The actor jokingly said that since Amazon Freevee has salvaged the show, the final episode is no longer relevant.
Fans of the long-running Australian serial have had a bit of an up-and-down year, as the show had a star-studded conclusion in July before being saved by Amazon FreeVee last month.
And now, former star Guy Pearce has made light of the fact that the finale has effectively become meaningless, joking that it was a “expensive exercise” – one of several prominent celebrities who made a high-profile return for the farewell episode.
It’s hard to watch, isn’t it? the actor said during a homage to the programme at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) awards. being aware that there will never be another incident.
“A sad reminder that the things we cherish might be taken from us, never to be found again… Unless Amazon intervenes to save the day and renders our conclusion appear to be a fairly pricey exercise.
He continued by making fun of Margot Robbie, another well-known person who got her start on the show, and predicted that she would ask for the champagne she had sent to the producers to be returned.
He said: “I don’t want to say [it was a] waste of time. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that Margot will be content.
Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy), and Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi) are among the actors already confirmed to be reprising their roles. Filming on the revived series will start in Australia next year.
“Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street,” said Lauren Anderson, head of AVoD original content and programming at Amazon Studios, when the news of the show’s return was announced.
“Through the power of streaming, we’re able to provide a library of thousands of Neighbours episodes for both current fans to relive their favourite moments and new audiences to discover this classic series. When we relaunch the programme for Amazon FreeVee and Prime Video subscribers next year, we look forward to immersing the audience in fresh Ramsay Street adventures.
The head of licenced content for the UK, Shahina O’Mahoney, told Variety that: “At the point that the show finished, we did not know that we could rescue it. More recently, Amazon Freevee rejected accusations that arrangements were already in place to salvage the show prior to the conclusion.
However, that wasn’t an option for us. “In an ideal world, maybe you do reveal something like that before it finishes.”
