Say goodbye to the Neighbours
HEARD the one about the stag do and the exotic dancer who was still around the morning after?
That was the opening storyline for the first episode of Aussie soap Neighbours back in 1985.
Now, more than 9,000 episodes later, the residents of Ramsay Street are preparing to say their goodbyes with a finale special featuring many of the cast members who have appeared over the years, from pop icons Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan to Hollywood star Guy Pearce.
Princess Diana and the Queen Mother were both said to be big fans of Neighbours and would request tapes from the BBC in order to catch up on episodes they missed when busy with royal engagements.
The cast was even extended a special invitation to appear at the Royal Variety Performance in 1988 attended by the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
Stefan Dennis, who plays the villainous Paul Robinson and is the only original remaining cast member on the soap, recalled that the Queen Mother snubbed the entire cast of the US sitcom Golden Girls to talk to the Neighbours stars.
He also remembers receiving a standing ovation from thousands of people at Wembley Stadium after being invited into the VIP box alongside Prince Charles to see a Michael Jackson concert in 1992.
The royals were among an estimated 120 million viewers across the world who became addicted to the lives of the characters living and working in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough.
The soap, created by Reg Watson, who was also responsible for Prisoner: Cell Block H, was watched across Europe, India, South Africa, Russia, Canada, America, Mexico, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
It launched the careers of a string of Hollywood stars such as Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie and Liam Hemsworth, while the likes of Alan Dale, Holly Valance and Natalia Imbruglia all had roles on the show.
There has also been no shortage of Brits heading Down Under to pay a visit to the cul-de sac including Little Britain’s David Walliams and Matt Lucas, chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson, Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey, comedians Julian Clary and Russell Brand, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Spice Girl Emma Bunton and Grange Hill’s Lee Macdonald.
The longest-running drama series on Australian television initially launched on the country’s Seven network in 1985, but the channel axed it before Ten picked it up the following year and it became an international hit.
The UK took the soap to its heart and Neighbours was shown on BBC1 until 2008, when it moved to Channel 5.
Kylie and Jason famously played power couple Scott and Charlene until their departures in 1989 and 1988 respectively.
Their wedding episode was watched by more than two million Australian viewers when it first aired in 1987, but pulled in an audience of almost 20 million when it was shown in the UK the following year.
There have been other classic soap moments over the decades. Harold Bishop, played by Ian Smith, came back from the dead five years after being tragically washed away by the sea. Dee Bliss, meanwhile, drove off a cliff on her wedding day and appeared to miraculously return 13 years later (but it was actually her evil lookalike, Andrea, trying to claim Dee’s estate). The real Dee did return from the dead eventually to discover she had a twin. Labrador Bouncer spent six years on the show and was a fan favourite. He once appeared in a dream sequence thinking about life with another dog called Rosie and them having puppies together. There have been plenty of dramatic deaths, infidelities andcrimes. For its 35th anniversary, Neighbours even treated viewers to five weddings and three deaths – all in the space of one week. Some people might look different, but they stay the same. Lucy Robinson was played by three actors over the course of her time on the show, and she was not alone. Other characters, such as Cody and Cheryl, also turned up with new faces.
In a 2002 storyline, long-term Neighbours character Susan Kennedy slipped on spilled milk and suffered a head injury, leaving her with retrograde amnesia. She lost 30 years of her life overnight and awoke believing the year was 1972 and she was just about to turn 16 – despite actually being 45.
Executive producer Jason Herbison said it was emotional filming the final scenes of Neighbours and some tears were shed.
He added: “We’ve also been incredibly touched by the response from our viewers all over the world. Neighbours is more than a TV show to many people. They see us as part of the family and we feel privileged to have been invited into their homes, and I know the legacy of Neighbours will live on for many years.”
AS THE HIT AUSSIE SOAP BOWS OUT, MARION McMULLEN
RECALLS ITS
Harold Bishop... came back from the dead after being tragically washed away by the sea
Neighbours will end with a double-episode special on Channel 5 at 9pm on July 29.