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Neighbours: The Finale

January 01, 1970

"Neighbours: The Finale" comprises the 8901st, 8902nd and 8903rd episodes of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. It premiered on 28 July 2022 on both Network 10 and 10 Peach in Australia, and on 29 July on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. It was conceived as the end of the serial, after it was cancelled due to the loss of its UK broadcaster and failure to find an alternative buyer, and production ceased after it was filmed. The episodes were written by Shane Isheev (episode 8901) and executive producer Jason Herbison (episodes 8902 and 8903), and directed by Scott Major. Production on Neighbours ended on 10 June. Production and cast had known the show was facing cancellation since 2021 and ideas for a suitable finale were already being planned at that point. In response to the news of the show's potential cancellation becoming public in early 2022, an online petition amassed more than 67,000 signatures to save the show. The petition did not change Channel 5's decision, who maintained that Neighbours remained popular and ending the show was solely a "business decision". Production were then tasked with bringing the show to an end within a few months. Herbison had already envisioned an ideal way to end the series, and Isheev and other writers supported his plans. Herbison did not wish to end the show with excessive finality, such as in the destruction of the primary location of Ramsay Street, and opted for a celebratory theme that acknowledged the show's history.

"Neighbours: The Finale"
Neighbours episodes
The final shot of the 90-minute version, showing the cast and crew on Ramsay Street.
Episode nos.Episodes 8901, 8902 and 8903
Directed byScott Major
Written by
Featured music
List of music
Cinematography byHeath Kerr
Editing byKylie Robertson
Original air date28 July 2022 (2022-07-28)
Running time90 minutes
Guest appearance
List of guest stars
Episode chronology
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Episode 8900 		Next →
Episode 8904
Storylines

Alan Fletcher, who played Karl Kennedy, regularly provided the media with updates about the finale's development. Neighbours writers finished storylining the episodes in March and in May cast members received their final scripts. The finale contains numerous cast returns, some of which were publicised, while others remained secret. Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue's returns as Scott and Charlene Robinson attracted much media attention. Other high-profile returning cast included Margot Robbie, Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Valance and Delta Goodrem. Many returns were facilitated by one of the episodes' main stories, the wedding of Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) and Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney). The episodes also featured the return of Guy Pearce as Mike Young. His story provided the finale with further nostalgia, as writers reunited Mike with his 1980s love interest Jane Harris (Annie Jones), who had returned to the regular cast in 2020. Other stories included all but one of the houses on Ramsay Street being put up for sale, and Amy Greenwood's (Jacinta Stapleton) plan to have more children. Herbison used the latter story to fulfil his wish to leave viewers with a remaining mystery.

There were post-production challenges, following Network 10's decision to broadcast the finale in a ninety-minute format. Episode 8901 was edited into the original sixty minute version, with the extended run-time allowing for extended dialogue and an extra cameo from Stephanie McIntosh as Sky Mangel. These were not featured in the British broadcast, where episode 8901 was broadcast earlier on the same day as the final hour, which was broadcast in a primetime slot. Herbison later revealed that there were more than fifteen minutes of footage cut from the episode. The episode featured more commercial music than any episode had done previously. One of the episode's most prominent features was a monologue performed by Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy, which forms the final scenes of the show. Herbison wanted Woodburne to have the opportunity to have a final "performance of a lifetime" in Neighbours. Woodburne reads Susan's entry into the Ramsay Street history book as the character reminisces and walks around a party held on Ramsay Street. Many television critics and fans praised the scene for its sentimental and emotional value.

There was considerable hype and anticipation from the media in the build-up to the finale, and the episodes attracted much praise from television critics. It was a television event that garnered many positive cast and celebrity responses, although three former cast members were disgruntled and criticised the episodes. Ratings for the finale were high; in Australia the episode was watched by 1.382 million viewers and gave Network 10 its biggest audience of the year. In the United Kingdom the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board reported that 4.02 million viewers watched the finale, with the addition of recordings and catch-up services. The success of the finale led to Amazon Freevee commencing discussions with the show's production company to revive the series, with its return announced in November 2022.

Plot edit

Malcolm Kennedy visits his parents, Karl and Susan, for lunch. Jane Harris also arrives to talk to Susan about her personal problems and her partner, Clive Gibbons, tells Shane Ramsay about his. Levi Canning asks Izzy to contribute to the Ramsay Street history book. Callum Rebecchi arrives home to attend his father Toadfish Rebecchi's wedding to Melanie Pearson. Clive surprises Jane by dressing up as a gorillagram. She is touched by the gesture, but they are interrupted by Mike Young on a motorcycle. Izzy becomes tearful as she reads the Kennedy family page in the history book. Mike goes to see his daughter Sam, and his old friend Paul Robinson. Karl and Susan visit Malcolm to tell him that Izzy and Shane kissed, but discover that Izzy has already told him, ending the relationship. Paul tells Mike that Shane is buying Lassiters and they arrange a get-together in the Lassiters complex. Jane meets Mike, whom she had previously dated, and she joins them for drinks. Toadie voices his regrets that his friend Amy Greenwood will not be at the wedding. Amy returns and explains that she ran away because she thought she had romantic feelings for Toadie, but Joel Samuels helped her realise otherwise. Susan finds Izzy, thanks her for being honest and tells her that she needs to find happiness. Harold and Shane join Jane, Paul, Mike and Sam, and they reminisce. An uncomfortable Jane leaves the group when Clive arrives and talks to Mike. Mike reassures Clive he is visiting Sam and does not want to reconcile with Jane.

Susan is shocked to see all the houses on Ramsay Street are up for sale. She and Karl go through the history book with Harold, who suggests she writes the introduction. Mike and Sam visit the street and meet Jane; they reminisce about their history together on a tour of the street. Paul admits to Clive that he still loves his former wife, Terese Willis. Susan and Karl discuss their neighbours leaving the street, and she admits her uncertainty about writing the book's introduction. Witnessing Jane and Mike on Ramsay Street, a drunken Clive tries to fight Mike using a lamp as a weapon. Harold separates them by spraying them with water. Clive claims to have suffered a nervous breakdown, and Mike tells Paul he is not trying to cause trouble. Des turns up and says that he told Clive to give up as Jane is not interested in him any more. Jane admits that she has thought about Mike a lot over the years, while Paul asks Mike what he wants. Paul and Terese kiss, but Paul leaves before Terese can tell him she and Glen Donnelly broke up. Karl posts a video to the Ramsay Street Facebook page, which former residents Felicity Scully and Beth Brennan watch when they coincidentally meet. Beth tells Felicity that Toadie is getting married. Back in Erinsborough, Terese tells Lucy about her kiss with Paul. Sam encourages her father to move on, like her mother has, after revealing that Jane is not attending the wedding.

Everyone gathers for Toadie and Melanie's wedding, while Mike visits Jane. Paul and Terese reconcile after the ceremony, and Paul then cancels the hotel sale. Scott and Charlene Robinson turn up on Ramsay Street and realise no one is home. Scott then stops Charlene entering through an open window at Number 24. Mike tells Jane about his break-up with Sam's mother and that, while they are emotionally damaged, they should try to be happy. The wedding party relocates to the street for the reception. Aaron Brennan, and David and Leo Tanaka, decide to stay in Erinsborough when they learn that Paul and Terese have reconciled. Nicolette Stone agrees to stay and resumes her relationship with Kiri Durant, while Elly Conway and Chloe reconcile. Toadie and Melanie decide to stay on Ramsay Street after watching congratulatory video messages. Clive tells Jane and Mike that he is going to Los Angeles. Jane reconciles her friendship with Paul. Amy tells Toadie that she found a sperm donor, implying it is someone he knows. Mike reveals to Jane and Sam that he has matched Shane's offer to buy Number 24 and will seek work at Erinsborough High. Mike confesses his love for Jane, and they resume their relationship. Susan decides what to write in the history book. She then walks through Ramsay Street as her book introduction is voiced over the scene. Various residents celebrate in the street as a floating balloon bursts, showering everyone with confetti.

Regular cast appearances edit

 
April Rose Pengilly
 
Alan Fletcher
 
Georgie Stone

Production edit

Background edit

In July 2021, Australian magazine Woman's Day ran a story revealing Neighbours was facing cancellation. The report cited the recent decrease to four episodes a week in Australia, British broadcaster Channel 5's desire to establish an hour of news programming over the show's afternoon timeslot, and the accusations of prejudice made by guest star Shareena Clayton.[1] The show's Executive Producer, Jason Herbison, was informed about the possibility the show could end in 2021, and relayed the news to cast and crew.[2] On 6 February 2022, it was reported that Channel 5 had not reached a new deal with Neighbours' production company Fremantle, and as a consequence would not be funding or broadcasting the show beyond its current contract.[3] Fremantle remained committed to producing the series on the understanding the show could secure a new international backer.[3] Herbison did not receive confirmation of Channel 5 ending their contract until shortly before it was publicised.[2] Herbison told Andrew Mercado from Mediaweek that "we are very proud of everything Neighbours has achieved. We see the next few months as being a huge celebration for the show with a bit of everything for viewers. Any ending will be respectful of the past, the present and always open to a future."[4] In response to the news, an online petition titled "Channel 5 – Don't Axe Neighbours" was created via Change.org, which gained more than 67,000 signatures. The name of the petition's creator, Edward Skylover, was used in an episode of Neighbours broadcast later in the year, in gratitude for his display of support.[5]

On 3 March, it was confirmed that the show would end because an alternative broadcasting partner had not been found. It was stated that production would cease in June that year after thirty-seven years of filming. A statement from the production team read: "we are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June."[6] The statement detailed that there was "no option" to continue production but promised "to end the show on an incredible high."[6] Herbison used the terminology that the show was being "rested" rather than "axed". He explained that Neighbours is a huge brand and the company would be "open to all possibilities", but the show was ending for the foreseeable future and cast members were free to pursue other projects following its end.[2] In the show's final month on-screen, Channel 5 controller Ben Frow described ending the show as solely a "business decision".[7]

Development edit

 
 
Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue's returns as Scott and Charlene Robinson formed the early developments of the finale.

After the show's cancellation was confirmed, Herbison disclosed that he had already thought of an idea to end the show. He did not reveal any details and noted that it was not storylined or written, and could still change. He teased that the final episode would be a "wonderful" ending to end the show "on a high".[2] After the finale was broadcast, he confirmed that his initial vision included "the joyous street party, Susan's voiceover, the characters no longer with us, the balloon, the original theme song and the message to audience".[8] Herbison elected not to end the show with a destructive storyline, preferring to construct the finale as a celebration of the show's history. He told David Knox from TV Tonight that "I would never, ever blow [Ramsay Street] up. The ending will be a celebration of the past and the present, with the door very much left open for a future." He added that "Ramsay Street is eternal" and he wanted it to live on in the minds of its viewers.[2] Herbison and the show's story producer Shane Isheev began working together on the show's final episodes and last scenes. Herbison asked Isheev to pitch his ideas for the show's finale.[9] Herbison began by revealing his vision and even detailed the final scene and dialogue. Isheev recalled becoming emotional and experiencing "goosebumps" upon hearing Herbison's ideas, and was so impressed with Herbison's vision that he chose not to pitch his own ideas.[9] Isheev, a fan of the show himself, believed that he and Herbison had created an ending fitting for a Neighbours fan, while acknowledging that it would be impossible to please everyone.[9]

Herbison, Isheev and story consultant Sarah Mayberry worked together storylining the final two weeks, before Herbison worked on the finale personally. Herbison knew there was too much material to fit into the finale, so supervised the revision of earlier episodes.[8] On 4 March, Isheev announced that his writing team had finished storylining the show's ending. The team gathered for their final group sessions on the set of 22 Ramsay Street's rear-garden set.[10]

