Neighbours

She's feisty and outspoken and always ready for a scrap if the situation demands it. A dyed-in-the-wool tomboy, Bridget (who prefers to go by the nickname Didge) regularly gets herself into trouble but never means any harm.

The Parkers adopted Bridget at the age of 6, along with her older brother Riley whom she adores. Bridget's adopted status is irrelevant to her on a day-to-day basis. Steve and Miranda are the only parents she has ever known and loved and she has all the same problems with them that any other teenager would have.

Bridget is particularly close to her dad Steve. She shares his cheekiness, his passionate love of animals, and his eagerness to go into battle for the underdog. She loves sport and lives in the moment.

Bridget's relentless joie de vivre means she often gets bored in school and she's a pretty average student. Although she doesn't mean to slack off, she's usually in trouble for letting deadlines fly past, talking back and making (always fairly innocent) mischief. However, the upside is that her outgoing nature means she makes friends easily. Her fondness for straight talking and roughhousing means that she often gets left out of female friendship groups but Bridget's always preferred the clear-cut, easy mateship of guys anyway.

Turning sixteen has been a tricky time for Bridget. The older she gets, the harder it is to pretend that she's just one of the boys. She's pretty uncomfortable with her newly feminine form so she continues to dress for impromptu footy games and mucking around with the animals at Steve's practice, much to her glamorous mum's continued horror.

Bridget sometimes feels like she's an embarrassment to her mum but the reality is that Miranda's immensely proud of her daughter, she just doesn't know how to say it. Like Miranda, Bridget is lively, optimistic and proactive in her relationships but that's where the similarities end.

With Bridget, everything is out there for all to see: her opinions, her passions, her vulnerability, whereas Miranda prefers decorum, order and presenting a permanently pleasant image to the outside world. Bridget knows her mum's not cold-hearted but she finds her control issues totally infuriating and likes nothing more than to push her buttons. What does it matter if the neighbours hear you fighting, or see you in a dirty shirt, or suspect that you might not be totally perfect?