With several character changes, including a very big departure, Neighbours has updated its opening titles significantly.
Mischa Barton, who portrayed businesswoman Reece Sinclair on the Amazon Freevee soap opera, said goodbye to the show last week, and as a result, she was taken out of the signature intro.
After his father Conrad, a Lassiters investor, suffered a stroke, Reece left Ramsay Street and went back to the United States. She also made her decision after learning that, contrary to her prior belief that she had passed away, sister Krista (Majella Davis) was still alive and well.
Reece joined her fellow Erinsborough favourites at the pool in the last scene of the opening titles.
Reece has been replaced by Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden), who returned to the show full-time after the events of Flashback Week. In the last seconds of the opening, we see Melanie Pearson enjoying a cake by the poolside with her neighbours.
Not only was Reece eliminated from the titles, but several other characters were introduced as well.
After being added to the programme as a full-time character, Krista now makes an appearance on the beach with Byron Stone (Xavier Molyneux) and Haz Devkar (Shiv Palekar) during their brief title sequence.
The main alteration, though, is the appearance of Nicolette Stone (Hannah Monson), David Tanaka (Takaya Honda), Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson), and their happy little girl Isla. They are all enjoying a picnic with Sam Young (Henrietta Graham) and Jane Harris (Annie Jones).
Fans will undoubtedly be delighted by this significant adjustment, which clarifies that David and Aaron are back on the show full-time. Some viewers had been concerned that one of them had returned for a brief guest appearance.
We are ecstatic that their presence in the titles, however, provides evidence to the contrary. Without them, the show simply hasn’t been the same!
“In the previous Neighbours, there was about 20 main characters and your storyline would go in ebbs and flows, but [in the upcoming episodes] it just does not stop for us – not once!” is what Aaron’s actor Matt Wilson earlier suggested to Metro.co.uk regarding Aaron and David staying put.
The storylines flow seamlessly into one another and into the next, and they’re all intricately interwoven, both outside of the Street and with the other characters. It’s juicy, pleasant stuff.
