In July 2022, viewers of Neighbours, a renowned Australian soap opera, bid goodbye after 37 years of smiling, sobbing, and watching cherished characters grow.
Fans were shocked to learn earlier this year that Neighbours and some other beloved characters would be returning to our screens in late 2023. Others, meanwhile, were kept in the dark. So who was chosen?
We really doubt any of these A-listers, who previously appeared on the show and included Margot Robbie, Liam Hemsworth, and Kylie Minogue, will return.
But many of the Ramsay Street inhabitants we adore will be back, including Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy, Ian Smith as Harold Bishop, Alan Fletcher as Karl Kennedy, Ryan Moloney as Toadie Rebecchi, and Stefan Dennis as Paul Robinson.
Mischa Barton will be appearing in the revival as Reese as a guest appearance, it was just recently reported! The British-American actress has appeared in Invitation to a Murder and The O.C.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the upcoming season of this legendary show, and I’m especially looking forward to returning to Australia, a country I adore. I believe the part of Reece will be a fantastic one for me to explore and have fun with,” she stated.
Georgie Stone, who portrayed Mackenzie Hargreaves, also announced she would be returning to the venerable series in a recent Instagram post.
She wrote, “Ramsay Street here we come… (again!)” “Such a thrill to be returning to Neighbours with these legends; stay tuned!”
Rebekah Elmaloglou, who portrayed Terese Willis, Tim Kano, who plays Leo Tanaka, Annie Jones, Lucinda Cowden, who plays Melanie Pearson, and Lucinda Armstrong-Hall, who plays Holly Hoyland, are all returning for the remake.
Additionally, three members of the Rodwell family—Emerald Chan as Sadie Rodwell, Lloyd Will as Sergeant Andrew Rodwell, and Candice Leask as Wendy Rodwell—will be making a comeback to our screens.
A guest appearance by Melissa Bell and April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan has been confirmed. In addition to a number of other “fresh new faces” that have joined Erinsborough.
Network 10 has not yet announced which other characters will make a comeback. As many previous actors admitted on Instagram that they were not aware of Neighbours’s return.
Following a significant hint she gave on Studio 10, there have been rumours that Jodi Gordon would be making a comeback.
With a large grin on her face, Jodi said to hosts Angela Bishop, Tristan MacManus, and Narelda Jacobs, “There are conversations happening.”
Many stars turned to Instagram to express their confusion after learning about a Neighbours comeback just after the initial announcement.
Takaya Honda, who plays David Tanaka, Matt Wilson, who plays Aaron Brennan, and Jason Donovan, who was expected to return despite being “surprised” are some of the cast members who have been kept in the dark.
Iconic Australian actress Debra Lawrance, who played Pippa Ross, was also unaware of the resurrection despite having told TV Week that it was probable she would return.
I’m not sure; they haven’t called.
I can’t go back to Home and Away because Alf is living in my house,” she jokingly remarked.
Caitlin Stasey, who felt she had outgrown her role as Rachel Kinski, was also hesitant to appear.
Caitlin jokingly told TV Week, “I’ll just do a zoom in and they can pretend that Rachel is in London or something.”
While Amazon Freeview and Prime Video will once again be Neighbours’ foreign partners, Network 10 will continue to hold the first-run broadcast rights in Australia.
Beverley McGravey, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Paramount Australia and New Zealand, admitted the cast and crew held out hope the show will come back.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Neighbours back to Network 10 and, while we loved the finale earlier this year and appreciated the incredible support from the cast, crew, and fans, we continued to hold a small glimmer of hope that one day it would be possible to resume the series,” said Network 10 in a statement.
And as of April 17, 2023, Nunawading Studios in Melbourne has started shooting the revival.