On 9 May, Bella Fowler from news.com.au reported that a script of one of the final episodes had been leaked and revealed Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's role in the finale. Fowler reported that the script ended with Scott and Charlene Robinson arriving on Ramsay Street in a car, before they step out and say the line: "We're home."[11] The leaked script remained unverified,[11] until Herbison later claimed that the details were inaccurate and the show's ending remained a secret.[12] On 20 May, Alan Fletcher, who plays Karl Kennedy revealed that he had received his scripts for the show's final episode.[13] Neighbours writer Emma J Steele also confirmed via her Twitter account that she had finished her final shift with the show.[14] On 23 May, Herbison confirmed he had written the final episodes and the scripts had been given out to the show's cast and crew.[15]

Herbison felt "very privileged" to be able to write the episodes and bring the show to its conclusion. He was able to write his vision of how he wanted to end the show and hoped the audience would enjoy it. He told Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly: "The magnitude of the moment is not lost on me and everyone is coming together behind the scenes to make the ending as befitting as possible."[15] Herbison also said that he had yet to see anyone guess what would happen and believed the final scene would be quite hard to guess.[15] Upon completion of the finale's development, Herbison hoped to "wrap everything up in a satisfying way" with "ultimately joyous" scenes that follow months of "triumph, tragedy, laughter and tears."[16] Ryan Moloney who plays Toadie Rebecchi revealed that the finale has a "vibe" to it where everyone involved said "come on, let's finish it really well."[17] Rebekah Elmaloglou (Terese Willis) told Tom Spilsbury of Total TV Guide that "the finale is a lovely, big celebration of the show. It was important to all of us that we went out with a bang. We're in for a treat."[18]

Cast edit

In February 2022, Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap reported that Ian Smith would be reprising his role of Harold Bishop to play a part in the show's prospective finale, and that he had already started filming.[19] On the day the show's cancellation was confirmed, it was announced that Peter O'Brien would also return as original character Shane Ramsay.[20] Shortly after, Fletcher publicised the fact that producers were working "very hard" to convince some of the show's most memorable cast members to return for the finale.[21] On 14 February 2022, it was reported that producers wanted Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue to reprise their respective roles as Scott Robinson and Charlene Robinson. Donovan had already stated his interest in returning while producers were waiting for Minogue's response.[22] On 1 May 2022, their return was indicated by Instagram posts of a Neighbours script from both Minogue and Donovan. Herbison confirmed the casting news via his Twitter account and stated it would not have been right to end the show without "the ultimate Neighbours couple", adding that they "play a very special part in our series finale."[23] Herbison told Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap that it took "very little persuading" to get Donovan and Minogue to return as they both had an appreciation for the show and the part it played in their respective careers.[24] Herbison wrote their scene in secret and initially kept it from the script department.[24]

 
Bonnie Anderson, James Mason, Kate Kendall, Daniel MacPherson, Margot Robbie, Rob Mills, Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem and Jodi Gordon all guest starred in the finale.

Of her return, Minogue told Brooke Boney from Today that she had spent "so long" thinking a return to Neighbours would be nonsensical. Donovan suggested to Minogue that it would be a good opportunity to thank Neighbours. She recalled that driving into Ramsay Street "was quite something" and that upon her return old memories resurfaced of the characters Charlene, Scott, Harold and Jane Harris (Annie Jones).[25] She later told Jenny Paul from Glamour that she and Donovan agreed to return to thank long-term viewers of the series who watched their characters.[26] On 26 May, footage of Minogue in character as Charlene was leaked onto video hosting application TikTok. The video showed Minogue conversing with a film crew.[27] Donovan later revealed that their return involved "denim" clothing but warned, "I do hope the expectations aren't too big."[28]

On 7 May 2022, numerous other cast members from each decade of the show were announced to be returning.[29] On 24 May, Bonnie Anderson was confirmed to be returning as Bea Nilsson for the final episode, where she was reunited with her on-screen sister Elly Conway, played by Jodi Gordon.[30] On 1 June, Rob Mills confirmed his return as Finn Kelly during an interview on Studio 10.[31] Two days later, it was announced Guy Pearce had reprised his role of Mike Young.[32] Having already discussed a hypothetical return with Donovan, Pearce accepted the invitation to appear when it was offered in March 2022.[33]

In the week leading up to the finale, more former cast returns were confirmed. These included Anne Charleston reprising her role as Madge Bishop for the second time since the character's death.[34] Margot Robbie reprised her role as Donna Freedman for the episode. Her return was newsworthy as she had become a successful film actress in the United States.[35][36][37] It was also confirmed that the characters Nina Tucker (Delta Goodrem), Libby Kennedy (Kym Valentine), Billy Kennedy (Jesse Spencer) and Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) would feature in the episode.[36] These cast announcements were publicised via Neighbours social media in a "surprise" statement.[36] More returns included Natalie Imbruglia as Beth Brennan and Holly Valance as Felicity Scully.[38]

Jason Donovan's father, Terence Donovan, briefly reprised his role of Doug Willis, making the finale the only occasion where the two featured in the same episode.[39] Jason's daughter, Jemma Donavan, had been a regular cast member as Harlow Robinson from 2019, but left the series shortly before it ended and did not appear in the finale.[40] Jason’s half-sister Stephanie McIntosh also briefly reprised her role as Sky Mangel via video in some versions of the finale. Again, it was the only episode starring both siblings. Other characters reintroduced during the episode included Callum Rebecchi (Morgan Baker), Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major) and Ned Willis (Ben Hall).[41] Alan Fletcher told Adam Beresford from TV Mag that producers managed to secure so many returnees because they were all grateful for the many professional opportunities the show gave them. He added that the returning cast provided the viewers with a "beautiful celebratory experience", allowing the show to end "in the style it deserves."[42] He told Tom Spilsbury from Total TV Guide that people could think the numerous returns were "a bit gratuitous" but noted that Jason Herbison had a long history of bring back former characters. He concluded that he was "blown away" and shocked Herbison managed to secure so many returning cast members.[18]

Some returns were not made public or leaked prior to the finale. These were the returns of Sharon Davies (Jessica Muschamp), Lance Wilkinson (Andrew Bibby), Tad Reeves (Jonathon Dutton), Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough), Naomi Canning (Morgana O'Reilly), Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings), Sonya Rebecchi (Eve Morey), Hendrix Greyson (Ben Turland) and Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh), the latter who only appears in the Australian broadcast of the finale.[43][44]

Herbison later confirmed that he wanted to bring more characters back but it was not possible due to COVID-19 isolation rules in Australia.[8] Herbison continued to reintroduce cast into the final days of filming, and saw their successful integration as "a huge testament to the incredible crew".[8] Tom Oliver was invited to reprise his role as Lou Carpenter for the finale. Herbison contacted Oliver personally but he declined to return. Herbison ensured that Lou was included in flashback sequences during the final week, in the photograph montage that accompanied the end credits, and also featured a letter addressed to "T Oliver".[8] Don Bridges, who played Toadie's father Kevin Rebecchi, was asked to return, but he could not get time off from a play he was starring in.[45] Herbison also wanted to include a white Labrador Retriever running through Ramsay Street, in homage to Bouncer, but he realised it was too difficult.[8]

Filming edit

 
The show's finale scenes were filmed on Pin Oak Court in Melbourne, which is the setting of Ramsay Street

The episode was directed by former Neighbours actor Scott Major, who also appears on-screen as his character, Lucas Fitzgerald.[31] Alan Fletcher publicised the finale in the months leading up to it. In March 2022, Fletcher claimed that the finale episodes would be an "incredible celebration with returning characters and extraordinary story lines."[21] Nevertheless, the cast were not told about how exactly the show would end prior to filming the final episode.[46] In May 2022, Fletcher told Tina Campbell from Evening Standard that he had been on a filming break but would soon return to the Neighbours set for the final four weeks of filming. He explained that "they are keeping it all very, very top secret I have to say [...] everyone has been voting on different ideas and laughing, but they are keeping it very much underwraps."[46] He also revealed that writers had recently finished the scripts for the final episode and that it was likely to be a "huge celebration".[46]

Minogue and Donovan filmed their return scene in the final week of April 2022, after the scheduling and logistical challenges to get both actors to film together were successfully overcome.[47] Scott and Charlene's appearance is largely unconnected from the main storylines of the finale, with minimal dialogue. This was attributed to the pair's desire not to "overshadow" the current cast, and their scene having been filmed prior to the rest of the finale being written.[48] Herbison was present when the pair filmed their scene and described it as "a very moving experience" and one that he felt privileged to be part of.[24] It was later reported by a writer for the Herald Sun that body doubles had to be used when the couple were not in focus, as Minogue and Donovan were only available for half a day.[49] Actor Rob Mills said filming on the final episode occurred on 1 June, describing the scenes as "very heartfelt" and reporting that the show ends "beautifully".[31] Filming on the series wrapped on 10 June 2022.[50][51] Cast member Georgie Stone (Mackenzie Hargreaves) chose to miss her own film premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in order to film the show's final episodes.[52] She said that she had to be part of the finale, as it is "a moment in history", and she wanted to finish her character's story after investing three years in it.[52] Woodburne revealed that filming the finale scenes was challenging because of the cast's emotions. She described the finale scene as "very joyful and happy", although those involved were close to tears.[53] Woodburne, whose in-character monologue dominates the last scene, said that "I was thrilled to be given that opportunity to narrate that last scene."[53]

Geoff Paine, who played Clive Gibbons, described large news crew and a paparazzi presence outside of the Nunawading studios as filming concluded.[54] There was cold weather during the final scenes filmed in Pin Oak Court, which is the setting of Ramsay Street. Paine revealed that the cast members involved had to act like it was a warm weather day. In addition paparazzi were attempting to obtain photos of the filming and Paine hid in a driveway to avoid being photographed.[54] Fletcher described an emotional atmosphere on set but the busy filming schedule helped everyone remain focused. He told Gareth McLean from Radio Times that "right up until the end of the day, we were supressing the emotions about the end of the show and just got on with the work. We had a lot to get through and some very big scenes, and it was obviously important that we finished on time. Being extremely focused is the thing that got us through."[55]

Natalie Imbruglia (Beth) and Holly Valance (Felicity) filmed their scenes in London on 27 May 2022, after pitching the idea that they appear together to the producers. While the characters had never previously met, Imbruglia and Valance are close friends in real life.[56][57] When Pearce arrived back on the set of Neighbours he was unsure of how to play Mike again. The producers still had Mike's old motorcycle gloves which Pearce said helped him get back into character.[17] Herbison later revealed that there were scripted scenes that were not filmed due to running out of time. There was a planned sequence showing the party on Ramsay Street being ensembled in "record time". This was cancelled but Herbison revealed he would "love" the opportunity to reinstate it.[8] Margot Robbie sent thirty-seven bottles of champagne to the Neighbours set as a gift to celebrate the end of filming.[58] The cast also gathered for a wrap party on the show's set after filming ceased.[59]

Post-production edit

 
The episode features music from Harry Styles.

Three edits of the finale episodes were created for different broadcast territories. In Ireland, all three episodes were broadcast separately on consecutive nights.[60] For the British broadcast, episodes 8902 and 8903 were edited together, creating a "specially-created hour" format with a "bespoke" teaser voiced by Stefan Dennis.[61] Commercial tracks were also added to the UK broadcast, more extensively than in any previous episodes. Barnett claimed that that the episode features "a mix of contemporary and classic" songs each chosen to suit the scene and "enhance the viewer experience".[61] Production added songs from Harry Styles and George Ezra, but these were not featured in the Australian edition.[62] The original Neighbours theme song, performed by Barry Crocker was used at the end of the episode.[8] The end credits feature a montage of photographs from former and present characters before a message appeared on the screen stating: "Thank you for loving us, we love you."[63]

When Network 10 decided to allocate a ninety-minute timeslot for the finale in Australia, further post-production was undertaken to add episode 8901 to the UK edit.[64] The revised format opened up additional time, allowing deleted scenes to be "hurriedly" added in to the Australian broadcast.[64] These scenes included an additional video message from Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh), a scene in which Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) tells her son Ned Willis (Ben Hall) that she loves him, and a scene featuring Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) telling Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) that he is a son to him and Susan (Jackie Woodburne).[44] This version was later broadcast in New Zealand, under the tile Neighbours: The Final Farewell.[65]

There is an additional fifteen minutes of cut scenes that were removed from the episode. Herbison stated that these could be used in a future special cut of the episode.[64] Isheev later revealed that a longer scene between Melanie (Lucinda Cowden) and Callum (Morgan Baker) was cut for time from the finale.[66] It was later revealed that a portion of Paine's dialogue had been cut from a scene featuring Clive, Jane and Mike. On-screen Clive announces he is going to Los Angeles. The scene originally featured Clive explaining he is going to visit Sheila Canning (Colette Mann), following a phone call he received from her earlier in the week. Clive would have stated he is not reconciling with Sheila, but attempting to understand his failed relationships.[8]

Story development edit

Main stories edit

 
Writers deliberately gave Jacinta Stapleton's character, Amy Greenwood, a storyline which left viewers with unanswered questions.

