Clive Gibbons

Neighbours marks Paine's first professional acting role.[1] The Grundy Organisation discovered him while he was performing in a college production at the Victoria Arts Centre, and they asked him to come in for a screen test, before offering him the role of Clive.[2] Paine almost turned down the role as he looked down on acting in a soap.[3] He said "I suppose at the time I was a bit too idealistic about the world of acting. Playing a messenger in a gorilla suit might not be King Lear, but at least it pays the rent."[3] Paine later explained that he was reluctant to take the role because of credibility with soap operas. But he was encouraged to take the opportunity and do what he could with the part. He also knew that his experience on Neighbours would be invaluable due to its fast production and high publicity.[1]

After more than a year, Paine decided not to renew his contract after fearing that he may be typecast.[2] He left in 1987 and he said "I don't regret leaving Neighbours at all. I think it's terrific the way the show's taken off, but I'm very pleased with the direction I've taken."[2] Paine later made a brief return to the show in 1989.[4]

Clive runs a gorillagram agency from Number 22 Ramsay Street, which upsets neighbour Max Ramsay. Clive and Max clash right away, but Clive manages to win over the other residents. Clive invites Daphne Lawrence (Elaine Smith) to move into his spare room when her engagement to Des Clarke (Paul Keane) falls apart. They are briefly joined there by Daphne's best friend, Zoe Davis (Ally Fowler) and then by Mike Young (Guy Pearce). As well as running his gorillagram business, Clive teamed up with Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien) to form a gardening business called Ramsay and Gibbons Gardening Service or RAGGS. Clive's real profession is revealed when he saves Lucy Robinson's (Kylie Flinker) life after she is stung by a bee and cannot breathe. Clive performs a Tracheotomy on Lucy on the Robinson's kitchen table and saves her life. Clive tells his neighbours that he is a doctor, but he quit medicine when he made a mistake, which led to the death of his girlfriend, Linda.

Clive's brother, Graham (Peter Harvey-Wright), a GP visits with his wife, Kate (Jenny Seedsman) and daughter Vicki (Charmaine Gorman). Clive realises that Graham would badger him about returning to medicine and he tells him about Linda's death. Graham continues to badger Clive until he agrees to become a doctor again. Graham and his family leave after Alex Carter (Kevin Summers), a robber threatens them. Clive befriends Susan Cole (Gloria Ajenstat) and offers her and her son, Sam, a place to live. Clive falls in love with Susan, but she falls for her boss Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). When his uncle Ted (Max Meldrum) comes to visit, Clive asks Susan to pretend to be his wife in order for Clive to say he is a successful family man. Susan agrees, but Ted sees her kissing Paul and confronts Clive. Clive tells Ted the truth.

When Paul rejects her, Susan is comforted by Clive and he tells her that he is in love with her. Susan accepts a marriage proposal from Clive, but as Clive starts planning a wedding, Susan realises that she does not love Clive and she leaves Erinsborough. Clive suffers from depression and takes his anger out on Paul. He eventually bounces back and decides to move into the flat behind his surgery before leaving Erinsborough. Two years later, Clive makes a brief return and stays at Number 28 while Des is away and makes friends with Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden). He also provides Paul with a shoulder to cry on following the end of his marriage. Clive gets a call from Graham who is injured in an accident and needs someone to run his surgery in the country. Clive then leaves Ramsay Street again for the outback.

Nearly 28 years later, Clive returns to Erinsborough as the new COO of the local hospital. He meets with David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) and Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) to discuss the public opening of the new spinal unit. He later catches up with Paul in The Waterhole. After a meeting about attracting donors, Aaron asks Clive for his help in finding a record of David and his brother Leo Tanaka's (Tim Kano) father, as they were born in a Western Sydney hospital, where Clive once worked. Jasmine Udagawa (Kaori Maeda-Judge) offers to make a donation to the spinal unit if Clive calls off his search. Clive later tells David that he could not find any information on his father, before admitting to Paul that he had already called in the favour when Jasmine offered him the money. Leo confronts Clive about accepting a bribe from Jasmine, but Clive tells him that there was no information about their father, but Jasmine was unaware when she made her donation. Clive interviews Brooke Butler (Fifi Box) for a fundraising job, but Sheila Canning (Colette Mann) warns him that Brooke is a scam artist, before she tries to take back what she said. However, Clive reveals that he has spoken to Paul and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), who confirmed Sheila's allegations, so he will not be offering Brooke the job.

