Now everybody needs WOKE Neighbours...
Ramsay Street’s revamp features a very diverse cast of characters
PRIM and proper Harold Bishop will surely be beside himself with pompous indignation when he meets the new inhabitants of Ramsay Street.
Because when the Australian soap opera Neighbours returns to our screens next month, the famous cul-de-sac in fictional Erinsborough will be the wokest place in the entire southern hemisphere. As well as a biracial gay couple with two children, the soap will also feature a transgender character, a male gay couple and a lesbian singleton.
The long-running show, which was axed last year after Channel 5 decided against renewing its contract, is famous for launching the careers
‘Insiders say TV bosses have done it to crack the American market’
of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie.
It was also regarded as one of the most wholesome shows on TV. Viewer reactions to characters Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell (played by Donovan and Minogue) moving in together in 1987 led to a hastily scripted wedding, a ratings bonanza and a pop music spin-off for the pair.
Now all that is set to change. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that when the show returns next month, new neighbours will include the very modern Varga-Murphy family, which features two mums: Cara, played by actress Sara West, and Remi, portrayed by Naomi Rukavina. Cara is white, Remi is multi-racial and they have two sons, JJ and Dex.
Ramsay Street will also feature female transgender character Mackenzie Hargreaves, played by Georgie Stone. When she heard Neighbours was being revived, Georgie – who is transgender in real life – wrote to the show’s producers to pitch the character. The show’s devoted fans might point out that Neighbours has always kept up with the times. Lesbian character Chloe Brennan, played by straight actress April Rose Pengilly, 35, is set to return in the reboot, alongside her screen brother Aaron Brennan and his partner David Tanaka, who have a daughter named Isla.
Television insiders are surprised that Neighbours bosses have agreed to make it so diverse, with one suggesting that they have done so in a bid to crack the American market. The show is being screened on Amazon’s Freevee channel.
They said: ‘Now Neighbours will be available in the States there will be a big push there. Places like Los Angeles and New York are very woke so it might very well appeal.’ Sara West – who plays Cara VargaMurphy – said: ‘I hope the VargaMurphys will help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community that I’m proud to be a part of.’
Neighbours centres on just six houses in suburban Ramsay Street. It will be returning on September 18 after being an ever-present feature on British screens for 37 years – first on the BBC and then on Channel 5, which last year opted out after the Australian production company Fremantle tried to increase the price of UK rights.
With Amazon now backing the show, Fremantle has signed US star
Mischa Barton to appear as a guest character named Reece.
Ramsay Street stalwarts Karl and Susan Kennedy – played by Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne – will return, along with Stefan Dennis who plays Paul Robinson. Toadie Rebecchi, portrayed by Ryan Moloney, will also be back.
Donovan and Minogue returned as Scott and Charlene to bid farewell to Ramsay Street for the final episode last July.
Guy Pearce also returned, while Natalie Imbruglia and Holly Valance made cameo appearances filmed in London and Margot Robbie appeared from LA.