Madge Bishop (also Ramsay and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anne Charleston.
Madge arrives with her marriage in tatters, following a brief but passionate affair with Raymond Philips, her son in prison, and her daughter a runaway teen; she rolled up her sleeves and got a job in The Waterhole to support the family as a single mother.
[2] Charleston explained: "When Madge hears from a mutual friend that Max's wife has left him, she hops on a plane and arrives on his doorstep, complete with 24 pieces of luggage.
They compare her to other characters stating: "the husky voiced one was the opposite of prim and proper Harold and more than a match for anyone who crossed her path, like Mrs Mangel with whom she had a long running rivalry.
[1] Holly Byrnes from the Herald Sun reported that Madge was expected to appear as a ghost due to her on-screen death in 2001.
[12] After Harold returns for the Erinsborough Festival and Madge's grandson, Daniel's (Tim Phillipps) wedding, he began hearing her voice and smelling her perfume.
When Charlene starts dating Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan), Madge fears things between the couple are moving too fast.
Her school sweetheart Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) is invited to Ramsay Street by Charlene and Shane and he and Madge realise that they still have feelings for each other.
Charlene also marries Scott and when they leave for Brisbane, Madge lets Henry's girlfriend, Bronwyn Davies (Rachel Friend), move in.
In London, they meet Eddie Buckingham (Bob La Castra), who comes back to Australia with them and works in their café.
Madge and Lou remain friends and she sells the coffee shop lease to Cathy Alessi (Elspeth Ballantyne).
Madge and Harold host a French exchange student, Claire Girard (Adele Schober), for a few weeks and Helen dies.
Although Madge is of course very upset about losing her best friend, she nevertheless becomes a shoulder to cry on for Helen's extremely grief-stricken great-granddaughter Hannah Martin (Rebecca Ritters).
Madge joins the senior ladies basketball team and finds an enemy in the coach, Portia Grant (Sue Ingleton).
Madge also writes a cookbook called Ramsay Recipes, with help from Harold and Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha).
Madge develops septicaemia after cutting her finger and Dee Bliss (Madeleine West) finds her collapsed on the living room floor.
They discuss Daniel's upcoming wedding, and Madge declares she wants to meet his fiancée Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow) to see what she thinks of her.
For her portrayal of Madge, Charleston won the Performance by an Actress in a Series or Serial accolade at the 1987 Penguin Awards.
[17] In 2007, Australian newspaper the Herald Sun placed Madge's death at number two on their list of Neighbours Top Ten moments.
[19] Tony Squires from The Sydney Morning Herald branded Madge a "classically over-the-top character", who producers should have given more screen time to.
[20] Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture gave Madge a five out of five for her contribution to Neighbours, during a feature called "A guide to recognising your Ramsays and Robinsons".
[21] British satellite broadcasting company, Sky, named Madge one of their twenty-five most memorable Neighbours characters of all time.
Her temperament made her romance with mild-mannered Harold all the more touching, from initially choosing him over Lou, to being the right and proper owners of the coffee shop, and finally the teary scenes when she died of cancer in 2001.
[6] Orange UK describe Madge's style as being "slightly transsexual" and they stated "She was the gravel-voiced matriarch of Ramsay Street.
When she was not busy fending off the advances of Lou Carpenter, ruling tomboy daughter Charlene with an iron grip or running the coffee shop, she was marrying Harold Bishop.
"[23] In 2013, Rachael Misstear from Western Mail included Madge's death in her list of the "10 tear-jerking soap opera exits".
Journalist Adam Beresford described her as a "classic soap matriarch" and quickly established herself as "one of the audience’s favourite characters.
"[25] In 2022, Kate Randall from Heat included Madge and Harold in the magazine's top ten Neighbours characters of all time feature.
[27] Sam Strutt of The Guardian compiled a feature counting down the top ten most memorable moments from history of Neighbours.
O'Connor found Madge's funeral so emotional that she stated "pass the Kleenex and be prepared to blub your way through Neighbours this week.