Briony Behets, a familiar face from the golden age of Aussie TV soaps, is returning to Neighbours to reprise her role of Amanda Harris.
She last played the role, the daughter of Mrs Mangel (Vivean Gray) and the mother of Jane Harris (Annie Jones), for a brief run in 1987.
British-born Behets was a former model who became known to TV viewers appearing on panel shows like Tell The Truth and in drama-comedy series Birds In The Bush, but it was her role in Number 96 in 1972 that was her big break. It was her appearance as the heavily-pregnant Helen Eastwood in the first episode that attracted the ire of the broadcasting authorities when she was engaged in a scene with sexually-frustrated husband Mark (Martin Harris), who tried to seduce his wife by putting his hand up her skirt. The scene was forced to be cut from any subsequent airing.
She later returned to screens as Judy Donovan, the wife of TV executive Paul Donovan (George Mallaby) in The Box.
Following The Box she had a stint as weather presenter for Eyewitness News in Melbourne.
Later credits included Class Of ’75, Bellbird, Alvin Purple, Bluey, Power Without Glory, Chopper Squad, Young Ramsay, The Young Doctors, Skyways, Prisoner, Cop Shop, A Country Practice, E Street, Flair, Skin Deep, The Flying Doctors and the British-Australian soap Families.
After her appearance in Neighbours in 1987, she returned to the series in a different role, Kate Newton, in 2008.
Behets is due to appear on-screen on Neighbours later in April, with Amanda moving into the Eirini Rising retirement village.
Source: Neighbours, Digital Spy, IMDB
