Philippa "(Edna)" Hickie (20 November 1932 – 27 September 2026) better known as Philippa Baker was an Australian actress of radio, theatre and television.

Baker was one of the earliest performers on Australian radio, alongside stars Queenie Ashton, Ethel Lang, Gwen Plumb and her Number 96 future co-star Thelma Scott. She was associated with the "Golden Age of Australian Radio" and spent five years appearing in the long-running Gwen Meredith radio series Blue Hills playing Scottish nurse Heather. At the time, prior to the British radio series The Archers, Blue Hills was the world's longest-running radio soap, running for some 27 years and was a spin-off to the earlier radio production The Lawsons. Baker also appeared in an 19-month stint in the radio series Dr. Paul.

She started her career in theatre in 1953, and moved to the new medium of television continuing in the theatre tradition appearing in live televised plays, before moving to guest parts in Crawford Productions serials. She is best known for featuring in the soap opera Number 96 in the 1970s as a comedy duo with Johnny Lockwood as Russian deli worker Roma Lubinski. She later marries his character Aldo, but due to the series' falling ratings, both characters were subsequently killed off in a bomb blast storyline. Baker and Lockwood also featured in the film version in 1974.

Baker played Dame Enid Lyons in the 1988 miniseries True Believers.

After Number 96 she had several small roles in telefilms and miniseries, and even appeared in the popular 1988 Yahoo Serious feature film, Young Einstein, in a cameo as Sigmund Freud's mother. In 1989, after 35 years of performing, Baker retired from acting.

Early life and education Baker was born as Philippa Hickie in Sydney on 1932,Willingham, Margot "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz" and attended the Independent Theatre, alongside Number 96 co-star Sheila Kennelly training under Doris Fitton. She was at the that time working as a head librarian, when she was offered an Arts Council Tour with the Twelfth Night Theatre.

Career Radio Baker acted in the long-running radio serial Blue Hills, spending five years playing Scottish nurse Heather from 1953 to 1958.Fawcett, Tony. "The Double Life of Mrs Godolfus!" TV Week. 4 August 1973, p.20

Television and film Baker appeared in television plays by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1958 onwards, and then featured in a few different roles in early Crawford Productions police procedurals Homicide and Division Four.

She however became best known for playing Roma in top-rated soap opera Number 96. She joined as Russian emigrant Roma Lubinski early in the show's run in 1972, becoming a comedy double-act with Johnny Lockwood, who played her character's soon-to-be husband Aldo, the deli proprietor. Roma works in the deli and owns her own restaurant; it is revealed she is a concentration camp survivor.Giles, Nigel "NUMBER 96:AUSTRALIA MOST INFAMOUS ADDRESS"

Aldo and Roma reprised their roles in the 1974 feature film version of Number 96. They were written out of the serial in late 1974 with all the attached publicity, but returned several weeks later: it was always planned as a temporary absence and the media stories were a publicity stunt.

By August 1975 however, the program's ratings had entered a slump and a drastic revamp of the show was planned. The writers decided to write out several high-profile characters, so in early September 1975 the show's famous bomb blast killed four residents including Roma and Aldo. The couple were extremely popular and there was much campaigning by fans to bring back their favourite characters. In 1976 Baker and co-star Lockwood appeared in a retrospective documentary special, titled ...And They Said It Wouldn't Last, commemorating the 1000th episode of Number 96.

In 1976 Baker joined comedy series The Norman Gunston Show in a recurring sketch The Checkout Chicks, a parody of melodramatic soap operas set in a supermarket. The Checkout Chicks featured other former Number 96 actors Abigail, Vivienne Garrett, Candy Raymond, Judy Lynne and Anne Louise Lambert.

In 1977, she appeared in the guest role of Mrs. Jamieson (Dennis Jamieson's mother) in the soap opera The Young Doctors.

Through the 1980s Baker made various appearances in theatre, television and film. She had small roles in the films Annie's Coming Out (1984) and Young Einstein (1988).

Theatre Baker also worked in theatre between 1953 and 1989, including productions of The Glass Menagerie, The Cherry Orchard, Hedda Gabler and A Streetcar Named Desire

Death Baker died on 27 September 2026, at the age of 93.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRole1958 A Rose Without a Thorn Tiley TV movie1962 Funnel Web Marion Westlake TV movie1962 Family Album Harriet Winter TV movie1964 A Sound of Trumpets TV Movie1970 "Eden House" (an episode of series Australian Plays) Helen TV movie1974 Number 96 Roma Godolfus Feature film 1976 Murcheson Creek TV movie 1977 Say You Want Me TV movie1981 A Hard God Monica TV movie1984 Annie's Coming Out (aka A Test of Love) Sister Waterman Feature film 1988 Young Einstein Freud's mother Feature film

Television YearTitleRoleType1963 The Hungry Ones TV mini-series1968 Contrabandits Prudence TV series1971 The Godfathers Molly TV series 1970–71 Division 4 2 roles:- Mrs Couter- Helen McGuire TV series1970–72 Homicide 3 roles:- Mrs Allen- Mrs Campbell- Mrs Johnson TV series 1972–75 Number 96 Mrs. Roma Lubinski/Godolfus TV series1975 The Norman Gunston Show Member of "Check-out Chicks" (soap opera parody) TV series 1976 Number 96 ...And They Said It Wouldn't Last Herself TV special celebrating 1000th episode of Number 961977 Pig in a Poke TV miniseries, episode: Christine's Story1977 The Young Doctors Mrs. Jamison TV series, 5 episodes1981 Australian Theatre Festival Monica TV series1981 The Weekly's War Mrs. Cruickshank TV miniseries1984 Five Mile Creek Mrs. Curtis TV series 1988 The Dirtwater Dynasty Landlady TV miniseries 1988 True Believers Dame Enid Lyons TV miniseries

Theatre YearTitleRolePlaywright 1953 Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Jean Baptiste Moliere 1954 Cockpit Bridget Boland 1954 Before the Carnivale Peter Kenna 1955/1956 Medea Euripides 1956 The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Wuilliams 1956 The Beautiful People William Saroyan 1959 The Slaughter of St. Teresea's Day Sister Mary Mark Peter Kenna 1963 The Cherry Orchard Anton Chekhov 1966 Three Sisters Anton Chekhov 1976 The Wolf Countess Ferenc Molnar 1976 Saturday, Suunday, Monday Eduardo de Filippo 1977 Wild Oats (play) John O'Keeffe 1980 The Bread-Winner (play) Dorothy William Somerset Maugham 1981 The Shifting Heart Momma Bianchi Richard Beynon 1983 Mornings at Seven Peter Osborn 1983 In Duty Bound Ron Elisha 1984 A Hard God Peter Kenna 1986 Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen 1988 A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams 1989 A Family Affair (play) Alexander Ostrovsky 1989 The Barretts of Wimpole Street Rudolf Besier

Radio YearTitleRoleType1950s Blue Hills Scottish nurse Radio serial

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