of the longest-serving cast members on the show.
Casting
Actress Jacqy Phillips was cast the role in 1991. Phillips was predominately a stage actress but enjoyed working on the show. She told Garry Shelley from TV Week that "I never dreamed I would ever work in a soap and I'm not being snobbish about it [...] but now I'm thrilled; I love it." Phillips added that she had an "open-ended" contract with the show. The actress left the role in 1992.
Irene was later recast to Lynne McGranger, who took over the role at the end of the year. McGranger had worked mostly in the theatre and had little television experience before the role. The actress and her family relocated from Melbourne to Sydney to be closer to the studios. McGranger was originally contracted for a 13-week guest stint, but when she proved popular with viewers, she was brought back six months later. She was promoted to the main cast on 7 October 1993. Of her casting, McGranger said "I jumped at the chance of going into Home and Away. In Australia 90% of actors there are out of work, so to have two years guaranteed work is very exciting." McGranger is one of the longest serving cast members in the serial. Speaking of her duration whilst being interviewed by David Knox of TV Tonight, McGranger stated: "Being very pragmatic, I love my job. You couldn't be doing this for 18 years if you didn't love it. You would go stark raving nuts, because it is intense."
Development
Irene was initially portrayed as a hateful drunk and Irene's bad behaviour earned her negativity from viewers. In 1992, Phillips revealed that while out in public she had been approached by strangers who called her the "really rotten bitch from Home and Away.
The serial's official website describes Irene as: "your classic Aussie battler. Down to earth and with a wry sense of humour, she's always good for a yarn and a laugh. It doesn't matter who you are, young or old, Irene's door is always open to you." Irene is seen as a caring woman who constantly takes in children to foster, of this they say: "Helping kids in need has given her a second chance at being a mum, and the opportunity to make up for all the mistakes she made with her own kids."
There were plans to write the character out of Home and Away in early 2002, however when new Script Producer Coral Drouyn arrived, she was horrified and decided to give the character strong storylines and ground her.
Lynne McGranger, who portrays Roberts, said of her role, "Having to play that 'losing your mind' stuff was really a stretch for something like Home And Away, and for someone like Irene, who's very comfortably swanning around Summer Bay for 13 or 14 years, making people cups of tea and solving their problems...Sometimes you get a little too comfortable and that really jolted me out of my comfort zone. It was exhausting but exhilarating."
Writers created a heart problem story for Irene which occurs after she suffers from stress. Irene endures a painkiller addiction, her relationship with Paris ends and she tries to cope with Tasha Andrews' (Isabel Lucas) wayward behaviour. Irene's health deteriorates when she tries to help fellow alcoholic Kit Hunter (Amy Mizzi) remain sober. Irene accompanies Kit to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and talks to the group about her own experiences. She then collapses with chest pains and is taken to hospital.
McGranger told a reporter from Inside Soap that Irene has "a wake up call" regarding her health. She explained that while Irene does not have a heart attack, her arteries are blocking in the first stages of heart disease. Irene takes her health scare seriously because of her past experiences with alcohol abuse. McGranger said that "being a recovering alcoholic, Irene has done a lot of damage to her body over the years, and she sees this as a warning of worse things to come."