For a woman who has spent decades as one of Australia’s best-known entertainers, Denise Scott has a surprising understanding of what it means to be invisible.
Now 70, the star of Mother And Son, the voice of Travel Guides and an almost constant panel-show guest tells TV WEEK she was in Brisbane recently for a gig and ducked out to a nearby bar for a meal while on a break.
She walked in, found a seat, sat down and waited. And waited.
“No-one came near me to serve,” Denise says. “It was bizarre, and I thought, ‘Oh, this really is invisibility!’
“I’m smiling at waiters and waitresses, nodding my head [but] they didn’t come near me. I ended up leaving.”
It was a moment Denise is typically charitable about – she explains that it was a very busy night – but it’s also one that might help explain why she loves her current role as Maggie Boye in the ABC’s reboot of classic sitcom Mother And Son.
Starring alongside series co-creator Matt Okine (as her son, Arthur, who’s forced to move back in with his mum after a messy break-up), she has helped create a character who is an older woman and often overlooked or underestimated by those around her. But, in reality, she’s a powerhouse who is the captain of her own fate.
With a laugh, Denise affirms that Maggie Boye is definitely not invisible.
“Far from it,” she says. “And I love that about her. She’s a great character and it’s a real gift to play.”
A gift, she adds, that almost never happened.
When Matt suggested they team up for a new spin on the beloved Aussie sitcom that originally starred Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald and ran for a decade from 1984, winning five TV WEEK Logie Awards, it wasn’t the first time she’d heard the idea.
“At least two other people had a similar idea of reviving Mother And Son with me as the mother,” Denise says. “So when Matt suggested it, I kind of rolled my eyes and said, ‘Oh yeah, sure.’
“I just didn’t think he’d get approval from Geoffrey Atherden, the original series creator, but he damn well charmed that man until he got the go-ahead!”
But that was just the start of a battle.
Given the original comedy’s massive success, there were worries that even with Matt, an undisputed star of the Australian comedy scene, and Denise on board, the series could never live up to the standard already set.
Then, Denise fell ill just as production began in 2023. Diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, she was undergoing chemotherapy while the series was filming, alternating between playing Maggie and slumping in the closest chair as soon as a scene was in the can.
It was tough, Denise says, but being able to focus on the project was also the break she needed from fighting cancer.
“I just felt so ill the whole time, but when the camera was on, it was like an escape for me,” she says. “When the camera was on, I was Maggie, so I had a bit of a break from being Denise and being sick.”
And her performance, turned in under the worst possible circumstances, won over the sceptics as she made us laugh and reminded Australia why someone like Maggie was so important.
Having battled the unimaginable, Denise is now ready to take Maggie to the next level in season two, exploring her romantic side, taking on the scammers who prey on older Aussies and reliving the youth we learn was about as chaotic as you could imagine.
It’s a role Denise hopes she can keep playing for years to come, but it’s not the only thing on her list, with a return to stand-up comedy on the horizon.
Her new show, “Tickety Boo”, is set to hit venues next year, with Denise saying, “I like having that as my back-up plan because as long as you can write something and make people laugh, you can get a gig!”
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