Despite his growing profile as an actor in the United States with roles in some of the country’s most popular series, Alan Dale still can’t quite shake off the stigma of being ‘Jim Robinson’ in the veteran Aussie soap Neighbours – a role which he departed almost fifteen years ago. So much is he still associated with the character in the United Kingdom that Dale now appears in the latest series of station promos for UK commercial network Channel 4.
In the promo which debuted earlier this week during the launch of the latest series of Big Brother, Dale is discussing his acting career in a mock interview, only to be interrupted by an Aussie fan recognising him as Jim Robinson.
The promo is among a series of tongue-in-cheek advertisements for the channel featuring a number of faces familiar to British viewers.
Dale, a former New Zealander who became known in Australia for his role in the soap The Young Doctors, was part of the original cast of Neighbours when it began on the Seven Network in 1985 and continued through the series’ halcyon days heralded by young co-stars Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue. He left the series in 1993 and with his wife Tracey, a former Miss Australia and television presenter, went to the United States where he scored roles in series such as The OC, Lost, 24 and Ugly Betty.
