Irene Roberts is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Home and Away. She was originally played by actress Jacqy Phillips from her introduction on 29 October 1991, until 13 May 1992. Following Phillips' departure, the part was recast to Lynne McGranger, who debuted during the episode broadcast on 12 January 1993. Irene was initially a recurring character, but on 7 October 1993 McGranger was promoted to the regular cast. McGranger is the longest-serving female actor in an Australian drama and one of the longest-serving Home and Away cast members. On 23 February 2025, McGranger announced that she had quit the serial, having played Irene for just over 32 years. Her final appearance aired on 19 August 2025. That same year, she won the Gold Logie for her portrayal of Irene.
Casting Actress Jacqy Phillips was cast the role in 1991. Phillips was predominately a stage actress but enjoyed working on the show. She told Garry Shelley from TV Week that "I never dreamed I would ever work in a soap and I'm not being snobbish about it .... but now I'm thrilled; I love it." Phillips added that she had an "open-ended" contract with the show. The actress left the role in 1992.
Irene was later recast to Lynne McGranger, who took over the role at the end of the year. McGranger had worked mostly in the theatre and had little television experience before the role. The actress and her family relocated from Melbourne to Sydney to be closer to the studios. McGranger was originally contracted for a 13-week guest stint, but when she proved popular with viewers, she was brought back six months later. She was promoted to the main cast on 7 October 1993. Of her casting, McGranger said "I jumped at the chance of going into Home and Away. In Australia 90% of actors there are out of work, so to have two years guaranteed work is very exciting." McGranger is one of the longest serving cast members in the serial. Speaking of her duration whilst being interviewed by David Knox of TV Tonight, McGranger stated: "Being very pragmatic, I love my job. You couldn't be doing this for 18 years if you didn't love it. You would go stark raving nuts, because it is intense." McGranger later became the longest-serving female actor in an Australian drama serial.
Development Irene was initially portrayed as a hateful drunk and Irene's bad behaviour earned her negativity from viewers. In 1992, Phillips revealed that while out in public she had been approached by strangers who called her the "really rotten bitch from Home and Away.
The serial's official website describes Irene as: "your classic Aussie battler. Down to earth and with a wry sense of humour, she's always good for a yarn and a laugh. It doesn't matter who you are, young or old, Irene's door is always open to you." Irene is seen as a caring woman who constantly takes in children to foster, of this they say: "Helping kids in need has given her a second chance at being a mum, and the opportunity to make up for all the mistakes she made with her own kids."
There were plans to write the character out of Home And Away in early 2002, however when new Script Producer Coral Drouyn arrived, she was horrified and decided to give the character strong storylines and ground her.
McGranger said of her role, "Having to play that 'losing your mind' stuff was really a stretch for something like Home And Away, and for someone like Irene, who's very comfortably swanning around Summer Bay for 13 or 14 years, making people cups of tea and solving their problems...Sometimes you get a little too comfortable and that really jolted me out of my comfort zone. It was exhausting but exhilarating."
The character is known for her fostering role and has been seen as a mother figure by several young characters during her time in the show, including Selina Cook (Tempany Deckert), who had a relationship with Irene's son Damian Roberts (Matt Doran), Chloe Richards (Kristy Wright), Chloe's daughter Olivia Fraser Richards (Raechelle Banno), siblings Hayley (Bec Hewitt) and Nick Smith (Chris Egan), Sasha Bezmel (Demi Harman), Geoff (Lincoln Lewis) and Annie Campbell (Charlotte Best), Belle Taylor (Jessica Tovey), and Joey Rainbow (Alex O'Han).
Writers created a heart problem story for Irene which occurs after she suffers from stress. Irene endures a painkiller addiction, her relationship with Paris ends and she tries to cope with Tasha Andrews' (Isabel Lucas) wayward behaviour. Irene's health deteriorates when she tries to help fellow alcoholic Kit Hunter (Amy Mizzi) remain sober. Irene accompanies Kit to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and talks to the group about her own experiences. She then collapses with chest pains and is taken to hospital.
McGranger told a reporter from Inside Soap that Irene has "a wake up call" regarding her health. She explained that while Irene does not have a heart attack, her arteries are blocking in the first stages of heart disease. Irene takes her health scare seriously because of her past experiences with alcohol abuse. McGranger said that "being a recovering alcoholic, Irene has done a lot of damage to her body over the years, and she sees this as a warning of worse things to come."