A few months later, Clive asks Karl to investigate some missing morphine. He finds Sheila checking up on her granddaughter, Xanthe Canning (Lilly Van der Meer), and asks her out to lunch, but she cancels when Xanthe is accused of taking the morphine. Clive comes across Sheila in the city and he helps her to search Xanthe, who has run away from school. Clive and Sheila spend the rest of the afternoon together and Clive asks her out on a date to an art gallery. Clive and Sheila spend a lot of time together in the ensuing weeks, and he mentions to her that he has at least two children. Their relationship ends when Sheila is contacted by her former partner, Russell Brennan (Russell Kiefel) Sheila tells Clive that she needs to know the relationship is definitely over, before moving on with him. Clive vouches for Nick Petrides (Damien Fotiou), an oncologist who was arrested for poisoning Paul with unnecessary chemotherapy. Clive's testimony ensures Nick's release from prison so he can advise with Terese Willis's (Rebekah Elmaloglou) cancer treatment.

Months later, Sheila offers to help Clive with community outreach for the new hospital wing, before asking if they can rekindle their relationship. Clive is reluctant as he was hurt by their break up. Clive teaches an adult TAFE class at the local community centre, which Sheila attends. After the first class, Sheila confronts Clive for being harsh on her and he admits that he still has feelings for her. They arrange a date and give their relationship another chance. Clive allows Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaite) to have the naming rights to the new hospital wing, following a $20 million donation, which upsets Paul. But following Izzy's departure, Clive informs Karl the new wing is cancelled. Karl is left without a job as a result, until Clive offers him a job with research trials. Clive arranges for Ross Wilson to play at The Waterhole for Sheila, but she runs off when she is invited up on stage, and admits that she has been having memory problems. Clive reassures her and run some tests, which show the memory issues are a side effect of her heart medication.

Karl suggests implementing an MRI screening program, but Clive rejects the idea for being too expensive. Karl secures funding from Rita Newland (Lisa Kay), who plots to have Clive removed from his job. Clive rejects a remyelination therapy trial for the hospital and backs David for a position on the board, but he changes his vote to Karl, knowing that his position as COO is tenuous. As the trial goes ahead, Clive receives an anonymous call telling him the results have been tampered with and he shuts it down. He later offers Karl a job as a GP. Clive and Sheila break up, and he begins a relationship with Beverly Robinson (Shaunna O'Grady). Sheila is jealous and constantly tries to sabotage their dates. After an argument, Clive and Sheila have sex and begin an affair. Clive eventually breaks up with Beverly for Sheila, and a furious Beverly throws a bucket of manure over Sheila in revenge. Clive goes travelling and when he returns, he and Sheila agree that while neither of them wants to remarry, they are committed to their future together. Sheila is devastated when her son Gary Canning (Damien Richardson) is murdered, and Clive supports her as she grieves.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Neighbours, a reporter from the BBC asked readers to nominate their twenty favourite obscure characters.[14] Clive was not included in the list, but the reporter revealed they had received many suggestions asking him to be included. They said that Clive's popularity disqualified him and that he "lacked sufficient obscurity".[14] Another writer for the BBC called Clive the "true genius of Neighbours."[15] Lorna Cooper of MSN said Clive was "lovely",[4] while Tom Adair of The Scotsman dubbed the character "wacky".[16] A Lowculture writer stated that Clive performing an emergency tracheotomy on Jim Robinson's kitchen table was one of Neighbours' great moments.[17] A BBC reporter agreed, saying Clive's most notable moment was "Performing an emergency operation on the Robinson's kitchen table and saving Lucy."[18]

Daniel Martin of The Guardian included Clive's 1986 dream on his list of Favourite Christmas Soap Moments.[19] Martin commented, "Not the greatest dream sequence in Neighbours history (that gong has to go to the iconic Bouncer's Dream), but this candy-coated reminder to the grim British contingent of how it should be done is burned onto the brains of twentysomethings nationwide. Doctor Clive – refereeing a boxing match between Mike and Shane for the heart of Plain Jane Superbrain – is knocked out and goes into a bizarre festive dream sequence where the cast were re-imagined as pantomime characters. Clive was Santa, Mike and Shane were Tweedle Dum and Dee, Paul Robinson some nameless panto villain – and Scott and Charlene were in Europe pretending to be pop stars."[19]

In her 1994 book, The Neighbours Programme Guide, Josephine Monroe revealed that Clive became popular with viewers and his 1989 return was scripted to set up a spin-off series, City Hospital. A pilot was made, but it was not picked up by any television networks.[20] Polly Hudson of the Daily Mirror wondered why Paine did not go on to have an acting career in Hollywood, like "mean old Jim Robinson", commenting that he was "surely the most talented comedy actor of all time".[21] Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap praised Clive's 2017 return, saying "Treat of the week was the return of Dr Clive Gibbons to Neighbours. A real 80s favourite!"[22]

Bibliography

• Clive Gibbons at BBC Online