Where Neighbours cast are now as show makes huge comeback after being axed
Neighbours devastated fans when it was announced the Aussie soap would be leaving screens after nearly 40 years.
Having launched the careers of Hollywood A-listers and pop royalty, the show was set to be sorely missed after it was dropped by Channel 5. The much-loved soap had been on air since the 80s and even had a spectacular send off thanks to many original stars appearing in the grand finale.
However, not long after the final aired, the show was bought by Amazon Freevee. Its reboot sees Guy Pearce and Stefan Dennis return to Ramsay Street for the revival on 18 September with daily episodes dropping on the streaming service. The upcoming episodes – which are set two years after the soap's final episode – tease big storylines for new and old characters, and Guy, who plays Mike Young, has reconciled with former flame Jane Harris, played by Annie Jones. To mark Neighbours' return, we take a look at where the cast are now.
Jason and Kylie reunited for Neighbours' grand finaleJason Donovan - Scott Robinson
Aussie heartthrob Jason Donovan joined Neighbours in 1986 as a replacement for the original Scott Robinson actor. After three years in the soap, Jason decided to leave to pursue a pop career - achieving four UK number one singles and selling over 3 million records in the UK. Jason admits it's still too painful to speak to Kylie about their break-up, even though they remain friends, after she rang him to say she had met and fallen in love with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.
"It was an extremely painful parting of the ways and, without a doubt, I took a long time to recover from it. Years, definitely," he told the Mirror in 2016. "It was bad enough that she'd run off with anybody but she happened to run into the arms of the greatest rock god of the period, the very guy who I secretly wanted to be. That was a pretty big punch to take." Jason went on to marry Angela Malloch, with whom he shares children Jemma, Zac, and Molly, and has become a massive musicals stars - appearing most prominently in the lead role of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the early 90s.
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Jason competed in Dancing on Ice in 2021 but was forced to withdraw from the competition in week 6 due to a back injury. He discussed the final of Neighbours on The One Show, confessing it would be "emotional" for fans. "I'm not going to give too much away about the episode," Donovan said. "But I can tell you it's going to happen, in what capacity, you are going to have to switch over to Channel 5 and watch. There is a bit of denim involved, that's for sure." he added. "It's a throwback to 1988."
Kylie Minogue - Charlene Mitchell
Before making it big in the music industry, Kylie Minogue was spinning around up on Neighbours as schoolgirl turned garage mechanic Charlene Mitchell between 1986 and 1988. The 1987 on-screen wedding between Charlene and Scott Robison (Jason Doovan) was watched by a staggering 19.6 million people and is still hailed as the most iconic TV nuptials ever. They both launched music careers, singing together in the hit classic Especially For You in 1988, but their relationship spilled over into real life.
For three years, the young couple were very much in love but as their careers exploded it meant they were often apart as they both travelled the world to promote their music. After getting three consecutive Australian number one singles, Kylie decided to leave Neighbours to focus on her music career. The I Should Be So Lucky singer has a Grammy Award, three Brit Awards and became the first female artist to have a chart-topping album in the UK for five consecutive decades.
Talking about going back to where it all began on Neighbours, she said: "It was lovely and emotional. Driving into Ramsay Street was quite something." Asked about her reaction to being back on set, she added: "Firstly, where's all that time gone? Secondly, everything looks exactly the same. Thirdly, Scott, Charlene, Jane, Harold - it all just came flooding back."
Upon news of a reboot, Kylie was said to have felt "duped" into going back. Kylie's co-star Guy Pearce, who plays Mike Young, also seemed to make a bit of a dig at the reunion, saying if Amazon came to 'save the day', the whole thing would look like "an expensive exercise".
Holly Valance - Felicity Scully
Holly Valance got the role of Felicity Scully in 1999 and stayed for three years. Better known as Flick, her character was Holly's first major TV role and she was only 15 when she auditioned. Of her departure, she said: "I've learnt so much. I kept telling myself I wasn't going to cry, it's so sad to be leaving. I've made such good friends and learnt so much. When I started, I didn't know a thing."
She did reprise her role for the show's 20th anniversary special but has since moved into the music industry - producing bangers such as Kiss Kiss and Down Boy. Holly landed a minor role in Prison Break as well as starring in CSI: Miami and Entourage, before appearing in Liam Neeson's blockbuster Taken in 2008, as well as appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011. Shetied the knot with billionaire Nick Candy back in 2012, with 300 guests including Simon Cowell receiving invites that cost an eye-watering £300 each and a live performance from Katy Perry costing £1.2million.
The following November, Holly gave birth to their daughter Luka, followed by her little sister Nova in September 2017. Candy, a British property tycoon, was linked with taking over ownership of Chelsea Football Club last year but 'meaningful convesations' failed.
Margot Robbie - Donna Freedman
Margot Robbie was in Neighbours when she was just 17 (REX/Shutterstock)
Holly Valance was on the soap from 1999 to 2001 (Internet Unknown)At the age of just 17, Margot Robbie moved to Melbourne and repeatedly contacted the Neighbours casting director to ask for a meeting. Margot thought she had blown the audition and went to Canada for a five-week snowboarding holiday, but two days later got a call to say she needed to return after succeeding. Originally meant to be a guest stint, the actress stayed as Donna Freedman from 2008 until 2011 and bosses battled to extend her stay.
