When news broke earlier this week that the serial would be cancelled after 37 years, many Neighbours fans mourned.
The unthinkable has happened. Things are looking bleak for the Australian suburb now that Channel 5 has decided not to renew the show’s contract, which is a complete disgrace.
Not only has it produced some of the best musical and acting talent the world has ever seen (hello, Karl and Susan’s little blue box of sex toys, Julie accusing her Chinese neighbours of eating her dog, and ermagahd Dee returning from the dead with an identical twin and sleeping with Toadie on webcam), but it has also produced some of the best musical and acting talent the world has ever seen.
Without Neighbours, we wouldn’t have Margot Robbie’s spectacular performance in Wolf Of Wall Street, no drunk guys emotively screaming out Torn in a Karaoke booth, and can you image a Marvel cosmos without Thor? Exactly. We owe a debt of gratitude to Neighbours, and we should all join the petition to rescue it right now.
Radha Mitchell
Pitch Black, London Has Fallen is one of his most well-known works.
Radha began her acting career as Catherine O’Brien, an outspoken student with a concern for the environment, on Neighbours from 1996 to 1997. Catherine had a lengthy and difficult relationship with Stonie, Toadie’s brother, and was Sarah Beaumont’s sister (with whom Dr K had an affair). That didn’t work out, and she finally realised she had affections for Mal Kennedy instead. In 2001, the pair married, but not before she had an affair with Darren Stark. But, as they say, all’s well that ends well, and they’re still married to this day. Radha is now rubbing elbows with the likes of Vin Diesel and Gerard Butler in Hollywood.
Eliza Taylor
The 100 is her most well-known work.
Eliza arrived in Erinsborough as Janae, a member of the Timmins’ bogan family, in 2005 and stayed until 2008. She had to deal with an underage marriage, an HIV scare, a cheating scandal, and the untimely death of her brother Stingray, which I’m still processing. Eliza went on to portray Clarke Griffin in The 100 alongside Bob Morley, another former Neighbour. The couple is now married with their first child on the way.
Bob Morley
The 100 is her most well-known work.
In 2011, Bob Morley, Eliza’s other half, arrived on Ramsay Street as Aidan Foster, a nurse at the local hospital. He was cast as Chris Pappas’ love interest, and their romance was sweet because it occurred at a period when Chris was still coming to terms with his sexuality. Aidan, on the other hand, didn’t stick around for long, and when he and Chris separated up, he bowed out. Bob went on to play Bellamy in The 100, and we can credit Neighbours for one of the most shocking TV storey twists in recent memory.
Margot Robbie
Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and Pan Am are some of his most well-known works.
There isn’t a single person on the earth who hasn’t heard of Margot Robbie, despite the fact that her career began in a small, well-known cul-de-sac. Margot first appeared on Neighbours in 2008 as Donna Freedman, a guest character who was only supposed to be on for a few episodes but was eventually upgraded to a regular.
She went on to share a terrible love tale with Ringo, in which the youthful lovebirds married but were separated by death only a month later when Ringo was killed when Steph Skully crashed her motorcycle into him. Donna chose to leave her job and pursue her goal of working in fashion after his death. Margo left in 2011 with the goal of conquering Hollywood, and look what she accomplished.
Natalie Bassingthwaite
Best known for: Rogue Traders’ lead singer and as a judge on The X Factor Australia.
Natalie played Izzy Hoyland, an immoral and’manipulative schemer,’ from 2003 to 2006, with a few repercussions. She was Max Hoyland’s sister and had an affair with Karl Kennedy after he divorced his wife Susan. She also had a connection with Paul Robinson, with whom she claimed to be deeply in love, but she ultimately desired Karl’s return and went to tremendous efforts to obtain him. She faked pregnancies, struggled with drug addiction, and even drugged Karl to entice him into bed, which resulted in the birth of Holly. When she returned in 2018, she discovered Karl had taken part in a fertility trial, so she stole some of his sperm to try to conceive a second child. Two words that come to me are batsh*t and insane. Natalie went on to become the lead vocalist of Rogue Traders and a judge on X Factor Australia after partnering with them on their tune Voodoo Child.
Alan Dale
Lost, 24, and The OC are some of his most well-known works.
Alan Dale is the god of box set TV and TV’s best baddy, but he began his career as Paul Robinson’s father, Jim Robinson. He and his four children, as well as his mother-in-law Helen Daniels, first appeared on the show in 1985, but he died of a heart attack in 1993. During Christmas 2018, he reappeared as an apparition in a bauble. Alan, Jim’s real-life equivalent, went on to conquer the television world after Neighbours, appearing in shows like Lost, 24 and The West Wing.
Liam Hemsworth
The Hunger Games and Independence Day are two of his most well-known works.
