Neighbours: May I Return (To the Beginning)…?

Tragically, the Neighbours cast and crew, not to mention us as devoted fans are counting down the days until our beloved show comes to a hopefully temporary end on 1^st August, with a huge double episode.  But by now, most of us will have heard of some major cast returns and some of them are SERIOUSLY exciting!

Harold Bishop (Ian Smith)

The first person to be mentioned, several weeks ago was Harold Bishop, such a classic character that the café is still named after him, long after his departure.  He is so loved that the show wasn’t even capable of killing him off without bringing him back to life!  Nobody would ever be able to forget the beautiful love story that was Harold and Madge (Anne Charleston) – the humour and the tragedy.  It could not end without him.  If only Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), his old sparring partner was returning with him!

Joe Mangel (Mark Little)

We will also see Joe Mangel (Mark Little) with whom I am very much hoping we might also see his daughter Skye and her wife, Lana (Stephanie Mackintosh and Bridget Neval).  Joe was always a loveable character and it was one of the show’s most memorable and tragic episodes when wife, environmentalist, Kerry was shot and killed.  We saw Skye, a police officer return a couple of years ago a marry teenage love, Lana, finally getting closure on the relationship that started all those years and had to end abruptly due to homophobia.  It was the show’s second gay marriage and really showed just how far Neighbours has come in terms of diversity and celebrating the LGBTQ community.

The Kennedy Family

There are so many iconic families on Ramsay Street and Neighbours are clearly doing their best to represent as many of them as possible in the characters they are bringing back, as well as making sure they keep the current, radiant cast shining.  It is a joy to hear that Mal Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) will be winging his way back to his parents from where he ‘lives’ in London.  If only Libby and Billy (Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer) would drop in too.  They could pose for a new portrait!  My wife has been tuning in for these last few months and she was shocked to see it still hanging in Karl and Susan’s lounge!

Also on her way back to Erinsborough is Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta), Susan’s niece, prompting the hope that after everything they have been through over all these years, #Chelly might finally get their happy ever after.  I did like Chloe and Nicolette for a while and this Kiri seems quite nice but Chloe and Elly were the original couple.  Nobody ever quite moved on from them, did they?!  Next week, we will be seeing Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards) return, in line with his son Hendrix’s tragic diagnosis but let’s hope that doesn’t mean a reunion for him and Chloe because quite frankly that never worked for me.  Just saying.

The Rebecchi Family

Poor Toadie has been through so much during his life on Ramsay Street.  He lost his first wife, Dee Bliss.  He found true love with Sonya until she died from cancer in possibly the saddest ever storyline the show has ever aired.  Then there was the whole Dee/Andrea insanity, which I was hooked on from start to finish!  And it has taken a respectful amount of time but he has finally found love again with Melanie Pearson.  So, it is lovely that his mother, Angie and his and Sonya’s son, Callum (Leslie and Morgan Baker) will be here for the end.

The Willis Family

Paige Brennan (Olympia Valance) is also due to return again, although not with husband, Mark as far as we know.  I’m not the biggest Mark fan but with the Brennan family having made such a huge impact on the Street, it would have been amazing to see Mark and Tyler (and Tyler’s partner, Piper) reunite on screen with their siblings, Chloe and Aaron – not to mention Piper and half-sister Paige back together again.

However, Paige’s mother, Lauren Willis (Kate Kendall) will return!  And so will Ned Willis (Ben Hall), who has barely left.  Ned has got himself into quite a lot of bother recently, having cheated on girlfriend, Amy with Harlow.  He must take after his father.  Deciding he needs to start afresh, Ned decided to head off to Sydney but it has been confirmed that both he and ex-girlfriend – and clearly the love of his life – Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) will both return for the finale.  So, does this mean they will get their happy ending after all?