Explaining why she was going, Margot said: "I want to go to America; it's always been my goal to work in Hollywood. It's the one stage in my life where I have absolutely nothing holding me down." Since then her career rise has been incredible, playing Leonardo DiCaprio's wife Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street and Harley Quinn in three DC superhero movies as well as Barbie in the huge blockbuster film this summer. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress is married to British filmmaker Tom Ackerley and they now live in California.
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Guy Pearce - Mike Young
English actor Guy Pearce started out his career playing Mike Young in Neighbours from 1986 until 1989. His family had relocated to Australia when was was three-years-old and he began filming after his last year 12 exam. "I experienced hysteria at a pretty high pitch with that show," he once said. "I'm not embarrassed by having done it now, not at all. It was an amazing experience, an amazing opportunity. And I was only 18."
Pearce decided to leave in 1989 because producers did not want him to play Errol Flynn in a biopic film. Since then he has appeared in The Hurt Locker, Memento, Prometheus, Iron Man 3 and The Time Machine. Speaking about his former cast mates, Guy recently said: "Jason and I see each other all the time. Whenever I’m in London I'll see Jason most times and I’ll see Kylie as well if she’s around." Guy said he had to "trawl his memory bank" for how to play Mike again, adding: "The producers had his old motorcycle gloves, they have been in the box since 1987, so that helped."
Chris Hemsworth - Jamie Kane
Chris Hemsworth only appeared in one episode of Neighbours back in 2002 - but how can we not include the Hollywood icon? The Thor star, who is now one of the highest-paid actors in the world, worked with Steph Scully at a garage. But it ended badly when he ratted her out because she didn't call the police when her ex-boyfriend robbed them. It was complicated.
Chris only got the chance to be in one episode but interestingly moved to rival Australian soap Home and Away, in which he starred for more than 150 episodes. Since 2011, Chris has been putting on a blonde wig and pretending to be an Asgardian Prince in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has also appeared in The Cabin in the Woods, Rush, Snow White and the Hunstman and Men in Black: International.
Liam Hemsworth - Josh Taylor
Neighbours really is a family show as Chris' brother, Liam Hemsworth, played a recurring character from 2007 to 2008. Liam was cast as Bridget Parker's paraplegic friend Josh after she was paralysed down one side of her body following a car crash. However, after going on some dates she decided she was really in love with someone else. Spookily, Liam found the same thing happening to his character in The Hunger Games, Gale Hawthorne, who got friendzoned by Jennifer Lawrence's character Katniss. The actor has also appeared in Independence Day: Resurgence, The Last Song and made guest appearances in Home and Away.
Natalie Imbruglia - Beth Brennan
Natalie played Beth Brennan on the soap from 1992 until 1994 (FILE)
Actors Liam and Chris Hemsworth both starred in Neighbours (Getty)Natalie Imbruglia said her life changed overnight when she was cast as Beth Brennan in the soap. Between 1992 and 1994, she played the builder's apprentice who jilted partner Brad Willis on their wedding day after discovering his affair with Lauren Carpenter. Natalie became disappointed with her character's scripts and asked to be written out, but thought her exit was unrealistic.
In 1998, Imbruglia stated that after leaving Neighbours she spent twelve months feeling "bitter and twisted" about the creative differences she experienced with the show's production. The singer had a chart-topper with her cover of Torn and has combined album sales of 3 million worldwide. Although she is mostly known for her music career these days, Imbruglia keeps her hand in with the acting and has appeared in a handful of movies including Underdogs and Johnny English.
Alan Dale - Jim Robison
Alan Dale has been in pretty much everything, so it should come as no surprise the New Zealander was in Neighbours. The former male model, car salesman and milkman moved to Australia in the late 70s and bagged a role as Jim Robinson in 1985. Alan appeared on the show from the first episode and stayed for eight years before his character was killed off in 1993.
He left on 'bad terms' and claimed the production company 'didn't put any value on any of the people appearing in the show' - but he did return in 2018 and 2019. Initially he struggled while being 'typecast' as Jim Robinson, mainly just doing voice overs, but revived his career when he relocated to the US in 2000. Since then he has appeared in The O.C., Ugly Betty, Lost, The West Wing, The X-Files and Entourage. He has also had minor film roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Russell Crowe - Kenny Larkin
Before he became a Gladiator, Russell Crowe had a guest spot on Neighbours as dodgy ex-con Kenny Larkin in 1987. The Hollywood A-lister appeared in four episodes as a bloke who was up to no good at all, nicking money and ruining Henry Mitchell's gardening business. Unfortunately for us viewers, his naughty antics got him banned from Lassiter's and he was never seen again. But we definitely did see Russell again as he won an Academy Award for playing Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator in 200. He has also appeared in The Insider, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander, Cinderella Man, Robin Hood and Man of Steel.
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