One of the finale's main stories was the culmination of the potential sale of numerous houses on Ramsay Street, which would have left Karl and Susan as the only present regular characters remaining on the street.[67] A Neighbours publicist told Johnathon Hughes from Inside Soap that "one by one, and for all sorts of different reasons, the owners of each house have decided to leave to make fresh starts elsewhere."[67] Karl and Susan are "devastated" to see the for sale signs and worry about being left behind. The main narrative purpose of the house sales was to ensure that Ramsay Street itself played a significant role in the finale.[67] Producer Jason Herbison told Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy that he wanted to create a "threat to the street", while not wishing to repeat stories featuring developers taking over the street.[8] Instead, Herbison believed that having other residents moving on and leaving the Kennedys behind created an "emotional anchor" for the finale. He concluded that "I wanted to tug at the heartstrings as much as I could."[8] The story also provided the opportunity for Mike and Jane's tour of the houses in Ramsay Street, as they were available for viewings.[8] In the finale, all but one of the house sales is aborted, which was the plan from the storyline's conception. While Herbison felt that each character "had a natural reason to be moving on", some compromises were made to the storyline: "admittedly it happened very quickly and it's the perfect example of trying to balance story ambition with time. I originally envisaged a few more twists and turns to get everyone in the selling spirit".[8]

Another central storyline is the wedding of Toadie Rebecchi and Melanie Pearson. The wedding allowed writers to introduce an upbeat celebration into the finale. Cowden told Alice Penwill from Inside Soap that it was a "really cute idea" to end the show with a wedding.[68] She explained that the characters split the day into two with Toadie planning the ceremony and Melanie organising the after-party. The wedding takes place at the lake and this location was used to honour the deceased characters Sonya Rebecchi and Hendrix Greyson. Cowden described "cool vintage cars" transporting their characters in the wedding scenes. Melanie had often been portrayed as a pig enthusiast and revealed that writers remained true to that characterisation by including pig related props.[68] Writers used the character of Amy Greenwood to pose a potential threat to the success of the wedding. Amy had recently declared her love for Toadie and her return creates an issue. After Amy claims to have just been confused about her feelings, Melanie allows her to attend the wedding.[68] Cowden believed that Melanie "feels sorry" for Amy, concluding that "Melanie isn't a person who judges others" and is able to forgive.[68]

Many former characters return during the finale, the majority appearing for the wedding celebrations. Cowden believed that writers were correct to prominently feature Melanie and Toadie in the final story, with both having strong links to returning characters from their respective tenures.[68] Cowden added "it's the best reason to get people back" and singled out the return of Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi. She revealed that Callum is "supportive" of his father's new marital arrangement and described Baker as a "joy" to work with.[68] In 2021, Cowden was only supposed to briefly return but Melanie ended up staying and creating a life with Toadie. She concluded that "I can't believe the show is ending with my wedding – I'm incredibly grateful. And I got to bag the Toad!"[68] Herbison told Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy that "I wanted the stories to provide natural opportunities for other characters to appear, which of course the wedding did."[8]

Guy Pearce's return as Mike Young allowed writers to revisit the romance storyline between him and Jane Harris. which dated from the 1980s. Mike was Jane's first love, and she had recently ended her relationship with Clive Gibbons, who had previously lived with Mike on Ramsay Street. Mike's return causes trouble, and Mike and Clive end up having a physical altercation.[69] Mike and Jane's scenes also explore their history, including reminiscences about Jane's famous makeover and when they were banned from visiting each other.[63] Writers had storylined Mike and Jane's rekindled romance but it was dependent on Pearce reprising his role. Herbison believed that Pearce brought "so much more" to the story than was planned, particularly the revelation that Sam Young (Henrietta Graham) is Mike's daughter. Pearce is a family friend of Graham's, and requested to work with her as part of his appearance.[70] He further suggested that Sam be made his character's daughter, which Herbison commented "we all felt was one of the most touching elements of the finale."[8]

In one scene, Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton) reveals that she has found a sperm donor to enable her to have another child, but does not reveal the identity of the character. Herbison explained that his writers wanted to resolve most stories but they also wanted the odd "small mystery" to tease fans. He praised Stapleton's performance in the scene, adding that he had not decided on the donor's identity.[8] Stapleton did not reprise her role when Neighbours returned in September 2023, and the mystery of her sperm donor was not initially revisited.[71] However, later flashback scenes set shortly after the finale saw Amy reveal that Lance Wilkinson (Andrew Bibby) was the father of her baby.[72]

Estranged couple Paul and Terese were also reunited in the finale. Herbison believed that had the show continued, the couple would have been separated for longer. He added: "with Paul, I think it's a case of better the devil you know. Terese hasn't always walked a straight line and they are each other's equal. I'm glad I reunited them and I don't think Paul will ever change. But as Terese wrote on her note, she accepts that. That doesn't mean she won't end up ripping up the note!"[8]

Susan's speech edit

"How do you begin to describe a street? Do you talk about the houses? The bricks and the mortar, the gardens and the trees? Or do you talk about the people? The young, the old, and everyone in between? Where do you begin with the history? Do you start with your own, or those who came before you? When we moved to Ramsay Street, the community was already here. The Ramsays and The Robinsons... The stories from those early days are legendary, and their legacy still lives on today...

There have been many families over the years of all shapes and sizes... some of them unexpected. And friends who became like family, whether they were related or not. Love has always been a central theme. How many romances were born on this street? Things seldom ran smoothly, of course, but they usually worked out in the end. I think of all the people who never crossed paths who could have been great friends. And those who kept turning up whether we welcomed them or not. The street always has a way of bringing people back.

Then I think of the people who can't come back... The people gone too soon... how would they look if they were still alive today? If they'd been allowed to reach their potential? So many people that were lost... and then others... others who were just lost. I think you have to acknowledge everything. Celebrate it all. The good, the bad. Because all of that makes us who we are. Everyone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street. Even those who watched us from afar. Together, we've been the perfect blend."

— Jackie Woodburne's voiceover speech as Susan.[73][74]

The closing moments of the show feature a voiceover speech performed by Jackie Woodburne as Susan. It accompanies scenes in which Susan leaves her house and walks through Ramsay Street during the wedding reception street party. Harold asks Susan to be the custodian of the Ramsay Street history book and asks her to write the introduction, which forms the words of her monologue.[75] She also imagines characters who were killed off in the series attending the party.[8] Herbison believed the speech was the easiest part of the script to write because they were his genuine thoughts about the show. Herbison chose Woodburne to close the show because "Susan is the heart of Ramsay Street". He added that he wanted her to "give us one more performance of a lifetime" before the credits rolled.[8]

Director Scott Major and production designer Peta Lawson were tasked with transforming Herbison's vision into the closing moments. After Susan's speech a balloon bursts and showers confetti onto the street. Herbison claimed that Major and Lawson "looked at me like I was slightly crazy" but "supported the vision and made it happen."[8] The show's international viewers were referenced in the line "everyone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street. Even those who watched us from afar."[74] The closing line of "together, we've been the perfect blend", pays homage to the show's theme tune, which contains the lyrics "the perfect blend".[74] The original scripts for the speech were later made available to view online.[73]

Promotion edit

In the final week of filming, the Australian morning talk show Studio 10 broadcast live from the Neighbours studios in Nunawading, hosting a series of promotional interviews. They were the only media organisation given access to the set.[76] On 11 July, Minogue released exclusive on-set photographs of herself and Donovan in character.[77] Minogue and Donovan also decided to re-release their 1988 single "Especially for You" to commemorate their on-screen reunion. The single was released on vinyl, cassette and digital download.[78] Network 10 promoted the episode as a "history making finale" which would be "gripping and emotional" and contain "something for everyone spanning all generations of viewers".[79]

Various British magazines promoted the finale in the week of its broadcast. Minogue and Donovan featured on the cover of TV Choice, TV Mag, What's on TV and TVTimes.[80][81][82][83] Smith, Minogue, Donovan, Jones and Dennis appeared on the cover of the Daily Mirror's "LOVE TV" magazine.[84] The finale was also given the header space on Inside Soap's thirtieth 2022 issue.[85] Den of Geek compiled a how-to-guide on hosting your own Neighbours finale viewing party and urged fans to do so.[86]

The finale received television news coverage on BBC News, Channel 5 news and ITV News.[87][88][89] It was also covered in the official Sky News podcast.[90] In Australia, Meg Watson, Thomas Mitchell and Caroline Schelle liveblogged the finale for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.[91][92] In the United Kingdom, The Guardian's live blog was run by Scott Bryan.[93]

Broadcast edit

In March 2022, it was announced that the final episode would be broadcast on 1 August 2022 in both the UK and Australia. Australia's broadcasts of new episodes had fallen behind the United Kingdom's but from 13 June, 10 Peach began airing double episodes to catch up.[94] A press release issued in May detailed that the finale would be an "epic double episode".[95] David Knox from TV Tonight reported that executives from Network 10 had considered other options for the broadcast of the finale. One executive stated that the network wanted Neighbours to reach "the biggest, broadest audience" but was unsure it could air on their main channel.[96]

On 30 June, amended scheduling was announced, placing the Neighbours finale on Network 10 in Australia, and in primetime on Channel 5 in the UK. The Australian triple episode was broadcast on Network 10 and 10 Peach simultaneously on 28 July at 7.30 pm.[97] Hundreds of Australians gathered in the show's home city of Melbourne to watch the finale live on a big screen.[98] Channel 5 also rescheduled the double episode finale to 29 July at 9 pm, following episode 8901 in the usual lunchtime and evening repeat timeslots on the same day.[99] In Ireland, Neighbours concluded with episode 8903 on 3 August 2022 on RTÉ One and RTÉ2.[60] The 90-minute finale aired on TVNZ 1 in New Zealand on 2 September 2022.[65] The show's social media teams agreed not to post any spoilers regarding the episode until after the UK broadcast.[61]

Channel 5 controller Ben Frow had asked his commissioning editor Greg Barnett to approve the Neighbours episode being moved into a primetime timeslot. Once he agreed, Frow asked Barnett to help create additional Neighbours themed content to coincide with the broadcast.[61] The first show Neighbours: Made Me A Star explores the careers of successful cast following their departures from the series. The second, titled Neighbours: All The Pop Hits & More; Especially For You showcases a number of music videos from cast members who went onto have music careers and documents facts about them.[61] They also commissioned a bespoke channel ident to celebrate and promote Neighbours in the week of the finale, and Alan Fletcher read continuity announcements for Channel 5 on the evening of the final episode.[61]

Reception edit

Hype and anticipation edit

Anticipation for the series finale was high, with an initial focus on Donovan and Minogue's return. Ash Percival of HuffPost reported that the casting of Minogue and Donovan "lit up twitter" with fan reactions and predicted an "emotional finale".[50] Emily Martin (WalesOnline) addressed her doubts about how writers could create a celebration of the show ending. She opined that everyone was "sulking" until Minogue and Donavan's returns were confirmed.[100]

