In December 1988, FM104.7's Rob Logan reported in his Canberra Times column that Linda Hartley had joined the cast as Harold Bishop's (Ian Smith) daughter Kerry.

Kerry had a daughter, Sky (Miranda Fryer; Stephanie McIntosh), out of wedlock and did not care for religion, which shocked Harold, who was a Christian.

[3] When her contract came up for renewal in mid-1990, Hartley realised that she was fed up of working long hours, so she decided to quit the role after twenty months.

[5] Producers had months to plan Kerry's death and Josephine Monroe, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, noted that they chose to make it as poignant as possible.

[6] On-screen, a newly wed Kerry became pregnant, she was finally accepted into the Mangel family by her stepson Toby (Finn-Greentree Keane; Ben Guerens), and she was persuaded to return to her campaigning roots.

Harold invites Kerry back to stay with him at Number 24 with him, his wife, Madge (Anne Charleston) and her son Henry Ramsay (Craig McLachlan).

When Kerry meets Joe Mangel who lives across the road, there is an instant attraction as both are free spirits and have had to contend with stuffy parents.

The following year, Tragedy strikes when a heavily pregnant Kerry goes to protest against duck hunting in the marshes with her friend Amber Martin.

Joe and Harold are devastated when the doctor tells them Kerry and the baby have died due to the severe blood loss from the shooting.

[5] A writer for the BBC's Neighbours website stated that Kerry's most notable moment was "Marrying Joe Mangel in the butterfly enclosure at the zoo.

They said "As the ducks quack all around and Joe gathers her in his befleeced arms, Neighbours eco-hippy Kerry Bishop dies saving ze animals".

They also included Kerry and Joe's wedding and assessed that they "were polar opposites but they were married in the butterfly enclosure at Melbourne Zoo.