As we say our goodbyes to Neighbours in 2021, we look ahead to what the residents of Erinsborough can expect in 2022.
The season finale is just a few days away, marking the first time the show has taken a Christmas break in both the UK and Australia since 2017.
With Terese hanging to the top of Lassiters, the episode will conclude on a tremendous cliffhanger, and we’ll have to wait three weeks to find out what happens next.
The last episode will air in Australia on Thursday, November 9th, and in the United Kingdom the following day, on Friday, November 10th, with both nations returning on Monday, January 3rd, 2022.
We’ve prepared a preview of what’s coming up in the first few months of next year to keep you entertained over the three-week break.
Thanks to the dedicated fans on Neighbours Forum for always looking for new spoilers and analysing every tweet and Instagram storey for hints.
Glen Donnelly (Richard Huggett) returned after 30 years, Nicolette (Charlotte Chimes) went missing for months, Kyle (Chris Milligan) battled testicular cancer, and the remaining Rebecchi clan moved to Sydney after Dipi’s (Sharon Johal) and Pierce’s (Tim Robards / Don Hany) affair was exposed.
However, it appears that 2022 will be bigger than ever. Shane Isheev, the show’s Story Editor, frequently uses social media to tease what’s coming next.
He’s hinted to a crazy journey in 2022 in a series of tweets, with one from early December implying that, while the finale week cliffhanger is significant, it’s “not as massive as the year ahead.”
Shane teased in November that “SOMETHING BIG IS COMING” and that he’ll be “saying that A LOT next year,” and he’ll be right.
What’s in store for you?
Will Isla and Abigail be raised by David and Aaron?
One of the greatest stories of 2021 was the co-parenting triangle between David, Aaron, and Nicolette, and it looks like it will continue long into next year.
David (Takaya Honda) and Aaron (Matt Wilson) were anxious for a kid of their own after a rocky fostering experience, so when Nicolette offered to help them out by serving as their surrogate mother, they leaped at the chance.
The three came to an agreement: the kid would be biologically David and Nicolette’s, but David and Aaron would be the primary carers, with Nic serving as a doting aunty.
However, there were too many people involved, and when Nicolette and Chloe (April Rose Pengilly) separated up due to Leo’s (Tim Kano) machinations, Nicolette ran away with the unborn baby.
Things became even more complicated when Paul (Stefan Dennis) paid $1 million for Nicolette’s baby and gave her to David and Aaron.
He had actually bought a different baby, Abigail, who happened to be Leo’s – the result of a brief but passionate relationship with a woman named Britney (Montana Cox) – which meant David and Aaron spent weeks unknowingly caring for their niece instead of their daughter.
The highly complicated narrative came to a stunning conclusion in a short amount of time. Britney showed up seeking for her kid, and Nicolette soon followed with the genuine Isla. Nic, David, and Aaron were left to parent Isla as a trio after Leo and Britney moved to Wollongong to raise Abigail together.
Britney is scheduled to accompany Leo back to Erinsborough in the final episode, taking baby Abigail along with her.
Tim Kano (Leo) has been filming with Abigail on a regular basis for the past several months, implying that both Tanaka infants will be regulars on Ramsay Street for at least the first few months of the year.
It remains to be seen if Britney will continue with him.
Some fans are speculating that we’ll be saying a tearful goodbye to Leo, with David and Aaron left as the primary carers for both Isla and Abigail, with Tim Kano only believed to be filming until the end of 2021 (read on for more information), and with a death coming at some point in the new year (read on for more information).
Will David and Aaron eventually get to parent both infants after bonding with Abigail during the baby swap?
Who is the one who dies?
A viewer noticed a lot of Neighbours actors and crew filming what seemed to be a funeral scene at a Melbourne cemetery back in October.
Laura Jayne, a member of the Facebook group Neighbours Discussion and Spoilers, shared photographs from Eltham Cemetery, which is 18 kilometres from the Nunawading studios where Neighbours is filmed.
David, Aaron, Chloe, Nicolette, Jane (Annie Jones), and Sheila (Colette Mann) were all photographed wearing black and participating in the emotionally charged scenes.
The show’s latest death has sparked wild speculation among fans.
Kyle, who is presently receiving cancer treatment, and Leo are the leading suspects, with actor Tim Kano reported to be filming till the end of the year.
Is there a chance of a surprise? Might Hendrix’s recent health scare have been a foreshadowing of what’s to come for his character? With actor Benny Turland, who plays Hendrix, also said to be retiring soon, could Hendrix’s recent health issue have been a foreshadowing of what’s to come for his character?
Goodbye Hendrix?