Of the reports that the finale's closing moments had leaked, Chantelle Schmidt from Pedestrian said that ending with Scott and Charlene's arrival "does feel like a cute and almost predictable way to finish" the show. She also believed Scott and Charlene were the best characters to end the show with given the televised ratings their wedding episode achieved.[101] Bella Fowler of news.com.au expressed disappointment that Scott and Charlene would not gain a return storyline, though she believed it would give "millions of diehard Neighbours fans closure".[11] A reporter from New Zealand's More FM branded it the supercouple's "perfect ending".[102]

There was also much anticipation of the final episode's story. Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald compiled a list of six possible endings. Idato believed that writers had a difficult task to end the series. He noted a hastily written script would be "best business practice" but "disastrous" for the show and its viewers.[103] On-set photographs released via Minogue featured a property sale sign in the background and fans began speculating that the show would end with Scott and Charlene returning to Ramsay Street to buy the house.[104] During the week prior to the finale's broadcast, Jared Evitts from Wales Online reported that producers remained secretive but "speculation has gone wild for how the show might draw to a close".[105] Digital Spy's Joe Anderton wondered what Pearce's role in the finale would be and confessed "we can't see wait to see how it all plays out."[106]

Ratings edit

The original broadcast of the finale saw Neighbours become the number one show of the night in Australia. The finale attracted an audience of 873,000 metropolitan viewers and led all demographics across the two channels, making it the show's highest rated episode since 2009.[107] Television journalist Colin Vickery confirmed the episode achieved an average of 1.2 million viewers nationally, which combines the metro and regional audiences, and had a peak of 1.41 million viewers. It had a 41.6% commercial share.[108]

Revised numbers released by OzTAM on 5 August 2022 showed that the episode was watched by 1.382 million viewers. This combines overnight, regional, and BVOD numbers, which was an increase of 27% on the overnight metro number. David Knox of TV Tonight expected the number to rise once the 28-day consolidated viewing data came in. He also reported that the finale achieved Network 10's biggest audience since the broadcast of Oprah with Meghan and Harry, which was seen by an audience of 1.78 million.[109]

In the UK, Episode 8901 was seen by 800,000 viewers, giving it a 16.1% audience share during its broadcast at 1.45 pm. The 6 pm airing secured 700,000 viewers and a 6.6% share. The finale was watched by 2.5 million viewers, giving it a 17% audience share. It became the highest rated episode since 2008 and the third highest rated episode since the serial's move to Channel 5.[110] On 8 August, the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board reported that the number had increased to 4.02 million viewers, with the addition of recordings and catch-up services. Neighbours was the most-watched show of the week on Channel 5, the 17th most-watched show of the week across all channels, and it rated higher than every episode of British soap opera EastEnders that aired in the same week. The final figure is expected to rise further with the addition of the Saturday afternoon repeat figure and 28-day data.[111]

Critical response edit

Positive analysis edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Daily Telegraph     [112]
The Guardian     [113]
i     [114]
The Independent     [115]
Radio Times     [116]
TVTimes     [117]
Weekend     [118]
Whattowatch.com     [119]

The episode was chosen as the "Pick of the day" feature in the following magazines: Radio Times, The Times: Saturday review, Total TV Guide, TV Mag, TV Choice, TVTimes, Weekend and What's on TV.[120][121][122][123][124][117][118][125] The episode was featured in What's on TV's "Hot TV" feature where it was named a "history-making finale" and "end of an era".[126] Radio Times' David Brown believed writers were tasked with creating a finale to please generations of viewers. Brown described it as "less an hour of TV drama and more a mere parade of old familiar faces, there's just enough here to elicit squeals of delight from anyone who's spent time obsessing over Erinsborough."[120] Brown also assessed that Mike and Jane were "at the heart" of the finale rather than Scott and Charlene as many had assumed.[120] His colleague Helen Daly branded the wedding a "sweet, American-western inspired affair" and "unusual" because Neighbours weddings do not run successfully.[116] She hailed Scott and Charlene's return as "big and bold", "nostalgia", "goosebump-inducing" and "camp" - but was "a little bit forced and slightly disconnected from the main storyline."[116] Daly opined that the finale was Woodburne's episode because she was the "heart". The segments success was because "beloved Susan held all the values that Erinsborough put on a pedestal [...] If anyone could reflect on the history of the show, it's Susan."[116] She believed the "beauty" of the "beautiful monologue" was how "delicately it spoke to fans"; its ghostly returns were also the "most touching moment of the entire week."[116] Daly concluded "to say fans got what they wanted is an understatement. I defy anyone to be disappointed with the sheer amount of famous faces back on screen."[116]

James Jackson from The Times: Saturday review branded it a "TV event" and recognised it as "the soap worlds Top Gun: Maverick".[121] Frances Ryan (The Guardian) stated that the opening credits montage made "it feel like watching your life flash before your eyes."[113] She branded it a "nostalgia-filled finale" and called the wedding "the crux" of the episode, allowing a "celebratory mood" and "most importantly" an angle for former character returns.[113] She believed the slew of high profile actors returning for the finale was "a testament" to Neighbours' success. She singled out a returning Pearce, who appeared to be "having the time of his life" and created "a moving reunion" with Jane. Ryan added that Scott and Charlene's returns made it feel like "thirty years have passed and no time at all."[113] She also praised writers for managing to end existing plots alongside "sufficient nostalgia for older fans" despite the "challenge". Ryan concluded that "this isn’t a finale mourning a show’s demise: it’s a celebration of its success – and what a success it was."[113]

David Knox from TV Tonight believed original cast member Dennis having the opening lines of the finale was a fitting tribute.[127] He believed that there was a lot of content to "cram" into one episode. Knox thought writers faced a difficult task to balance numerous returns with concluding stories. Knox claimed that they got it "mostly right" because of the sentimental wedding.[127] He described "soapie U-turns left, right and centre" and numerous "nods to the past" and criticised the episode's fast pacing. The writer claimed that one scene was done at "such dizzying speed" that is caused him to "yell" at his television.[127] Knox also critiqued Izzy's final story and opined that the Ramsay Street history book finally brought "Izzy to her senses" and ended her story.[127] Knox believed writers reuniting Jane and Mike was "bringing soapie viewers the union they had longed for". On "favourite couple" Scott and Charlene's return Knox stated it was "a pop culture moment that was a miracle to bring off." He concluded that Susan's speech as "the finale's finest moment."[127] Karl Quinn from The Age thought that Izzy was given a moment of "redemption" during the finale but true to her characterisation she could not "help but heap infamy upon scandal". He described the episode as "comforting, heartwarming, funny and even genuinely moving – in this last hurrah, it was certainly all that."[128]

 
Natalie Bassingwhaite plays Izzy Hoyland, who critics believed gained redemption during the finale.

Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap praised Jackie Woodburne in particular for her performance, writing "For all the fanfare for the big name returns – the Hollywood blessings of Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie, or the strangely silent Kylie – the true star of the Neighbours finale was Jackie Woodburne. Susan's final speech about friendship and love, and especially remembering 'those who'd gone too soon' packed a real punch. Sleep well, Neighbours. You were just too good for this world."[129] Tyler also enjoyed the scene in which Mike told Jane he still loved her, saying the moment "almost finished us off for good."[129] Their colleague Johnathon Hughes branded the episode an "epic last episode" and Alice Penwill added that the wedding meant the characters leave television screens with "smiles on their faces".[67][68] Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly believed that writers tricked viewers in the episodes prior to the finale via the sale of the Ramsay Street houses. He called it "depressing" and stole viewers "comfort" that life on Ramsay Street was eternal.[130] Kilkelly believed the characters deciding not to move away provided an "element of surprise". Though he though "the sudden and implausible u-turns" were the type of "silliness that could only work on Neighbours."[130] Kilkelly stated that Pearce "slotted back in effortlessly" as Mike and Scott and Charlene's return issued a "heartwarming moment which provided plenty of nostalgia." He branded Beth and Flick's returns as "gloriously silly" and questioned Philip Martin's "random" return.[130] Kilkelly also had high praise for Woodburne's performance as Susan, who was "arguably the most beloved" of the finale cast. He wrote that she "stole the show" as was given the "well-deserved honour" of ending the show.[130] He concluded that "tears will have been shed on both sides of the world thanks to Susan's heartfelt voiceover, reflecting on Ramsay Street and what it meant to her."[130]

Ash Percival from HuffPost UK said that viewers "were left beside themselves" as they watched Woodburne narrate "a moving entry into the Ramsay Street history book". He branded the speech a "poignant monologue", "emotional scene" and "tear-jerking nostalgia trip".[74] Charlie Milward of the Daily Express assessed that all characters "got their happy-ever-afters" and viewers were in disbelief over the finality of it all. Milward described episode 8901 as a "rollercoaster episode".[131] Paul Stuart from the Coventry Telegraph described Susan's monologue as a "powerful speech" during an "emotional farewell show" that was "one last hurrah" for deceased characters.[132] Katy Hallam from Birmingham Mail described the speech as "tear-jerking" and "powerful".[133]

Shannen Findlay from Mamamia wrote that viewers were "understandably nervous" about Toadie and Melanie's wedding considering his past dramatic weddings. Findlay was "thankful" the wedding went "smoothly". She described Paine's dialogue dressed in a gorilla costume as "pretty emotional and corny". Imbruglia and Valance's cameos were described as "one heck of a surprise" and summarised the finale as an "emotional episode".[134] A writer from STV News stated "Neighbours closed out its final moments with emotional reunions, a joyful wedding and a nostalgic tribute to past and present stars."[63] They assessed that the wedding "provides moments of reunion and love" and the cameo video a "star-studded line-up" filled with "emotional tributes".[63] Naomi Clarke and Kaitlin Easton from Daily Record headlined "Neighbours ends 37-year run with nostalgia, emotional reunions and wedding joy."[135] They added that Susan's speech was "poignant".[135]

 
Guy Pearce received critical acclaim for his reprisal of the Mike Young role.

Claudia Connell from Weekend the episode had the "promise to be an emotional farewell" given all of the returning cast members.[136] Steven Murphy from the Daily Express Saturday Magazine opined that the "action" in the episode mainly focuses on Toadie and Melanie's wedding and "contains several surprises".[137] Jon Peake, editor of Total TV Guide opined that the finale allowed viewers to "wallow in nostalgia as a slew of old faces return."[138] A Total TV Guide writer added that they were grateful Neighbours had "the chance to go out in a blaze of glory" and branded the wedding theme a "truly joyful occasion".[122] A TV Mag writer stated their disbelief that the show was ending and branded the finale three episodes forming the finale as "emotional".[123] Simon Timblick and Sarah Selwood from TVTimes branded the episode a "prime-time double-length episode celebrating its history." They thought that the returnees provided "more magic in the air" and that producers delivered on their promise to end the show on a "incredible high".[139] Writing for Whattowatch.com, Timblick wrote it was an "emotional send-off" filled with romance, reunions and surprise appearances.[119]

Emma Shacklock from Woman & Home praised the episode for being "packed full of special moments" and a "bittersweet experience". She singled out Woodburne's monologue performance and branded her lines as "amongst the most impactful and emotional of the episode".[140] The episode's emotional theme surprised Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph.[112] She branded Mike and Jane's "genuinely touching" reunification as the show's "Casablanca moment". She praised Pearce's performance which was delivered "as if he was in an Oscar-worthy film". Singh assessed it was wholly "all about nostalgia" and ideal for older viewers.[112] Daily Mirror's Ian Hyland wrote that the finale had "glorious offerings", "an absolute treat" mixed with the "added bonus" of cast returns.[141] Hyland judged that there were "no major shocks" in the story but anyone who enjoyed a teenage romance would be "thrilled" by Mike and Jane's obvious "spark". Hyland appraised "the fact that you could watch them falling in love all over again without thinking, 'That’s actual Guy Pearce from Hollywood right there!' spoke volumes for their enduring chemistry."[141] Hyland believed that promotional photographs of Donovan and Minogue ruined "their brief royal walkabout" on-screen resulting in "an anti-climax".[141]

