Stephen Gottlieb is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Lochie Daddo. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 October 1992. Stephen is characterised as a compassionate record store manager. He was introduced into the series as a love interest of Phoebe Bright (Simone Robertson). Writers created a rushed romance between the pair. Phoebe was mourning her dead boyfriend Todd Landers (Kristian Schmid) and pregnant with his child. Despite this the characters were married and cohabiting after two months. Stephen and Phoebe's relationship dominated his main storylines. They included Phoebe's pregnancy dramas, her baby nearly dying and living in fear of their mentally ill lodger Russell Butler (Steven Whittaker). Stephen's most prominent story was suffering paralysis after being caught up in a gas explosion. Stephen's rehabilitation is quick but provided more turmoil for him and Phoebe. Daddo soon decided to leave Neighbours because he was frustrated with his character's stories. He believed that Stephen was nothing more than Phoebe's love interest. His departure caused producers to write Robertson out of the show too. Their departure story depicts them moving away to open a record store with the compensation received from Stephen's accident.