Phoebe Gottlieb (also Bright) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Simone Robertson.

The character is most often used in romantic stories with Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and Stephen Gottlieb (Lochie Daddo).

Throughout her two year duration, writers developed Phoebe from a bookish teenager into the show's tragic and tortured female.

She found love with Todd until producers killed off the character and Phoebe was left grieving and pregnant with his child.

She was later held hostage by Todd's father Bob Landers (Bruce Kilpatrick) and gives birth to a daughter named Hope.

[1] Robertson was aged fifteen when she won the role and she decided to carry on with her school work and completed her final exams while filming.

The school swot, she was called 'Creepy Phoebe' because of her passion for keeping pet reptiles, her favourite of which was Oscar the snake.

"[3] Robertson disliked Phoebe's quirky dress sense and style and dreaded what the wardrobe department would purchase for the character next.

Robertson told Mark McGowan from TV Week that she struggled because unlike Phoebe, she had not lost close family or been made homeless.

She felt lucky that producers has given her such an "important role" and noted that "absolutely everything happens to this girl - there's never a dull moment in her life.

Schmid believed the couple should keep the baby and told Chris Twomey from What's on TV that Todd would make a good father because he is responsible.

[18] Robertson told TV Week's McGowan that Bob wants to secure Phoebe's inheritance she received after her father died.

She told a reporter from TVTimes that "teenage pregnancy is an issue that most television shows don't dare tackle, despite its relevance to a young audience.

Daddo told Shelli-Anne Couch from The Sydney Morning Herald that "It sort of turns into a little bit of a romance, starting very quickly".

He told McGowan (TV Week) that Stephen views marriage as an "important institution" and Phoebe is "the right person" for him.

[25] She told Hilary Kingsley (Daily Mail) that "just acting it, breathing heavily through the contractions, made me feel faint.

With their original venue cancelled, Benito (George Spartels) and Cathy Alessi (Elspeth Ballantyne) allow them to get married in their back garden.

Daddo told Mary Fletcher writing for Women's Own that Stephen is attempting to "spare Phoebe" from being burdened with "a lifetime of looking after him.

The confrontation sees Stephen attempting to evict Russell, who he is reluctant to leave, forcing the Gottlieb's to "live in terror".

[31][32] Whittaker told Mary Fletcher of Woman's Own that "he wants to get rid of Stephen, endear himself to Phoebe and take over as Hope's dad."

The actor believed that Russell had lost all sense of reality and following the shun becomes "threatening and manipulative" and "Phoebe is left not knowing what to do next".

[33] Russel's behaviour became a problem for Whittaker because fans began shouting, hitting him with umbrellas and warning him to leave Phoebe alone.

[34] Stephen and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) decide to get revenge by paying a bike gang to attack Russell.

Chrissie Camp of TV Week reported that "industry sources" believed Daddo was "wasted" being paired with Robertson's heavily pregnant character.

"[17] A columnist from Inside Soap wrote "Simone plays the freakiest girl in school, an oddball who doesn't worry about looks and fashion, has weird ideas and even keeps a snake as a pet.

"[15] Ben Thompson of The Independent opined that the "schoolgirl mother" caused the "most outrageous moment" of 1993 when she fought for the right to give birth on Todd's tombstone.

Kingsley also noted that "by rights [Robertson] should be punch-drunk from playing more emotion-packed scenes than any other young character since the long-running Aussie soap opera began.

[12] Another branded her the "freakiest in school", adding "with her odd ideas and even stranger hobbies [...] Phoebe has caused something of a stir in Ramsay Street.

"[4] An Evening Express journalist included Phoebe giving birth to Hope in their "Highlights" feature profiling the day's must watch television shows.

They added "It seems only yesterday she was a gawky, bespectacled schoolgirl with a pet snake, a peculiar undertaker father and a crush on classmate Todd.