Based on information acquired from a member of the Neighbours team, a member of the Neighbours Forum reported in September that Benny Turland (Hendrix Greyson) was set to film his final scenes in October.
While nothing has been finalised, if Benny recorded his final scenes in October, Hendrix should go in January or February 2022.
Will he be the cause of the ruckus on Ramsay Street?
Amy’s daughter shows up
Amy (Jacinta Stapleton) told Levi (Richie Morris) in recent episodes that she wouldn’t be spending Christmas with her kids – Zara, Elijah, and Jax – since it was their time to spend the day with her exes.
Later, we saw Levi and Ned (Ben Hall) compete for Amy’s holiday to Queensland at the Police Ball auction, which would have provided her with the perfect opportunity to reunite with her two children.
Fans with keen eyes believe we’ll finally see at least one of Amy Greenwood’s children in Erinsborough, a little more than a year after she initially returned to the area.
Fans uncovered two audition films for the role of Zara Selwyn in August. Zara is Amy’s daughter, according to the conversation in the videos, and it’s predicted that she will pay her mother a surprise visit in the first few months of the year.
While the audition video discussion may or may not transfer to on-screen plots, it does imply that Amy and Zara’s relationship is in jeopardy.
“You have to show it if you want things to improve with your mother,” Ned says Zara before pushing her to be honest with her mother.
Zara appears to be envious of her mother’s hectic schedule, explaining to Ned that “even if I do everything you say, it won’t change the reality that mum has no place in her life for me anymore.”
Despite the fact that Zara and Amy’s relationship isn’t the best, it appears like she’s coming to Erinsborough to escape a harsh family life in Queensland. Zara explains in the audition conversation that everyone is on her back, and she doesn’t feel supported by her father and her “stepmonster,” not by her half brother Jax’s father and his two fathers.
Will Amy be able to offer Zara with the steady parental connection she seeks?
Some roommates for Chloe?
After her unfaithful husband Pierce left and her step-son Hendrix moved in with the Kennedys, Chloe has been living alone at Number 24 for quite some time.
All of that, though, may be about to change. The former Brennan house is poised to have a sunroom, joining Nos. 30 and 32 in having an indoor-outdoor area for when you want some light but not too much sun, according to a recent video recorded on the Neighbours set by April Rose Pengilly.
Fans are thinking that the programme won’t be prolonging No. 24 solely to give Chloe more alone time, so might she be set to meet some new housemates?
In recent weeks, she and Nicolette have rekindled their romance and even shared a kiss. While Nicolette dismissed the idea of reconciliation, it appears that they’ll eventually reconcile – could 2022 be the year they move in together permanently?
Is Chloe relocating, with the extended house providing the ideal living space for a new Ramsay Street family?
Jacinta Stapleton (Amy) shared a photo of herself and Lucinda Cowden (Melanie) in No. 24 on social media. On the kitchen island, a large number of glasses and a large bowl of punch were visible, possibly indicating a moving in party?
Is it possible that Amy and her daughter Zara will end up at No. 24? Only time will tell if this is true.
Freya Wozniak’s arrival
Phoebe Roberts, who plays Freya Wozniak on Neighbours, has joined the cast as a regular.
“The ideal mystery girl,” according to Freya, who “keeps her cards close to her chest.” She’s a complicated, mysterious risk taker who “isn’t afraid to bend the rules,” so expect plenty of unmissable drama in the coming year.
“I am so thrilled to be joining the Ramsay St family,” Phoebe said of joining the cast. Neighbours is such an iconic part of the Australian film and television industry that it’s a dream come true to be a part of something so beloved in the United Kingdom.
“As a kid, I used to tune in to watch all of Erinsborough’s drama unfold; it’s surreal to now be a part of it!”
She shot her initial sequences in late October and will be on Ramsay Street early in 2019.
The Yarra Valley was used for filming
Keeping with the mystery concept, a few of our established favourites will be venturing beyond Erinsborough to address a few unresolved mysteries.
According to Mountain Views Star Mail, Ben Hall (Ned), Jemma Donovan (Harlow), and Zima Anderson (Roxy) all shot sequences in the Yarra Valley — a lush wine-growing region east of Melbourne’s centre – in November.
The cast and crew took over Healesville’s main street and filmed five scenes there and in the Healesville Hotel’s beer garden.
“Our cast and crew have never been more excited about getting out and about again,” the show’s Head of Communications, Kelly Davis, told Star Mail. “It’s a wonderful way to highlight the different aspects of Melbourne from the inner city to beautiful leafy areas like Healesville while making our stories visually more spectacular and interesting.”
