Original character Neville "Nev" McPhee in early 1988
Neville McPhee first appeared in the pilot episode of Home And Away in January 1988. He and his wife Floss were retired circus performers who lived in the Summer Bay Caravan Park. They left in March 1989 to join a new circus. When Floss returned to attend Sally Fletcher's wedding in 2000, she revealed that Neville had died 4 years previously. Neville was played by the late Frank Lloyd.
Biography[]
| Neville McPhee | |
|---|---|
Character Profile
| |
| Birthday: | c. 1925 - c.1996 |
| Birthplace: | Australia |
| Father: | {{{Father}}} |
| Mother: | {{{Mother}}} |
| Siblings: | Unknown |
| Spouse: | Floss McPhee (1949-1996) |
| Children: | Scott McPhee (c1953) |
| Occupation: | Retired circus performer |
| Played By: | Frank Lloyd |
Backstory[]
Neville McPhee was born in the early 1920s and was of Scottish descent. As well as having a Scottish surname, he liked to play the bagpipes. This didn't go down well with anybody unfortunate to be within earshot! His father worked as a circus clown and when he got older, Neville continued the family tradition. He became a circus strongman. He served in World War II and in 1949, married Floss. She was just 17 years old at the time and went on to work as a fortune teller. A few years later they had a son called Scott. Unlike his friendly and down to earth parents, Scott grew up to be a snob. When he was a young adult he disowned his parents and hated everything about their lifestyle.
1988-1989[]
Neville McPhee in early 1988.
The McPhees retired to the Summer Bay Caravan Park and lived there in their battered old gypsy van. Alf Stewart paid them to look after the vacant caravan park and the adjoining Summer Bay House. Unbeknownst to anybody, they were sheltering local tearaway Bobby Simpson in an empty van. When the caravan park was sold to the Fletcher family, they became good friends with them. Neville was a good-humoured, mild-mannered man who was quieter than the outgoing Floss. Although she was the one who called a lot of the shots, he knew when to put his foot down and reel her in.
In 1988 Floss decided she had to try and finally meet their grandson Ben. Because Ben's father Scott had cut them out of his life, they had never met Ben. Thanks to a series of happy accidents, Floss got a job as Ben's nanny while his parents were abroad (she called herself Mrs Neville lol). Neville watched, aghast, as Floss grew closer to her grandson and took him to stay in their caravan. All he could see was how heartbroken she would be at the end of it all. Happily things worked out well for the McPhees in the end but their son is probably still a snob with a giant chip on his shoulder.
In 1989 Floss and Neville were offered the chance to rejoin a circus. Floss wasn't entirely sure it was the right thing to do but Neville encouraged her to go for it. They rolled out of the caravan park in March of that year.
Neville died off-screen in 1996. In 2000 Floss revealed that he had died suddenly from a heart attack while walking along a beach. She told people not to be mournful about it because he had lived a full and contented life.
Memorable info[]
Date of birth: c. 1925, Australia
Died: c. 1996 (heart attack, offscreen),
Full Name: Neville McPhee
Nickname: Nev
First Line: "Oh, g'day Alf."
Last Line: "Uh-oh, looks like we've been sprung, old girl." (to Floss)
Neville's date of birth was never fully established. In Episode 38, his wife Floss said he was 60-odd, which gave him a birth date of 1927 at the latest.
In Episode 51 Neville says his father used to abuse "us kids with a leather belt". This indicates Neville had siblings.
Family[]
Spouse Floss McPhee(1949-1996)
Children Scott McPhee (c1953)
Grandchildren Ben McPhee
First cousins 1 cousin
Siblings At least 1