Mixed and negative analysis edit

Ed Power (The Irish Times) wrote "goodness it goes out with an all-star bang." Power thought the regular cast and guest cast stories made the episodes feel like "two finales in one" set "in one universe". He also praised Pearce stating "he commits entirely to the part and never acts as if he’s slumming it or doing Ramsay Street a favour."[142] Gwendolyn Smith from i praised the "many joys of the momentous double-episode finale". She branded Clive and Mike's fight as "pure Ramsay Street" and "a bittersweet reminder of all the delightful absurdity we’re going to miss."[114] Smith thought it satisfied "Neighbours fanatics" and returning viewers. She summarised the finale as a "tear-jerking, star-packed nostalgia fest", "grand homecoming of the soap’s illustrious Hollywood and pop alumni" and "an unapologetically soppy, self-referential affair studded with flashbacks to iconic Neighbours moments."[114] Smith also observed "low-stakes drama and absurd emotional U-turns". She noted viewers had to "suspend disbelief" when all residents chose to remain on Ramsay Street. Smith described the final scenes as "cheesy, heart-rending and faintly hallucinogenic."[114]

Ben Dowell from The Times criticised the episode because "it was narratively all over the place, the editing was terrible, the directing was clunky and some of the acting is best forgotten."[143] He added "I loved it, but let’s be honest: on one level this was terrible, less 47-odd minutes of drama than a shonky documentary."[143][144] Nick Hilton from The Independent was not impressed with the episode, issuing it a one star rating. He scathed "a star-studded swansong that forgot the thing that makes soap operas so captivating: the plot."[115] Hilton believed writers had a "Herculean task of resolution" to tie-up four decades of stories. He called the extended runtime "a creative decision that only prolongs the agony."[115] The finale shows the juxtaposition between Neighbours' "bumbling soap actors and its A-list escapees in deep chiaroscuro."[115] Hilton concluded that the numerous cameos gave the episode "an almost meta quality" and returning viewers would "undoubtedly find the production so cheap and flimsy that it’s hardly a surprise it’s fallen apart."[115] Writing for Yahoo! News, David Brown arraigned the inclusion of various scenes as pointless. He lambasted "Neighbours brought us less an hour of television drama, and more a mere parade of old familiar faces who’d been booked to tickle the belly of fans both current and lapsed."[145] Brown concluded that the finale was more "awkward" than "affecting" and was ultimately a "strangely hollow enterprise."[145] Amy Denman of the Daily Mirror reported that cut scenes in the UK broadcast aggravated its British viewers. They profiled numerous angry messages posted to social media networking website Twitter.[146]

Cast and celebrity response edit

 
Australian politician Bill Shorten praised the finale.

Former Neighbours actor Craig McLachlan, who played Henry Ramsay was not invited to appear in the episode despite his character's popularity.[147] McLachlan had previously been found not guilty of sexual assault allegations and blamed cancel culture for being snubbed by producers. His agent claimed that it was unfair that his on-screen family returned for the episode without Henry.[147] After the finale, McLachlan paid tribute to the show and filmed himself in character as Henry.[148] Original cast member David Clencie, who played Danny Ramsay claimed that his offer to return for the finale was ignored by producers. He also accused the show's writers of stealing his storyline ideas after he publicised them via the Neighbours fansite "The Perfect Blend".[149] Nicola Charles, who played Sarah Beaumont, believed she was not asked to appear as she is unvaccinated against COVID-19. She was critical of the episode, calling it a "shambles" and said that she felt relieved that her character was not part of it.[150]

Takaya Honda revealed that many of the cast involved in the episode were having a watch party gathering.[151] Fellow Australian soap opera Home and Away paid tribute to Neighbours after the finale.[152] A farewell video for Neighbours was produced by the British soap opera EastEnders and featured a cameo from Alan Fletcher. It was released on the day of the finale and also contained cast members well wishes.[153] Coronation Street also posted a farewell video to social media featuring two of their actors Sally Ann Matthews and Rob Mallard saying goodbye to the show.[154]

Australian politician Bill Shorten stated the "Neighbours finale is the ultimate throwback. Every face is as familiar as our own neighbours, but also showing inclusive TV for people with disability. Brilliant."[155] Australian actress Penny McNamee stated that the finale "had me feeling all the feels" and congratulated the cast.[156] Rove McManus opined that the production "pulled the stops out to deliver a blockbuster finale."[157] After viewing the finale, presenter Angela Bishop congratulated the cast and branded the finale a "brilliant" episode.[158] Media personality Myf Warhurst praised Pearce and Jones' performance in the finale and called for their own spin-off show.[159] Television presenter Lisa Wilkinson believed that they were "magical together" and wanted more television content from them.[160] Actress and producer Jane Kennedy also voiced her admiration of the duo stating "Mike and Jane is everything".[161] She added that the finale made her cry while she watched it.[162] Home and Away actress Emily Symons stated that she and her co-stars were not happy to be the only Australian soap opera still airing and that they felt sad for the Neighbours cast and crew. She described the finale as "the most beautiful episode you've ever seen", adding "It was so emotional and wonderful to see all the old characters coming back – it was really special.".[163] Screenwriter Russell T Davies called the finale "brilliant", praising Woodburne, the Izzy storyline and the revisitation of Jane's makeover.[164]

Accolades edit

In 2024, Herbison received a nomination for Best Script for a Television Serial for Episode 8903 at the 56th AWGIE Awards.[165]

Return edit

Following the significant reaction to the finale, Amazon Freevee entered talks with Fremantle to co-produce future episodes of Neighbours. The series' recommission was announced on 17 November 2022, with Dennis, Woodburne, Fletcher and Moloney returning.[166] The series resumed with episode 8904 on 18 September 2023.

