Kylie – The Soap Dish

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

Benjamin McNair as Mal Kennedy
(Digital Spy)

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

Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi
(Digital Spy)

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

Kate Kendall as Lauren Willis
(Digital Spy)

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?

Ned and Yashvi – reunited?
(Digital Spy)

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!

Will Beth make one last return to Ramsay Street…?
(ITV)

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!

Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson as Kyle and Roxy Canning

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

Melissa Bell has returned as Lucy Robinson
(Digital Spy)

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)

Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue as Scott and Charlene Robinson
(Metro)

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.

Like many, I read the news this weekend that Channel 5 are dropping Neighbours from its schedule later this year. And like many, I am absolutely devastated. This is even worse than when it was dropped by the BBC, back in 2008, as the show itself was never under any threat. Channel 5 were heroes then for rescuing us and picking it up and now they are robbing us by taking it away. But worse because now, with the show’s popularity largely relying on its UK audience, if it has nowhere to air over here, it may have to end production altogether. I mean, if Channel 5 murder one of the most iconic programmes in television history, it will never be forgiven! I’m not entirely sure what home grown and exciting drama they think they’re going to serve up to replace it. Or what audience they think they’re going to attract in Neighbours’ time slot. Whoever came up with this decision has made a huge mistake. I just hope they’re not too proud to retract it.

Classic 90’s wedding: Brad and Beth (sadly, he’d been cheating on her with Lauren!)

It has been brilliant to see online, all the calls to #saveneighbours. This show has been part of so many peoples’ lives for such a long time. Especially for people of my generation, it was part of our childhood. It was part of our routine. You got home from school. Then a 5:10pm, Home and Away was on ITV, followed by Neighbours at 5:35pm on BBC1. When I started secondary school, I remember, we did an ‘ice breaker’, where we had to go round the class, introducing ourselves to each other – mingling, if you will – and asking each other questions from a list. We had to have a different name down to each of the questions. The only question I remember was, “Find someone who doesn’t watch Neighbours.” I remember it because it was so hard! Finally, someone found one girl in the entire class who didn’t watch it! One out of thirty! Because it was 1995 and everyone watched Neighbours. Everyone watched it. Everyone talked about watching it. And everyone loved it.

Scott and Charlene: One of the most famous TV weddings ever!

And clearly, people still love it. It’s part of the fabric of our childhoods. It has launched the careers of so many people. I mean, come on! Without Neighbours, we would not have Kylie.

I am going to repeat that: Without Neighbours WE WOULD NOT HAVE KYLIE.

Can you even imagine that? A world without Kylie? I can’t even bring myself to think about it. Awful!

Finn Kelly is one of Ramsay Street’s most notorious killers and was a huge part of the show’s 35th anniversary story

And to bring the discussion and my strongly worded objection into present day, Neighbours is no longer stories about dogs having dreams and dead characters who were washed away, turning up with amnesia anymore (although they aren’t averse to the odd dead character reappearing still but what soap isn’t? You only know a character in Hollyoaks is dead if you’ve seen the body!) Of course, it has its sense of fun and silliness. It’s Neighbours. They’ve also done massive stories that have the flare of slightly over the top Aussie soap drama but are so incredibly absorbing and entertaining, such as the Finn Kelly murder plot or when Andrea Sommers arrived, the spitting image of ‘dead’ Dee Bliss (and played by the same actress). But it is so much more than that.

In recent years, it has tackled so many important stories: Huntington’s, testicular cancer, grief, fostering, alcoholism, just to name a few. I don’t think I have cried more in a soap than when Sonya Rebecchi died of cancer, after everything she and Toadie had been through together in their marriage. It’s been years and I am still not ready for him to move on…. But that’s my issue…

Aaron and David are one of the best soap couples ever!

Anyway, one of the central most fantastic things about Neighbours is its celebration of the LGBTQ community. They raise the rainbow flag far higher than any other soap, including any of the British ones and so high above Home and Away that they can’t even see it. The flag is a dot to them! Neighbours were holding Pride events long before any other soaps were. They have Aaron and David as one of the most established and stable, not to mention loved couples in the whole show. They got married on screen (walking down the aisle incidentally to ‘Especially For You’ by Kylie and Jason), they have been foster parents and now have a child of their own through a surrogate.

Mackenzie has been such a wonderful addition to the show

They have a wonderful bisexual character in Chloe – who is actually bisexual, not heterosexual but got given a gay storyline once, as happens so often on television. Plus, they have a lesbian character. Plus, they have a trans female character, who is played by trans activist Georgie Stone, who has put so much work into her character in order to educate and connect the audience with her journey and experience.

For all of these reasons and more, Neighbours needs to stay on air. Channel 5 should be grateful to Neighbours and the diversity, humour, education and drama it provides, not sling it off the shelf. It does get decent viewing figures and it is a well-loved show. It means a lot to people, as can be seen from the outpouring online after the announcement that it would be dropped.

So please, Channel 5, reconsider. You might find something else to replace it but it will never be Neighbours.