Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away.

[1] In his book Super Aussie Soaps, Andrew Mercado opined that casting the then wife of current affairs show host, Mike Willesee, was a publicity dream.

[1] The pivotal role of Pippa was then given to Vanessa Downing at very short notice and the actress had to juggle a theatre production in which she was appearing along with the filming of the pilot episode of Home and Away.

[2] She appeared as Pippa until 1990, when she suddenly quit the series, apparently due to missing working with her former co-star Roger Oakley, who played her on-screen husband Tom.

Pippa married her brother Danny's (John Clayton) army mate Tom Fletcher in 1969 and they foster Frank Morgan (Alex Papps) in 1978 after his parents Les (Mario Kery) and Helena (Lee Sanderson) are incapable of looking after him.

As time passes they take in more children from various homes and institutions; Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson), Lynn Davenport (Helena Bozich), Sally and Steven Matheson (Adam Willits).

Tom is retrenched in early 1988 and the family leave the city and relocate to Summer Bay and buy the local Caravan Park from Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher).

After Bobby is cleared of several crimes, The Fletchers agree to foster her, much to ire of their neighbour, Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn).

Pippa takes a part-time job at Ailsa Hogan's (Judy Nunn) general store and later discovers she is pregnant, despite Tom having a vasectomy.

When Tom recovers and returns home, He accuses Pippa of having an affair with local shark Hunter Zac Burgess (Mark Conroy) and their marriage undergoes a testing time but they manage to put it behind them.

Pippa then builds up a strong bond with fellow widow Angel Parrish (Melissa George) whose husband Shane (Dieter Brummer) had also died several months earlier.

Ian Routledge (Patrick Dickson) begins staying at the caravan park and takes an interest in Pippa and wants her to come travelling with him.

The next year Pippa, along with many other past residents, return to Summer Bay for Sally's wedding to Kieran Fletcher (Spencer McLaren).

The next year, she and Christopher (now played by Rian McLean) return for Sally's wedding to Flynn Saunders (Joel McIlroy).

When Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) leaves on a trip the following year, Alf asks Pippa to look after Geoff (Lincoln Lewis) and Annie Campbell (Charlotte Best) and she stays for a week.

[6] A writer for the publication said "Kind-hearted Pippa helped dozens of fosters kids, along with her own son, Dale, get on the straight and narrow with reliable doses of tough love.