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External links edit

  • "Neighbours: The Finale" at IMDb  

January 01, 1970
neighbours, finale, comprises, 8901st, 8902nd, 8903rd, episodes, australian, television, soap, opera, neighbours, premiered, july, 2022, both, network, peach, australia, july, channel, united, kingdom, conceived, serial, after, cancelled, loss, broadcaster, fa. Neighbours The Finale comprises the 8901st 8902nd and 8903rd episodes of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours It premiered on 28 July 2022 on both Network 10 and 10 Peach in Australia and on 29 July on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom It was conceived as the end of the serial after it was cancelled due to the loss of its UK broadcaster and failure to find an alternative buyer and production ceased after it was filmed The episodes were written by Shane Isheev episode 8901 and executive producer Jason Herbison episodes 8902 and 8903 and directed by Scott Major Production on Neighbours ended on 10 June Production and cast had known the show was facing cancellation since 2021 and ideas for a suitable finale were already being planned at that point In response to the news of the show s potential cancellation becoming public in early 2022 an online petition amassed more than 67 000 signatures to save the show The petition did not change Channel 5 s decision who maintained that Neighbours remained popular and ending the show was solely a business decision Production were then tasked with bringing the show to an end within a few months Herbison had already envisioned an ideal way to end the series and Isheev and other writers supported his plans Herbison did not wish to end the show with excessive finality such as in the destruction of the primary location of Ramsay Street and opted for a celebratory theme that acknowledged the show s history Neighbours The Finale Neighbours episodesThe final shot of the 90 minute version showing the cast and crew on Ramsay Street Episode nos Episodes 8901 8902 and 8903Directed byScott MajorWritten byShane Isheev 8901 Jason Herbison 8902 and 8903 Featured musicList of music Hold My Heart by Kristofer Greczula You Won t Stop Us by Little Barrie Feels Like Home by Only Little Clouds AU Especially For You by Kylie MinogueJason Donovan In The Stars by Benson Boone UK Half My Heart by Cortney Dixon Steel Heart by Valkyrie AU As It Was by Harry Styles UK Since You Kissed Me by Earl AU Green Green Grass by George Ezra UK Covered In Rain by Patrick James Brighter Lights by Patrick JamesCinematography byHeath KerrEditing byKylie RobertsonOriginal air date28 July 2022 2022 07 28 Running time90 minutesGuest appearanceList of guest stars Ian Smith as Harold Bishop Peter O Brien as Shane Ramsay Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Isabelle Hoyland Olympia Valance as Paige Smith Benjamin McNair as Malcolm Kennedy Scarlett Anderson as Nell Rebecchi Zima Anderson as Roxy Willis Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson Emerald Chan as Sadie Rodwell Freya Van Dyke as Zara Selwyn Jodi Gordon as Elly Conway Henrietta Graham as Sam Young Ben Turland as Hendrix Greyson Olivia Junkeer as Yashvi Rebecchi Paul Keane as Des Clarke Candice Leask as Wendy Rodwell James Mason as Chris Pappas Chris Milligan as Kyle Canning John Turner as Hugo Rebecchi Lloyd Will as Andrew Rodwell Guy Pearce as Mike Young Kylie Minogue as Charlene Robinson Jason Donovan as Scott Robinson Margot Robbie as Donna Freedman Natalie Imbruglia as Beth Brennan Holly Valance as Felicity Scully Daniel MacPherson as Joel Samuels Delta Goodrem as Nina Tucker Bonnie Anderson as Bea Nilsson Lesley Baker as Angie Rebecchi Juliet Basaraba as Abigail Tanaka Andrew Bibby as Lance Wilkinson Carla Bonner as Stephanie Scully Nathan Borg as Curtis Perkins Anne Charleston as Madge Bishop Terence Donovan as Doug Willis Jonathon Dutton as Tad Reeves Mary Finn as Isla Tanaka Brennan Ben Hall as Ned Willis Harlow Ireland as Annie Robinson Kate Kendall as Lauren Turner Mark Little as Joe Mangel Blair McDonough as Stuart Parker Stephanie McIntosh as Sky Mangel Scott Major as Lucas Fitzgerald Rob Mills as Finn Kelly Eve Morey as Sonya Rebecchi Jessica Muschamp as Sharon Davies Morgana O Reilly as Naomi Canning Ian Rawlings as Philip Martin Jesse Spencer as Billy Kennedy Sally Ann Upton as Vera Punt Kym Valentine as Libby KennedyEpisode chronology PreviousEpisode 8900 Next Episode 8904Storylines Alan Fletcher who played Karl Kennedy regularly provided the media with updates about the finale s development Neighbours writers finished storylining the episodes in March and in May cast members received their final scripts The finale contains numerous cast returns some of which were publicised while others remained secret Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue s returns as Scott and Charlene Robinson attracted much media attention Other high profile returning cast included Margot Robbie Natalie Imbruglia Holly Valance and Delta Goodrem Many returns were facilitated by one of the episodes main stories the wedding of Melanie Pearson Lucinda Cowden and Toadie Rebecchi Ryan Moloney The episodes also featured the return of Guy Pearce as Mike Young His story provided the finale with further nostalgia as writers reunited Mike with his 1980s love interest Jane Harris Annie Jones who had returned to the regular cast in 2020 Other stories included all but one of the houses on Ramsay Street being put up for sale and Amy Greenwood s Jacinta Stapleton plan to have more children Herbison used the latter story to fulfil his wish to leave viewers with a remaining mystery There were post production challenges following Network 10 s decision to broadcast the finale in a ninety minute format Episode 8901 was edited into the original sixty minute version with the extended run time allowing for extended dialogue and an extra cameo from Stephanie McIntosh as Sky Mangel These were not featured in the British broadcast where episode 8901 was broadcast earlier on the same day as the final hour which was broadcast in a primetime slot Herbison later revealed that there were more than fifteen minutes of footage cut from the episode The episode featured more commercial music than any episode had done previously One of the episode s most prominent features was a monologue performed by Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy which forms the final scenes of the show Herbison wanted Woodburne to have the opportunity to have a final performance of a lifetime in Neighbours Woodburne reads Susan s entry into the Ramsay Street history book as the character reminisces and walks around a party held on Ramsay Street Many television critics and fans praised the scene for its sentimental and emotional value There was considerable hype and anticipation from the media in the build up to the finale and the episodes attracted much praise from television critics It was a television event that garnered many positive cast and celebrity responses although three former cast members were disgruntled and criticised the episodes Ratings for the finale were high in Australia the episode was watched by 1 382 million viewers and gave Network 10 its biggest audience of the year In the United Kingdom the Broadcasters Audience Research Board reported that 4 02 million viewers watched the finale with the addition of recordings and catch up services The success of the finale led to Amazon Freevee commencing discussions with the show s production company to revive the series with its return announced in November 2022 Contents 1 Plot 2 Regular cast appearances 3 Production 3 1 Background 3 2 Development 3 3 Cast 3 4 Filming 3 5 Post production 4 Story development 4 1 Main stories 4 2 Susan s speech 5 Promotion 6 Broadcast 7 Reception 7 1 Hype and anticipation 7 2 Ratings 7 3 Critical response 7 3 1 Positive analysis 7 3 2 Mixed and negative analysis 7 4 Cast and celebrity response 7 5 Accolades 8 Return 9 References 10 External linksPlot editMalcolm Kennedy visits his parents Karl and Susan for lunch Jane Harris also arrives to talk to Susan about her personal problems and her partner Clive Gibbons tells Shane Ramsay about his Levi Canning asks Izzy to contribute to the Ramsay Street history book Callum Rebecchi arrives home to attend his father Toadfish Rebecchi s wedding to Melanie Pearson Clive surprises Jane by dressing up as a gorillagram She is touched by the gesture but they are interrupted by Mike Young on a motorcycle Izzy becomes tearful as she reads the Kennedy family page in the history book Mike goes to see his daughter Sam and his old friend Paul Robinson Karl and Susan visit Malcolm to tell him that Izzy and Shane kissed but discover that Izzy has already told him ending the relationship Paul tells Mike that Shane is buying Lassiters and they arrange a get together in the Lassiters complex Jane meets Mike whom she had previously dated and she joins them for drinks Toadie voices his regrets that his friend Amy Greenwood will not be at the wedding Amy returns and explains that she ran away because she thought she had romantic feelings for Toadie but Joel Samuels helped her realise otherwise Susan finds Izzy thanks her for being honest and tells her that she needs to find happiness Harold and Shane join Jane Paul Mike and Sam and they reminisce An uncomfortable Jane leaves the group when Clive arrives and talks to Mike Mike reassures Clive he is visiting Sam and does not want to reconcile with Jane Susan is shocked to see all the houses on Ramsay Street are up for sale She and Karl go through the history book with Harold who suggests she writes the introduction Mike and Sam visit the street and meet Jane they reminisce about their history together on a tour of the street Paul admits to Clive that he still loves his former wife Terese Willis Susan and Karl discuss their neighbours leaving the street and she admits her uncertainty about writing the book s introduction Witnessing Jane and Mike on Ramsay Street a drunken Clive tries to fight Mike using a lamp as a weapon Harold separates them by spraying them with water Clive claims to have suffered a nervous breakdown and Mike tells Paul he is not trying to cause trouble Des turns up and says that he told Clive to give up as Jane is not interested in him any more Jane admits that she has thought about Mike a lot over the years while Paul asks Mike what he wants Paul and Terese kiss but Paul leaves before Terese can tell him she and Glen Donnelly broke up Karl posts a video to the Ramsay Street Facebook page which former residents Felicity Scully and Beth Brennan watch when they coincidentally meet Beth tells Felicity that Toadie is getting married Back in Erinsborough Terese tells Lucy about her kiss with Paul Sam encourages her father to move on like her mother has after revealing that Jane is not attending the wedding Everyone gathers for Toadie and Melanie s wedding while Mike visits Jane Paul and Terese reconcile after the ceremony and Paul then cancels the hotel sale Scott and Charlene Robinson turn up on Ramsay Street and realise no one is home Scott then stops Charlene entering through an open window at Number 24 Mike tells Jane about his break up with Sam s mother and that while they are emotionally damaged they should try to be happy The wedding party relocates to the street for the reception Aaron Brennan and David and Leo Tanaka decide to stay in Erinsborough when they learn that Paul and Terese have reconciled Nicolette Stone agrees to stay and resumes her relationship with Kiri Durant while Elly Conway and Chloe reconcile Toadie and Melanie decide to stay on Ramsay Street after watching congratulatory video messages Clive tells Jane and Mike that he is going to Los Angeles Jane reconciles her friendship with Paul Amy tells Toadie that she found a sperm donor implying it is someone he knows Mike reveals to Jane and Sam that he has matched Shane s offer to buy Number 24 and will seek work at Erinsborough High Mike confesses his love for Jane and they resume their relationship Susan decides what to write in the history book She then walks through Ramsay Street as her book introduction is voiced over the scene Various residents celebrate in the street as a floating balloon bursts showering everyone with confetti Regular cast appearances edit nbsp April Rose Pengilly nbsp Alan Fletcher nbsp Georgie Stone Stefan Dennis as Paul Robinson Alan Fletcher as Karl Kennedy Ryan Moloney as Toadie Rebecchi Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy Lucinda Cowden as Melanie Pearson Charlotte Chimes as Nicolette Stone Rebekah Elmaloglou as Terese Willis Takaya Honda as David Tanaka Richard Huggett as Glen Donnelly Annie Jones as Jane Harris Tim Kano as Leo Tanaka Gemma Bird Matheson as Kiri Durant Richie Morris as Levi Canning Geoff Paine as Clive Gibbons April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan Phoebe Roberts as Freya Wozniak Jacinta Stapleton as Amy Greenwood Georgie Stone as Mackenzie Hargreaves Matt Wilson as Aaron BrennanProduction editBackground edit In July 2021 Australian magazine Woman s Day ran a story revealing Neighbours was facing cancellation The report cited the recent decrease to four episodes a week in Australia British broadcaster Channel 5 s desire to establish an hour of news programming over the show s afternoon timeslot and the accusations of prejudice made by guest star Shareena Clayton 1 The show s Executive Producer Jason Herbison was informed about the possibility the show could end in 2021 and relayed the news to cast and crew 2 On 6 February 2022 it was reported that Channel 5 had not reached a new deal with Neighbours production company Fremantle and as a consequence would not be funding or broadcasting the show beyond its current contract 3 Fremantle remained committed to producing the series on the understanding the show could secure a new international backer 3 Herbison did not receive confirmation of Channel 5 ending their contract until shortly before it was publicised 2 Herbison told Andrew Mercado from Mediaweek that we are very proud of everything Neighbours has achieved We see the next few months as being a huge celebration for the show with a bit of everything for viewers Any ending will be respectful of the past the present and always open to a future 4 In response to the news an online petition titled Channel 5 Don t Axe Neighbours was created via Change org which gained more than 67 000 signatures The name of the petition s creator Edward Skylover was used in an episode of Neighbours broadcast later in the year in gratitude for his display of support 5 On 3 March it was confirmed that the show would end because an alternative broadcasting partner had not been found It was stated that production would cease in June that year after thirty seven years of filming A statement from the production team read we are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9 000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June 6 The statement detailed that there was no option to continue production but promised to end the show on an incredible high 6 Herbison used the terminology that the show was being rested rather than axed He explained that Neighbours is a huge brand and the company would be open to all possibilities but the show was ending for the foreseeable future and cast members were free to pursue other projects following its end 2 In the show s final month on screen Channel 5 controller Ben Frow described ending the show as solely a business decision 7 Development edit nbsp nbsp Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue s returns as Scott and Charlene Robinson formed the early developments of the finale After the show s cancellation was confirmed Herbison disclosed that he had already thought of an idea to end the show He did not reveal any details and noted that it was not storylined or written and could still change He teased that the final episode would be a wonderful ending to end the show on a high 2 After the finale was broadcast he confirmed that his initial vision included the joyous street party Susan s voiceover the characters no longer with us the balloon the original theme song and the message to audience 8 Herbison elected not to end the show with a destructive storyline preferring to construct the finale as a celebration of the show s history He told David Knox from TV Tonight that I would never ever blow Ramsay Street up The ending will be a celebration of the past and the present with the door very much left open for a future He added that Ramsay Street is eternal and he wanted it to live on in the minds of its viewers 2 Herbison and the show s story producer Shane Isheev began working together on the show s final episodes and last scenes Herbison asked Isheev to pitch his ideas for the show s finale 9 Herbison began by revealing his vision and even detailed the final scene and dialogue Isheev recalled becoming emotional and experiencing goosebumps upon hearing Herbison s ideas and was so impressed with Herbison s vision that he chose not to pitch his own ideas 9 Isheev a fan of the show himself believed that he and Herbison had created an ending fitting for a Neighbours fan while acknowledging that it would be impossible to please everyone 9 Herbison Isheev and story consultant Sarah Mayberry worked together storylining