Rebecca Napier (also Robinson) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jane Hall.
The show suffered a ratings decline in early 2007 and plans were put in place for storylines to focus more on relationships and family dynamics.
In 2007, Neighbours suffered a ratings decline and plans were put into place to take a "back to basics" approach where storylines would become less controversial and return to the focus on relationships and family dynamics.
[3] Of her casting Hall said "Neighbours is a legend of a show, and now, it's getting back to the heart-land, to relationships and family and the ins-and-outs of life.
[6] During an interview on Rove, Hall spoke about her melt down and what had caused her upset, saying "There is about fifteen to twenty minutes in the studio, per scene to shoot it.
A pivotal scene and they say can we shoot it in five minutes, cut along story short I was crap, I went into the producers office and said you've made a terrible mistake, sack me now, we had to re-shoot it, and I wasn't much good the second time around either.
[7] Rebecca's father, Alan (Barry Friedlander), pressured her into giving her baby son to Clifford (Andrew Wemyss) and Pamela Barnes (Brooke Nicol) to raise as their own.
[7] A Holy Soap reporter called Rebecca "beautiful and poised", but noted that she was hiding a broken heart over Oliver's adoption.
[9] In November 2010, Rebecca found herself drawn to Michael Williams (Sandy Winton) after she is blackmailed by Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis).
"[17] Rebecca's exit storyline also saw her confide in Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) about almost killing Paul, leaving her "a huge mess" to sort out.
[18] Hall stated: "I'm looking forward to working with some of my old friends and also a lot of new faces, however I suspect Stefan may not be thrilled with my return since I tried to kill him last time I was on Neighbours!
"[18] Executive producer Richard Jasek was "delighted" that Hall was returning and said there would be "plenty of fireworks" between Rebecca and Paul, who would be reunited under unusual circumstances.
[18] In an interview with Colin Vickery of Herald Sun, Hall explained that she had been asked to return twice, but the timing did not work out and she wanted to concentrate on her radio career.
"[19] Hall also explained that she loved working with Dennis, calling her first stint on the show playing his wife "one of the highlights of my career.
[19] Ahead of the character's come back, a TV Week Soap Extra writer confirmed that Rebecca's characteristic wrap dresses would remain, but she would be sporting "a more feminine wardrobe" upon her return.
[22] Hall explained to an Inside Soap writer that after Paul notices Rebecca is involved in a twin cities project, he sees it as an opportunity to try and win her back.
[22] On 19 August 2019, the show released a promotional trailer confirming Hall had reprised the role again as part of an "ex-wives revenge plot".
When Oliver is injured in a minibus crash, Rebecca visits him and spots a picture of Elle's father, Paul, whom she once spent a romantic weekend with several years earlier.
Rebecca becomes a grandmother for the second time when Declan's girlfriend, Bridget Parker (Eloise Mignon) gives birth to India (Alia and Gabriella Devercelli).
Declan later tells Rebecca that Paul has been lying to her about his financial situation and if PirateNet fails, her name is on the papers and the creditors will bankrupt her.
When Paul sabotages Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) and Libby Kennedy (Kym Valentine) friendship, Rebecca is disgusted with him and asks him to move out.
Paul asks Rebecca to spend the night with her at Lassiter's in exchange for filing an affidavit, which states that his fall was an accident and that he refuses the right to press charges against her.
However, when she learns from Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) that she was the reason his relationship with Kate ended, she decides to stay and help them get back together.
A few years later, Paul and Terese Willis find Rebecca waiting at the Erinsborough community centre, where she is meeting with Toadie to discuss a partnership between the women's shelter she runs and the Sonya Foundation.
Rebecca appears surprised Paul and Terese are getting married, and that his former wives Lyn Scully and Gail Lewis are also in town.
Rebecca meets and dates Gary Canning (Damien Richardson), but when she learns he is also seeing Gail, she ends their potential romance and leaves town.
A Holy Soap writer stated Rebecca's most notable moment was "When Toadie and his firm were trying to win compensation for the victims of the dance party roof collapse, she was instrumental in securing the victory.
[27] Ten years later, Joe Anderton of the same website called the scenes "a pretty famous fight" and hoped it would be brought up during Rebecca and Lyn's returns.
[29] Ruth Deller of entertainment website Lowculture praised Rebecca's character development stating: "Rebecca was such a badly-written, flaky character when she first arrived in Ramsay Street, but thankfully the scriptwriters soon realised just what an asset actress Jane Hall was to the show and turned her around to become awesome.
As someone who can stand up to Paul Robinson (back to his best: being both a bit good and very bad) but yet also care for him, she has been a great addition and the chemistry between both characters has been a real tonic for the show.