Inside Neighbours’ final episode as legendary cast reunite – and Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s absence explained
IT’S the glorious reunion fans of Aussie soap Neighbours never wanted to see.
The cast of the TV series gathered for one final photo as they prepared to leave Ramsay Street for ever.
WHO'S WHO
FRONT ROW: 1. Zara Selwyn (Freya Van Dyke); 2. Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden); 3. Nell Rebecchi (Scarlett Anderson); 4. Hugo Somers (John Turner); 5. Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney); 6. Harold Bishop (Ian Smith); 7. Dr Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher); 8. Malcolm Kennedy (Benji McNair); 9. Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne). 10. Callum Jones (Morgan Baker); 11. Roxy Willis ( Zima Anderson); 12. Jane Harris (Annie Jones); 13. Chloe Brennan (Harlow Herbison-Fuentes); 14. Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell); 15. Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis); 16. Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou); 17. Lauren Carpenter (Kate Kendall); 18. Vera Punt (Sally-Anne Upton)
SECOND ROW: 19. Glen Donnelly (Richard Huggett); 20. Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly); 21. David Tanaka (Takaya Honda); 22. Levi Canning (Richie Morris); 23. Kiri Durant (Gemma Bird Matheson ); 24. Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone); 25. Wendy Rodwell (Candice Leask). 26. Andrew Rodwell (Lloyd Will); 27. Sadie Rodwell (Emerald Chan); 28. Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton); 29. Des Clarke (Paul Keane); 30. Nicolette Stone (Charlotte Chimes ); 31. Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano); 32. Freya Wozniak (Phoebe Roberts); 33. Chris Pappas (James Mason); 35. Ned Willis (Ben Hall); 35. Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson)
After 37 years and nearly 9,000 episodes, the talent behind legendary characters including Susan and Dr Karl Kennedy, Paul Robinson and Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi were front and centre to mark the team’s final day on set in Melbourne.
Executive producer Jason Herbison said: “We all knew this day was coming but until we were here in this moment when the very last scene was filmed, it was hard to express how we would all feel.
“Of course, it is sad and tears were shed, but we’re also enormously proud.
“Thirty-seven years is an incredible achievement and that should be celebrated. 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.
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“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.” Neighbours follows the folk of fictional suburb Erinsborough, mainly centring on those in cul-de-sac Ramsay Street.
It helped launch the careers of Hollywood heavyweights Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie, as well as propelling Kylie Minogue and her on-screen hubby Jason Donovan to fame. It first aired in the UK in October 1986, gracing BBC1 until February 2008 when it moved to Channel 5.
But in February The Sun revealed that the soap’s makers were unable to reach a deal to renew the contract with 5.
The soap’s army of loyal fans — some 1.4 million viewers — desperately hoped it would be saved at the eleventh hour and rushed to sign a petition. But their efforts proved futile.
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The good news is some cast members, like Kylie and Jason, will appear in the final episode but weren’t able to make this photo. Others did not sign up to star in the finale, which airs on August 1.
Here we take a look at good Neighbours who became good friends.
LEGENDS MISS LAST SNAP WITH THE CAST
SOME Neighbours legends weren’t able to be on set for the final cast snap, but fans will still be able to spot them in the special episode.
Kylie Minogue, 54, and Jason Donovan, 54, have returned to Ramsay Street some 34 years after they quit the soap to become global superstars.
Their careers skyrocketed after playing lovebirds Charlene and Scott Robinson in the late Eighties.
Movie star Guy Pearce, 54 - who most recently starred in Mare of Easttown opposite Kate Winslet - will reprise his role as Mike Young and shared that it was “very exciting and surreal”.
Mark Little, 62, played Joe Mangel for three years from 1988 and went on to co-present The Big Breakfast with Zoe Ball, but now lives a quiet life in Powys, Wales.
He also jetted over to Melbourne to film scenes for one final time.
Daniel McPherson, 42, who played heartthrob Joel Samuels as a teenager in the Nineties, is also back.
STARS WHO WON’T RETURN
THE famous cul de sac became a training ground for Australian talent, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars taking their first steps to stardom on the show.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, megastar Margot Robbie, 31, has not found time to return.
She played Donna Freedman for three years in the Noughties before going on to wow in Wolf Of Wall Street.
Russell Crowe, 58, played Kenny Larkin for four episodes in 1987, while Liam Hemsworth, 32, played a mechanic once in 2004 - but neither will appear.
Fans should also not expect to see Natalie Imbuglia’s Beth Brennan or Holly Valance’s Felicity Scully. Speaking just after the news Neighbours had been axed, Natalie sent a come-and-get-me plea to producers - and referenced her on-screen son Ned Willis.
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She said: “There’s a character on the show who’s my son! I mean, I think it’d be devastating. What’s going to happen to my son?
“I would consider going back, I think it would be lovely to walk through those doors. I mean, I probably won’t recognise anyone – not even my son!”