Chris Riley

Councillor Christine Bridget "Chris" Riley is a fictional character in the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers, portrayed by Julie Nihill. The publican and landlady of the Imperial Hotel in Mount Thomas, Chris is in a unique position to assist the police thanks to her wealth of knowledge about the town and its inhabitants. Strong-willed and opinionated, she often serves a spokeswoman for important issues in the community, and eventually gains election to the local shire council. She is one of two characters, along with Tom Croydon, to appear in all thirteen seasons of the show, appearing in 507 of the 510 episodes to air. Development and casting The character of Chris Riley was created by Hal McElroy and Tony Morphett to be the publican and landlady of the Imperial Hotel, the Mount Thomas watering hole favoured by the town's police force. Her early characterisation is that of a helpful, friendly woman who is fiercely loyal to her friends, with a fiery temper to boot. During the early development of the show, McElroy conceived the rule that the producers of the show "couldn't have a camera in a room unless there was a copper there as well", with this rule extended to include the only two non-police members of the main cast, that being Chris Riley and Roz Patterson. Julie Nihill came to the role after playing the role of Jessie Bradman in Bodyline and guest roles in hit television shows such as Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice and Rafferty's Rules. In later years, Chris is portrayed as a shire councillor, which allows the character to take on a more significant role in the community, moving her away from simply being a friendly ear and occasional informant for the police.