“They are on a quest to find out some critical information about a young woman who comes from the local area who looks to be harbouring some secrets,” Kelly revealed of why the three travelled to the area to film the sequences.
Could their hunt be linked to Freya, the enigmatic newcomer dubbed the “ultimate mystery girl”?
The episodes will air at the end of January.
Harlow heads to London
The Yarra Valley isn’t Harlow’s only destination as she attempts to solve a seemingly unrelated mystery.
Actress Jemma Donovan recently shot several scenes in London for a major storyline that will air in the new year.
Amanda Holden, who will play Harriet, the aunt of Harlow Robinson (Jemma Donovan) and sister of the late Prue Wallace, was also present (Denise van Outen).
Prue Wallace, Harlow’s mother, was a member of the enigmatic cult ‘The Order,’ and had come to Erinsborough to elect her daughter into the group.
In 2020, as part of the Neighbours: End Game week of episodes to commemorate the show’s 35th anniversary, her character was killed off in a spectacular explosion.
Harlow will visit the UK capital in early 2022 as part of a “massive new plot.” She’ll get together with her aunt to try to unravel a family mystery surrounding her mother.
Amanda’s character Harriet reacted with surprise on seeing her niece in London in photos released in October, before sitting down with her for coffee.
In the London episodes, Harlow will have a fortuitous encounter with Sophie Ellis-Bexter on The Queen’s Walk, a promenade on the south bank of the River Thames.
Sophie’s assistance is said to be useful to Harlow’s search since she delivers words of wisdom.
It’s unclear what the family secret is, or how Harriet and Sophie will contribute to its resolution.
The wedding of Kyle and Roxy?
“I’m going to be crying my eyes out at the wedding,” Sheila predicted in one of the year’s final episodes, as she watched her grandson and Roxy share a tender moment at the police ball.
Will Sheila, on the other hand, ever see her grandson and Roxy tie the knot?
Kyle was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer after being persuaded to seek medical attention following Hendrix’s scare. Shortly after his diagnosis, he had both testicles removed, but the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes, so his battle had only just begun.
He’s presently having chemotherapy, which is draining him and leaving him fatigued, unable to taste food, sick, and miserable.
He’s also been having trouble catching his breath, and the aches and pains haven’t gone away. In a recent episode, he puked over Roxy’s dress when she asked him what song he wanted for their first dance.
Is this just the after effects of the treatment, or is Kyle’s disease still spreading? Will he and Roxy be able to attend their wedding?
Finally, from January forward, there will be one more major adjustment…
Neighbours will premiere in the United Kingdom before it airs in Australia
Neighbours has been a staple of Australian television since 1985, and it debuted in the United Kingdom a year later, in October 1986.
When the show first aired in the United Kingdom, UK viewers were a year behind their Australian counterparts. For the majority of the show’s run, a big gap existed, which meant that the show’s Christmas sequences would frequently air in the midst of the UK summer.
That has all changed in recent years. The gap gradually narrowed, and in January 2016, a new deal saw the show air on the same day in both countries, reducing the time difference to a few hours.
Then the pandemic hit, and Channel 5 cut back on the number of programmes it aired to make room for more regular news broadcasts. The chasm has lasted ever since, and it widened even further towards the end of 2020, when Channel 5 went on hiatus for a week and a half while Australia’s 10 Peach broadcasted the show during the holidays.
For over a year and a half, fans have been pleading with the two countries to re-synchronize broadcasts. Then, in July 2021, 10 Peach decided to only show Neighbours Monday–Thursday, ostensibly to allow the UK to catch up.
The conclusion of the 2021 season will air in Australia one day before it airs in the United Kingdom when it concludes this week. When the programme returns on January 3rd, it will air simultaneously in both nations for the first time!
Fans of Neighbours in both nations will be overjoyed… for a total of four days. In a surprise move that has upset committed fans in both nations, Australia’s 10 Peach will continue to screen just four episodes each week, meaning that the UK will leapfrog Australian broadcasts and become the first country to air new episodes for the first time in the show’s 36-year existence.
The UK will officially be ahead of Australian broadcasts starting on Friday, January 7th. The shift appears to be permanent, since scripts for the performance revealed on Instagram suggest that the UK will be two weeks ahead of Australia in March 2022!
10 Peach has yet to respond to the timetable modification. However, it appears that Australian fans will have to rely on their UK counterparts for all the newest spoilers, at least for the time being.
The Neighbours season finale airs on 10 Peach at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 9th, and Channel 5 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, December 10th.
On Monday, January 3rd, 2022, Neighbours returns to the UK and Australia.