But rather than it being dietary related, her heart problems are brought on by "a stressful run". Irene realises she needs to rest but McGranger thought Tasha's dramas would bring yet more strife. The actress enjoyed playing the story because it raised awareness that anyone can have heart problems. Irene is "a health nut" and likes to exercise often. McGranger concluded that "it shows the viewers that you can be fit and healthy, but if you let stress get on top of you, then this can happen. Any age, any time."
Departure On 23 February 2025, McGranger announced that she was to leave the show in August after 32 years. Of her feelings towards her departure, she told Clare Rigden of The Sunday Times: "I'm excited, I'm a little bit sad, I'm anxious, but at the same time, I'm over the moon. It just feels like the time is right." McGranger made the decision to leave after appearing in a production of The Grandparents' Club in 2024. She felt that she had "come full circle" as she started her career in the theatre and wanted to end it there. She admitted the decision was "tough" and spoke about it with her family, co-stars and the show's producers, but did not ever think it was the wrong choice. McGranger came up with her character's exit storyline, which the head writer and producers loved, but refused to reveal the details. She called it "very pertinent, and very important".
Filming of McGranger's final scenes began during the week commencing 24 March and wrapped on 26 March. She shot her final scene on the Pier Diner set in the network's studio at Eveleigh, before Series Producer Lucy Addario gave her a bouquet of flowers and the hamburger phone from the set. Of wrapping her time on the show, McGranger stated "I've had the ride of my life. And I love each and every one of you so much: The cast – Ray, Georgie, Emily, Shane, Ada, James, all the youngins. The art department, the writers, everybody – there's so many unsung heroes. This show is made up of so many parts. You're all amazing, and it's been my great privilege to work with each and every one of you. I'm touched, I'm humbled and I'm so honoured. Thank you so much." McGranger's final episode was broadcast on 19 August 2025.
In the lead up to the character's departure from Summer Bay, she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. McGranger came up with the idea, before taking it to the writers. She admitted that she would have been happy if Irene was "hit by a bus outside the Diner", but realised that exit would have been too simple and that the writers would not "just wave goodbye to Irene out the back of a bus!" McGranger said that Irene's diagnosis is "sad and final", but she uses her time the best that she can and her exit would be "a positive message for people." Ahead of her exit episode, Irene decides she wants to see the world while she still can and sells her house. Her friends decide to throw her a farewell party, with speeches and a music performance. However, her close friend John Palmer (Shane Withington) struggles with her imminent departure and contemplates not going to the party. McGranger found filming her exit scenes and saying goodbye to her colleagues "incredibly difficult but rich. Ada was sobbing and Shane, I think, is still in denial!" She also revealed that some of her former co-stars had been in contact to wish her well. She told Tamara Cullen of TV Week that the impact her character had had on people was "a huge honour and responsibility" and she was grateful for everyone.
Storylines Irene first shows up in Summer Bay as the alcoholic mother of three children, Nathan (David Dixon), Damian (Matt Doran) and "Fin" Finlay (Tina Thomsen), being fostered by Pippa Ross. Having hit rock bottom after an unhappy marriage, she had started drinking heavily as a coping mechanism, and it was soon revealed that she had used violence towards Damian and Nathan on occasions while under the influence. Although Damian and Fin try to maintain a relationship with her following her arrival, her drunken antics prove too much, and after falling down the stairs after a binge, she falsely accuses Damian and Fin of pushing her and then threatens to harm Pippa if she does not release Damian from her care. This proves to be the final straw for Damian and Fin; unable to cope with her behaviour any longer, the two, backed by Pippa and her husband Michael, tell Irene to leave the Bay and go home and get her life back together.
After an 18-month absence, Irene returns to the Bay after hearing in the news that Fin had nearly drowned during a deep sea dive. By this time, Irene had turned her life around and had not touched alcohol in over a year. Although initially sceptical, her children soon warmed to her when they realised that she really had changed for the better, and, following the arrival of Damian and Fin's brother Nathan in the Bay when Irene was considering leaving, Nathan explained that their mother was now recovered from alcoholism and had left their father; as a result, Damian and Fin decided that they wanted her to stay at Summer Bay permanently. Despite the previous animosity between the two, Irene also soon becomes firm friends with Pippa, displaying a kinder side to her personality when she helps Pippa come to terms with the loss of her son Dale who died of cot death, and the death of her husband Michael, who drowned in a flash flood.
Before long, Irene would become one of the key characters in the series, taking over the Beach House. Her three biological children moved back in with her, and she also fostered a number of other young people over time.