Although the character of Madge Allsop was created by Barry Humphries during the 1960s, she was only mentioned in passing by Dame Edna and did not appear on stage until the late 1970s, when she was portrayed by the London-based Australian actress Madeleine Orr.

Orr died of cancer in 1979, so when the role of Madge was written into Humphries' 1987 film Les Patterson Saves the World, she was portrayed by another Australian actress, Connie Hobbs.

Later that year, when Humphries decided to cast "the definitive Madge" for his new TV series, The Dame Edna Experience, he auditioned many elderly actresses for what would be a recurring role.

[citation needed] In 1997, she made a memorable appearance as Madge Allsop on a Comic Relief TV Special, in which she danced and sang "Today I Feel So Happy".

Perry's last on-screen appearance as Madge Allsop was a cameo in the TV special Dame Edna: Live at the Palace (2003), in which the then 96-year-old actress was 'caught' in bed with Ozzy Osbourne.