From 2007 to 2008, Liam portrayed the unlucky in love paraplegic Josh Taylor, who was left wheelchair bound after a surfing accident. When Josh encountered Bridget Parker in the hospital after her injury, he was instantly smitten. However, as their friendship grew stronger, she began to have feelings for Declan, forcing Josh to get enraged. But, despite becoming a bit of an obsessive for a while, he couldn’t match with her affections for Declan, and he lost out to the other person. He’s lucky he did, since who would have been Katniss’ right-hand man if he hadn’t? Liam understands his Neighbours character’s disappointment at not winning the award. When Liam Hemsworth lost out to his older brother Chris Hemsworth for the role of Thor, he was deeply hurt. Ouch.
Chris Hemsworth
Thor is his most famous alter ego.
Without Neighbours, another demi god would very certainly be playing Thor right now. Before his brother came, Chris Hemsworth had a brief appearance on Neighbours, which helped him break into the acting profession. He was Steph’s employee in one episode 20 years ago. That’s the power of Neighbours; all it took was one episode. He did also have a long run on Home and Away, which could have played a role, but we’re going with Neighbours on this one.
Dave Bautista
Known for: Being a world-famous wrestler, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Spectre
‘What am I sorry for?!’ Is a totally reasonable response to this. Anyone remember when Dave Bautista showed up in Erinsborough and performed his heart out? Because he did such an excellent job of playing himself in this role, he transitioned from wrestling to acting. When wrestling fans Toadie and Callum discovered him in Lassiters, he was minding his own business. So you can thank Neighbours for Drax’s adorably bumbling antics.
Holly Valance
Musical career, Taken, and Prison Break are among his most well-known works.
Kiss Kiss has a lot to do with Neighbours, and we owe it to them. What a music video it is, too. But before there was Kiss Kiss, there was Flick Scully, who lived on Ramsay Street from 1999 to 2002. After getting it on with her sister Steph’s fiancé – which was revealed on their wedding day — Flick departed Erinsborough in a blaze of humiliation. Stuart Parker followed her back after she fled town and proposed, but the engagement fizzled out and Flick was gone for good. Kiss Kiss was born as a result of this. Holly pursued her acting career in addition to her music career, and she appeared in Taken starring Liam Neeson as a singer.
Delta Goodrem
Singing and TV presenting are two of her most well-known talents.
Delta debuted as Nina Tucker in 2002 and went on to have a tumultuous love life before moving to Bollywood to pursue a career as a Bollywood actress after being dumped – in real life, Delta had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and needed treatment, so she stepped away from the drama. Delta later returned and has since had other reprisal roles, although she eventually decided to pursue a career as a chart-topping singer instead of appearing on soaps. She was also a member of The Voice Australia’s judging panel.
Natalie Imbruglia
Johnny English is most recognised for his musical career.
From 1992 until 1996, Natalie portrayed Beth Brennan, an abuse survivor who had one of the best Neighbours love adventures – with Brad Willis. In 1994, Natalie’s celebrity life became too much for her, and she decided to leave, prompting Beth and Brad to elope. They abandoned that idea and married in front of the Neighbours, although they left the street for Perth nonetheless. And it’s thanks to that decision that we have Torn, the little earworm.
Russell Crowe
Gladiator, Robin Hood, and A Beautiful Mind are among his most well-known works.
Russell Crowe was one of the show’s early stars, debuting in 1987 for only four episodes as Kenny Larkin, a fugitive seeking vengeance. He only needed four episodes to push himself into mega stardom. The strength of Neighbours resides in the fact that all you have to do is show your face and you’re instantly Hollywood material. August is barely six months away, so want tobe stars better get their cameos in as soon as possible.
Guy Pearce
LA Confidential, The Hurt Locker, and The King’s Speech are among his most well-known works.
From 1986 through the Charlene and Scott era, Guy played Mike Young, a victim of domestic abuse. Mike had a romantic relationship with Jane Harris, but when he returned, he discovered she’d started dating Des. This put him into a tailspin, but he eventually reasoned that there wasn’t much left for him on Ramsay Street, so he went to look after his mother, who was injured in an aircraft crash.
Jesse Spencer
House is her most well-known work.
Billy Kennedy, oh, Billy Kennedy. For some of us, it was our first crush. He first appeared on Ramsay Street in 1994 and stayed for five years before his character moved away with his girlfriend Anne to build a family somewhere else. Although Jesse isn’t one of the biggest stars to emerge from the Australian soap, he did land a major role in House starring Hugh Laurie, which isn’t to be overlooked.
Kylie & Jason
Most well-known for: Pop careers and being Buzz’s voice! The video game quiz
Without these two, this list would be incomplete. As if anyone needed reminding, these guys were the biggest and most famous stars to emerge from Neighbours. Scott originally appeared in 1985, and his world was turned upside down when Charlene came in 1986. Their love storey is undoubtedly one of the most well-known on television, and viewers in the UK and Australia would tune in every day to see how their passion blossomed into one of the most viewed weddings on television.
The programme rocketed the actors to stardom, with both starting successful musical careers, and Kylie stormed the charts in 1988, shortly after her character moved to Brisbane. Soon after, Jason launched his own pop career, which grew into a profitable TV and stage career as well. And it’s not just people who make it to the top of this list. Jason’s mullet grew to be almost as famous as him.