the final two weeks before Herbison worked on the finale personally Herbison knew there was too much material to fit into the finale so supervised the revision of earlier episodes 8 On 4 March Isheev announced that his writing team had finished storylining the show s ending The team gathered for their final group sessions on the set of 22 Ramsay Street s rear garden set 10 On 9 May Bella Fowler from news com au reported that a script of one of the final episodes had been leaked and revealed Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan s role in the finale Fowler reported that the script ended with Scott and Charlene Robinson arriving on Ramsay Street in a car before they step out and say the line We re home 11 The leaked script remained unverified 11 until Herbison later claimed that the details were inaccurate and the show s ending remained a secret 12 On 20 May Alan Fletcher who plays Karl Kennedy revealed that he had received his scripts for the show s final episode 13 Neighbours writer Emma J Steele also confirmed via her Twitter account that she had finished her final shift with the show 14 On 23 May Herbison confirmed he had written the final episodes and the scripts had been given out to the show s cast and crew 15 Herbison felt very privileged to be able to write the episodes and bring the show to its conclusion He was able to write his vision of how he wanted to end the show and hoped the audience would enjoy it He told Digital Spy s Daniel Kilkelly The magnitude of the moment is not lost on me and everyone is coming together behind the scenes to make the ending as befitting as possible 15 Herbison also said that he had yet to see anyone guess what would happen and believed the final scene would be quite hard to guess 15 Upon completion of the finale s development Herbison hoped to wrap everything up in a satisfying way with ultimately joyous scenes that follow months of triumph tragedy laughter and tears 16 Ryan Moloney who plays Toadie Rebecchi revealed that the finale has a vibe to it where everyone involved said come on let s finish it really well 17 Rebekah Elmaloglou Terese Willis told Tom Spilsbury of Total TV Guide that the finale is a lovely big celebration of the show It was important to all of us that we went out with a bang We re in for a treat 18 Cast edit In February 2022 Laura Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap reported that Ian Smith would be reprising his role of Harold Bishop to play a part in the show s prospective finale and that he had already started filming 19 On the day the show s cancellation was confirmed it was announced that Peter O Brien would also return as original character Shane Ramsay 20 Shortly after Fletcher publicised the fact that producers were working very hard to convince some of the show s most memorable cast members to return for the finale 21 On 14 February 2022 it was reported that producers wanted Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue to reprise their respective roles as Scott Robinson and Charlene Robinson Donovan had already stated his interest in returning while producers were waiting for Minogue s response 22 On 1 May 2022 their return was indicated by Instagram posts of a Neighbours script from both Minogue and Donovan Herbison confirmed the casting news via his Twitter account and stated it would not have been right to end the show without the ultimate Neighbours couple adding that they play a very special part in our series finale 23 Herbison told Laura Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap that it took very little persuading to get Donovan and Minogue to return as they both had an appreciation for the show and the part it played in their respective careers 24 Herbison wrote their scene in secret and initially kept it from the script department 24 nbsp Bonnie Anderson James Mason Kate Kendall Daniel MacPherson Margot Robbie Rob Mills Jesse Spencer Delta Goodrem and Jodi Gordon all guest starred in the finale Of her return Minogue told Brooke Boney from Today that she had spent so long thinking a return to Neighbours would be nonsensical Donovan suggested to Minogue that it would be a good opportunity to thank Neighbours She recalled that driving into Ramsay Street was quite something and that upon her return old memories resurfaced of the characters Charlene Scott Harold and Jane Harris Annie Jones 25 She later told Jenny Paul from Glamour that she and Donovan agreed to return to thank long term viewers of the series who watched their characters 26 On 26 May footage of Minogue in character as Charlene was leaked onto video hosting application TikTok The video showed Minogue conversing with a film crew 27 Donovan later revealed that their return involved denim clothing but warned I do hope the expectations aren t too big 28 On 7 May 2022 numerous other cast members from each decade of the show were announced to be returning 29 On 24 May Bonnie Anderson was confirmed to be returning as Bea Nilsson for the final episode where she was reunited with her on screen sister Elly Conway played by Jodi Gordon 30 On 1 June Rob Mills confirmed his return as Finn Kelly during an interview on Studio 10 31 Two days later it was announced Guy Pearce had reprised his role of Mike Young 32 Having already discussed a hypothetical return with Donovan Pearce accepted the invitation to appear when it was offered in March 2022 33 In the week leading up to the finale more former cast returns were confirmed These included Anne Charleston reprising her role as Madge Bishop for the second time since the character s death 34 Margot Robbie reprised her role as Donna Freedman for the episode Her return was newsworthy as she had become a successful film actress in the United States 35 36 37 It was also confirmed that the characters Nina Tucker Delta Goodrem Libby Kennedy Kym Valentine Billy Kennedy Jesse Spencer and Stephanie Scully Carla Bonner would feature in the episode 36 These cast announcements were publicised via Neighbours social media in a surprise statement 36 More returns included Natalie Imbruglia as Beth Brennan and Holly Valance as Felicity Scully 38 Jason Donovan s father Terence Donovan briefly reprised his role of Doug Willis making the finale the only occasion where the two featured in the same episode 39 Jason s daughter Jemma Donavan had been a regular cast member as Harlow Robinson from 2019 but left the series shortly before it ended and did not appear in the finale 40 Jason s half sister Stephanie McIntosh also briefly reprised her role as Sky Mangel via video in some versions of the finale Again it was the only episode starring both siblings Other characters reintroduced during the episode included Callum Rebecchi Morgan Baker Lucas Fitzgerald Scott Major and Ned Willis Ben Hall 41 Alan Fletcher told Adam Beresford from TV Mag that producers managed to secure so many returnees because they were all grateful for the many professional opportunities the show gave them He added that the returning cast provided the viewers with a beautiful celebratory experience allowing the show to end in the style it deserves 42 He told Tom Spilsbury from Total TV Guide that people could think the numerous returns were a bit gratuitous but noted that Jason Herbison had a long history of bring back former characters He concluded that he was blown away and shocked Herbison managed to secure so many returning cast members 18 Some returns were not made public or leaked prior to the finale These were the returns of Sharon Davies Jessica Muschamp Lance Wilkinson Andrew Bibby Tad Reeves Jonathon Dutton Stuart Parker Blair McDonough Naomi Canning Morgana O Reilly Philip Martin Ian Rawlings Sonya Rebecchi Eve Morey Hendrix Greyson Ben Turland and Sky Mangel Stephanie McIntosh the latter who only appears in the Australian broadcast of the finale 43 44 Herbison later confirmed that he wanted to bring more characters back but it was not possible due to COVID 19 isolation rules in Australia 8 Herbison continued to reintroduce cast into the final days of filming and saw their successful integration as a huge testament to the incredible crew 8 Tom Oliver was invited to reprise his role as Lou Carpenter for the finale Herbison contacted Oliver personally but he declined to return Herbison ensured that Lou was included in flashback sequences during the final week in the photograph montage that accompanied the end credits and also featured a letter addressed to T Oliver 8 Don Bridges who played Toadie s father Kevin Rebecchi was asked to return but he could not get time off from a play he was starring in 45 Herbison also wanted to include a white Labrador Retriever running through Ramsay Street in homage to Bouncer but he realised it was too difficult 8 Filming edit nbsp The show s finale scenes were filmed on Pin Oak Court in Melbourne which is the setting of Ramsay StreetThe episode was directed by former Neighbours actor Scott Major who also appears on screen as his character Lucas Fitzgerald 31 Alan Fletcher publicised the finale in the months leading up to it In March 2022 Fletcher claimed that the finale episodes would be an incredible celebration with returning characters and extraordinary story lines 21 Nevertheless the cast were not told about how exactly the show would end prior to filming the final episode 46 In May 2022 Fletcher told Tina Campbell from Evening Standard that he had been on a filming break but would soon return to the Neighbours set for the final four weeks of filming He explained that they are keeping it all very very top secret I have to say everyone has been voting on different ideas and laughing but they are keeping it very much underwraps 46 He also revealed that writers had recently finished the scripts for the final episode and that it was likely to be a huge celebration 46 Minogue and Donovan filmed their return scene in the final week of April 2022 after the scheduling and logistical challenges to get both actors to film together were successfully overcome 47 Scott and Charlene s appearance is largely unconnected from the main storylines of the finale with minimal dialogue This was attributed to the pair s desire not to overshadow the current cast and their scene having been filmed prior to the rest of the finale being written 48 Herbison was present when the pair filmed their scene and described it as a very moving experience and one that he felt privileged to be part of 24 It was later reported by a writer for the Herald Sun that body doubles had to be used when the couple were not in focus as Minogue and Donovan were only available for half a day 49 Actor Rob Mills said filming on the final episode occurred on 1 June describing the scenes as very heartfelt and reporting that the show ends beautifully 31 Filming on the series wrapped on 10 June 2022 50 51 Cast member Georgie Stone Mackenzie Hargreaves chose to miss her own film premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in order to film the show s final episodes 52 She said that she had to be part of the finale as it is a moment in history and she wanted to finish her character s story after investing three years in it 52 Woodburne revealed that filming the finale scenes was challenging because of the cast s emotions She described the finale scene as very joyful and happy although those involved were close to tears 53 Woodburne whose in character monologue dominates the last scene said that I was thrilled to be given that opportunity to narrate that last scene 53 Geoff Paine who played Clive Gibbons described large news crew and a paparazzi presence outside of the Nunawading studios as filming concluded 54 There was cold weather during the final scenes filmed in Pin Oak Court which is the setting of Ramsay Street Paine revealed that the cast members involved had to act like it was a warm weather day In addition paparazzi were attempting to obtain photos of the filming and Paine hid in a driveway to avoid being photographed 54 Fletcher described an emotional atmosphere on set but the busy filming schedule helped everyone remain focused He told Gareth McLean from Radio Times that right up until the end of the day we were supressing the emotions about the end of the show and just got on with the work We had a lot to get through and some very big scenes and it was obviously important that we finished on time Being extremely focused is the thing that got us through 55 Natalie Imbruglia Beth and Holly Valance Felicity filmed their scenes in London on 27 May 2022 after pitching the idea that they appear together to the producers While the characters had never previously met Imbruglia and Valance are close friends in real life 56 57 When Pearce arrived back on the set of Neighbours he was unsure of how to play Mike again The producers still had Mike s old motorcycle gloves which Pearce said helped him get back into character 17 Herbison later revealed that there were scripted scenes that were not filmed due to running out of time There was a planned sequence showing the party on Ramsay Street being ensembled in record time This was cancelled but Herbison revealed he would love the opportunity to reinstate it 8 Margot Robbie sent thirty seven bottles of champagne to the Neighbours set as a gift to celebrate the end of filming 58 The cast also gathered for a wrap party on the show s set after filming ceased 59 Post production edit nbsp The episode features music from Harry Styles Three edits of the finale episodes were created for different broadcast territories In Ireland all three episodes were broadcast separately on consecutive nights 60 For the British broadcast episodes 8902 and 8903 were edited together creating a specially created hour format with a bespoke teaser voiced by Stefan Dennis 61 Commercial tracks were also added to the UK broadcast more extensively than in any previous episodes Barnett claimed that that the episode features a mix of contemporary and classic songs each chosen to suit the scene and enhance the viewer experience 61 Production added songs from Harry Styles and George Ezra but these were not featured in the Australian edition 62 The original Neighbours theme song performed by Barry Crocker was used at the end of the episode 8 The end credits feature a montage of photographs from former and present characters before a message appeared on the screen stating Thank you for loving us we love you 63 When Network 10 decided to allocate a ninety minute timeslot for the finale in Australia further post production was undertaken to add episode 8901 to the UK edit 64 The revised format opened up additional time allowing deleted scenes to be hurriedly added in to the Australian broadcast 64 These scenes included an additional video message from Sky Mangel Stephanie McIntosh a scene in which Beth Brennan Natalie Imbruglia tells her son Ned Willis Ben Hall that she loves him and a scene featuring Karl Kennedy Alan Fletcher telling Toadie Rebecchi Ryan Moloney that he is a son to him and Susan Jackie Woodburne 44 This version was later broadcast in New Zealand under the tile Neighbours The Final Farewell 65 There is an additional fifteen minutes of cut scenes that were removed from the episode Herbison stated that these could be used in a future special cut of the episode 64 Isheev later revealed that a longer scene between Melanie Lucinda Cowden and Callum Morgan Baker was cut for time from the finale 66 It was later revealed that a portion of Paine s dialogue had been cut from a scene featuring Clive Jane and Mike On screen Clive announces he is going to Los Angeles The scene originally featured Clive explaining he is going to visit Sheila Canning Colette Mann following a phone call he received from her earlier in the week Clive would have stated he is not reconciling with Sheila but attempting to understand his failed relationships 8 Story development editMain stories edit nbsp Writers deliberately gave Jacinta Stapleton s character Amy Greenwood a storyline which left viewers with unanswered questions One of the finale s main stories was the culmination of the potential sale of numerous houses on Ramsay Street which would have left Karl and Susan as the only present regular characters remaining on the street 67 A Neighbours publicist told Johnathon Hughes from Inside Soap that one by one and for all sorts of different reasons the owners of each house have decided to leave to make fresh starts elsewhere 67 Karl and Susan are devastated to see the for sale signs and worry about being left behind The main narrative purpose of the house sales was to ensure that Ramsay Street itself played a significant role in the finale 67 Producer Jason Herbison told Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy that he wanted to create a threat to the street while not wishing to repeat stories featuring developers taking over the street 8 Instead Herbison believed that having other residents moving on and leaving the Kennedys behind created an emotional anchor for the finale He concluded that I wanted to tug at the heartstrings as much as I could 8 The story also provided the opportunity for Mike and Jane s tour of the houses in Ramsay Street as they were available for viewings 8 In the finale all but one of the house sales is aborted which was the plan from the storyline s conception While Herbison felt that each character had a natural reason to be moving on some