But most importantly, Ned is heading to Sydney to spend time with his mother, Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) – no relation to Mark etc.  Natalie recently won The Masked Singer UK and added her voice very loudly to the #SaveNeighbours Campaign so could it be possible that she might also return?!  This would be amazing!  Especially with Lauren, the third Mrs Willis back on screen, albeit played by a different actress, but still the same character who had an affair with Brad when Beth was in a relationship with him way back in the 90s.  Neighbours, you need to make this happen.  Three Mrs Willis’s on screen at the same time: Beth, Terese and Lauren!  Ramsay Street actually could explode after all!

Also returning as part of the Willis clan are Kyle and Roxy Canning (Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson).  They too have only left the show very recently.  With Kyle only just recovering from testicular cancer, these two are a couple of the level of Scott and Charlene in terms of just how much they love each other.  I’m not a TV wedding crier by any stretch of the imagination but I got very emotional at this one.  And now, despite the odds, they are expecting a baby!

Other Notable Characters

Also back for the finale are: Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien), Des Clarke (Paul Keane), Joel Samuels (Daniel MacPherson), Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingwaighte) and Amy Williams (Zoe Cramond).

The Robinson Family

The final family with returning character are the Robinson family.  Paul can expect two of his many children to return: Elle and Andrew (Pippa Black and Jordan Patrick).  Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) is already on screen, attempting to rescue the mess Paul has made – and is blaming Terese for – of the fashion show.  She is due to be joined by gay best friend and father of her baby, former resident, Chris Pappas (James Mason) who moved to live with her in New York.  As far as Paul and Terese are concerned, they remain together in the credits, so I hold out hope that by 1^st August, they will be back together, where they belong.

Scott and Charlene (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue)

And of course, the return that everyone is talking about… Scott and Charlene Robinson, played by the legendary Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, who began their careers in Neighbours in the 80s and went onto become global superstars.  This has been the ultimate dream cast return for decades and I can hardly believe it is actually happening!  Scott and Charlene have been mentioned regularly throughout the years with their extended family still living on Ramsay Street.  In fact, Jason’s real life daughter plays Harlow!  In the fictional world, Scott and Charlene have been happily married all this time and remain one of those couples and make you believe in true love!  Their wedding was watched in the UK by 20 million people!

They went onto have two children (off screen), Madeline and Daniel, both of whom turned up on Ramsay Street as adults.  Daniel arrived in 2014 and eventually married Imogen Willis, daughter of Terese, who eventually married Paul, brother of Scott!  I am secretly hoping that Daniel and Imogen (Tim Phillips and Ariel Kaplan) might also find their way back home for the end!

Of course, everyone knows that since departing Erinsborough, Kylie went onto have an incredible pop career and became a huge gay icon and ally.  She has lent her voice to the cause and is cherished by the LGBTQ community the world over.  So, there is something particularly special, I think, that she is returning not just to the show that began her career but to the show that has developed itself from a soap that competed with all the others, to a soap that celebrates diversity in such a magical way – far beyond any others.  And I watch them all!  When Kylie and Jason were Australia and the UK’s sweethearts, there were no gay characters. Through the years, they tried and failed with characters such as Skye and Lana and had successes with others such as Chris.  Now, we have Aaron and David, who even have a child and have been accepted as foster parents.  We have Nicolette.  We have Chloe.  We have had the privilege of following Mackenzie through her journey as a beautiful, graceful transgender teenager.  I believe we’re about to meet a non-binary character in the coming weeks.  Aaron and David had the first gay wedding on Neighbours and walked down the aisle to ‘Especially for You’ by Kylie and Jason themselves!  So, to have them back is an amazing thing, despite the circumstances.

Although, I am dreading that final episode and having to say goodbye to one of my most favourite ever programmes, I admire the dignity with which all the cast and crew have approached things.  I also salute every single fan, who with true Ramsay Street Spirit, has campaigned for the show to be saved.  I am proud to have been tweeting away, desperate to save the show we love and I have really enjoyed making those connections.  I am excited for all the cast members who love the show so much that they wanted to be part of its celebrations and goodbyes.  And I will also never lose the hope that even though the show will be rested, it will return.