compromises were made to the storyline admittedly it happened very quickly and it s the perfect example of trying to balance story ambition with time I originally envisaged a few more twists and turns to get everyone in the selling spirit 8 Another central storyline is the wedding of Toadie Rebecchi and Melanie Pearson The wedding allowed writers to introduce an upbeat celebration into the finale Cowden told Alice Penwill from Inside Soap that it was a really cute idea to end the show with a wedding 68 She explained that the characters split the day into two with Toadie planning the ceremony and Melanie organising the after party The wedding takes place at the lake and this location was used to honour the deceased characters Sonya Rebecchi and Hendrix Greyson Cowden described cool vintage cars transporting their characters in the wedding scenes Melanie had often been portrayed as a pig enthusiast and revealed that writers remained true to that characterisation by including pig related props 68 Writers used the character of Amy Greenwood to pose a potential threat to the success of the wedding Amy had recently declared her love for Toadie and her return creates an issue After Amy claims to have just been confused about her feelings Melanie allows her to attend the wedding 68 Cowden believed that Melanie feels sorry for Amy concluding that Melanie isn t a person who judges others and is able to forgive 68 Many former characters return during the finale the majority appearing for the wedding celebrations Cowden believed that writers were correct to prominently feature Melanie and Toadie in the final story with both having strong links to returning characters from their respective tenures 68 Cowden added it s the best reason to get people back and singled out the return of Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi She revealed that Callum is supportive of his father s new marital arrangement and described Baker as a joy to work with 68 In 2021 Cowden was only supposed to briefly return but Melanie ended up staying and creating a life with Toadie She concluded that I can t believe the show is ending with my wedding I m incredibly grateful And I got to bag the Toad 68 Herbison told Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy that I wanted the stories to provide natural opportunities for other characters to appear which of course the wedding did 8 Guy Pearce s return as Mike Young allowed writers to revisit the romance storyline between him and Jane Harris which dated from the 1980s Mike was Jane s first love and she had recently ended her relationship with Clive Gibbons who had previously lived with Mike on Ramsay Street Mike s return causes trouble and Mike and Clive end up having a physical altercation 69 Mike and Jane s scenes also explore their history including reminiscences about Jane s famous makeover and when they were banned from visiting each other 63 Writers had storylined Mike and Jane s rekindled romance but it was dependent on Pearce reprising his role Herbison believed that Pearce brought so much more to the story than was planned particularly the revelation that Sam Young Henrietta Graham is Mike s daughter Pearce is a family friend of Graham s and requested to work with her as part of his appearance 70 He further suggested that Sam be made his character s daughter which Herbison commented we all felt was one of the most touching elements of the finale 8 In one scene Amy Greenwood Jacinta Stapleton reveals that she has found a sperm donor to enable her to have another child but does not reveal the identity of the character Herbison explained that his writers wanted to resolve most stories but they also wanted the odd small mystery to tease fans He praised Stapleton s performance in the scene adding that he had not decided on the donor s identity 8 Stapleton did not reprise her role when Neighbours returned in September 2023 and the mystery of her sperm donor was not initially revisited 71 However later flashback scenes set shortly after the finale saw Amy reveal that Lance Wilkinson Andrew Bibby was the father of her baby 72 Estranged couple Paul and Terese were also reunited in the finale Herbison believed that had the show continued the couple would have been separated for longer He added with Paul I think it s a case of better the devil you know Terese hasn t always walked a straight line and they are each other s equal I m glad I reunited them and I don t think Paul will ever change But as Terese wrote on her note she accepts that That doesn t mean she won t end up ripping up the note 8 Susan s speech edit How do you begin to describe a street Do you talk about the houses The bricks and the mortar the gardens and the trees Or do you talk about the people The young the old and everyone in between Where do you begin with the history Do you start with your own or those who came before you When we moved to Ramsay Street the community was already here The Ramsays and The Robinsons The stories from those early days are legendary and their legacy still lives on today There have been many families over the years of all shapes and sizes some of them unexpected And friends who became like family whether they were related or not Love has always been a central theme How many romances were born on this street Things seldom ran smoothly of course but they usually worked out in the end I think of all the people who never crossed paths who could have been great friends And those who kept turning up whether we welcomed them or not The street always has a way of bringing people back Then I think of the people who can t come back The people gone too soon how would they look if they were still alive today If they d been allowed to reach their potential So many people that were lost and then others others who were just lost I think you have to acknowledge everything Celebrate it all The good the bad Because all of that makes us who we are Everyone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street Even those who watched us from afar Together we ve been the perfect blend Jackie Woodburne s voiceover speech as Susan 73 74 The closing moments of the show feature a voiceover speech performed by Jackie Woodburne as Susan It accompanies scenes in which Susan leaves her house and walks through Ramsay Street during the wedding reception street party Harold asks Susan to be the custodian of the Ramsay Street history book and asks her to write the introduction which forms the words of her monologue 75 She also imagines characters who were killed off in the series attending the party 8 Herbison believed the speech was the easiest part of the script to write because they were his genuine thoughts about the show Herbison chose Woodburne to close the show because Susan is the heart of Ramsay Street He added that he wanted her to give us one more performance of a lifetime before the credits rolled 8 Director Scott Major and production designer Peta Lawson were tasked with transforming Herbison s vision into the closing moments After Susan s speech a balloon bursts and showers confetti onto the street Herbison claimed that Major and Lawson looked at me like I was slightly crazy but supported the vision and made it happen 8 The show s international viewers were referenced in the line everyone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street Even those who watched us from afar 74 The closing line of together we ve been the perfect blend pays homage to the show s theme tune which contains the lyrics the perfect blend 74 The original scripts for the speech were later made available to view online 73 Promotion editIn the final week of filming the Australian morning talk show Studio 10 broadcast live from the Neighbours studios in Nunawading hosting a series of promotional interviews They were the only media organisation given access to the set 76 On 11 July Minogue released exclusive on set photographs of herself and Donovan in character 77 Minogue and Donovan also decided to re release their 1988 single Especially for You to commemorate their on screen reunion The single was released on vinyl cassette and digital download 78 Network 10 promoted the episode as a history making finale which would be gripping and emotional and contain something for everyone spanning all generations of viewers 79 Various British magazines promoted the finale in the week of its broadcast Minogue and Donovan featured on the cover of TV Choice TV Mag What s on TV and TVTimes 80 81 82 83 Smith Minogue Donovan Jones and Dennis appeared on the cover of the Daily Mirror s LOVE TV magazine 84 The finale was also given the header space on Inside Soap s thirtieth 2022 issue 85 Den of Geek compiled a how to guide on hosting your own Neighbours finale viewing party and urged fans to do so 86 The finale received television news coverage on BBC News Channel 5 news and ITV News 87 88 89 It was also covered in the official Sky News podcast 90 In Australia Meg Watson Thomas Mitchell and Caroline Schelle liveblogged the finale for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald 91 92 In the United Kingdom The Guardian s live blog was run by Scott Bryan 93 Broadcast editIn March 2022 it was announced that the final episode would be broadcast on 1 August 2022 in both the UK and Australia Australia s broadcasts of new episodes had fallen behind the United Kingdom s but from 13 June 10 Peach began airing double episodes to catch up 94 A press release issued in May detailed that the finale would be an epic double episode 95 David Knox from TV Tonight reported that executives from Network 10 had considered other options for the broadcast of the finale One executive stated that the network wanted Neighbours to reach the biggest broadest audience but was unsure it could air on their main channel 96 On 30 June amended scheduling was announced placing the Neighbours finale on Network 10 in Australia and in primetime on Channel 5 in the UK The Australian triple episode was broadcast on Network 10 and 10 Peach simultaneously on 28 July at 7 30 pm 97 Hundreds of Australians gathered in the show s home city of Melbourne to watch the finale live on a big screen 98 Channel 5 also rescheduled the double episode finale to 29 July at 9 pm following episode 8901 in the usual lunchtime and evening repeat timeslots on the same day 99 In Ireland Neighbours concluded with episode 8903 on 3 August 2022 on RTE One and RTE2 60 The 90 minute finale aired on TVNZ 1 in New Zealand on 2 September 2022 65 The show s social media teams agreed not to post any spoilers regarding the episode until after the UK broadcast 61 Channel 5 controller Ben Frow had asked his commissioning editor Greg Barnett to approve the Neighbours episode being moved into a primetime timeslot Once he agreed Frow asked Barnett to help create additional Neighbours themed content to coincide with the broadcast 61 The first show Neighbours Made Me A Star explores the careers of successful cast following their departures from the series The second titled Neighbours All The Pop Hits amp More Especially For You showcases a number of music videos from cast members who went onto have music careers and documents facts about them 61 They also commissioned a bespoke channel ident to celebrate and promote Neighbours in the week of the finale and Alan Fletcher read continuity announcements for Channel 5 on the evening of the final episode 61 Reception editHype and anticipation edit Anticipation for the series finale was high with an initial focus on Donovan and Minogue s return Ash Percival of HuffPost reported that the casting of Minogue and Donovan lit up twitter with fan reactions and predicted an emotional finale 50 Emily Martin WalesOnline addressed her doubts about how writers could create a celebration of the show ending She opined that everyone was sulking until Minogue and Donavan s returns were confirmed 100 Of the reports that the finale s closing moments had leaked Chantelle Schmidt from Pedestrian said that ending with Scott and Charlene s arrival does feel like a cute and almost predictable way to finish the show She also believed Scott and Charlene were the best characters to end the show with given the televised ratings their wedding episode achieved 101 Bella Fowler of news com au expressed disappointment that Scott and Charlene would not gain a return storyline though she believed it would give millions of diehard Neighbours fans closure 11 A reporter from New Zealand s More FM branded it the supercouple s perfect ending 102 There was also much anticipation of the final episode s story Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald compiled a list of six possible endings Idato believed that writers had a difficult task to end the series He noted a hastily written script would be best business practice but disastrous for the show and its viewers 103 On set photographs released via Minogue featured a property sale sign in the background and fans began speculating that the show would end with Scott and Charlene returning to Ramsay Street to buy the house 104 During the week prior to the finale s broadcast Jared Evitts from Wales Online reported that producers remained secretive but speculation has gone wild for how the show might draw to a close 105 Digital Spy s Joe Anderton wondered what Pearce s role in the finale would be and confessed we can t see wait to see how it all plays out 106 Ratings edit The original broadcast of the finale saw Neighbours become the number one show of the night in Australia The finale attracted an audience of 873 000 metropolitan viewers and led all demographics across the two channels making it the show s highest rated episode since 2009 107 Television journalist Colin Vickery confirmed the episode achieved an average of 1 2 million viewers nationally which combines the metro and regional audiences and had a peak of 1 41 million viewers It had a 41 6 commercial share 108 Revised numbers released by OzTAM on 5 August 2022 showed that the episode was watched by 1 382 million viewers This combines overnight regional and BVOD numbers which was an increase of 27 on the overnight metro number David Knox of TV Tonight expected the number to rise once the 28 day consolidated viewing data came in He also reported that the finale achieved Network 10 s biggest audience since the broadcast of Oprah with Meghan and Harry which was seen by an audience of 1 78 million 109 In the UK Episode 8901 was seen by 800 000 viewers giving it a 16 1 audience share during its broadcast at 1 45 pm The 6 pm airing secured 700 000 viewers and a 6 6 share The finale was watched by 2 5 million viewers giving it a 17 audience share It became the highest rated episode since 2008 and the third highest rated episode since the serial s move to Channel 5 110 On 8 August the Broadcasters Audience Research Board reported that the number had increased to 4 02 million viewers with the addition of recordings and catch up services Neighbours was the most watched show of the week on Channel 5 the 17th most watched show of the week across all channels and it rated higher than every episode of British soap opera EastEnders that aired in the same week The final figure is expected to rise further with the addition of the Saturday afternoon repeat figure and 28 day data 111 Critical response edit Positive analysis edit Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingThe Daily Telegraph nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 112 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 113 i nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 114 The Independent nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 115 Radio Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 116 TVTimes nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 117 Weekend nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 118 Whattowatch com nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 119 The episode was chosen as the Pick of the day feature in the following magazines Radio Times The Times Saturday review Total TV Guide TV Mag TV Choice TVTimes Weekend and What s on TV 120 121 122 123 124 117 118 125 The episode was featured in What s on TV s Hot TV feature where it was named a history making finale and end of an era 126 Radio Times David Brown believed writers were tasked with creating a finale to please generations of viewers Brown described it as less an hour of TV drama and more a mere parade of old familiar faces there s just enough here to elicit squeals of delight from anyone who s spent time obsessing over Erinsborough 120 Brown also assessed that Mike and Jane were at the heart of the finale rather than Scott and Charlene as many had assumed 120 His colleague Helen Daly branded the wedding a sweet American western inspired affair and unusual because Neighbours weddings do not run successfully 116 She hailed Scott and Charlene s return as big and bold nostalgia goosebump inducing and camp but was a little bit forced and slightly disconnected from the main storyline 116 Daly opined that the finale was Woodburne s episode because she was the heart The segments success was because beloved Susan held all the values that Erinsborough put on a pedestal If anyone could reflect on the history of the show it s Susan 116 She believed the beauty of the beautiful monologue was how delicately it spoke to fans its ghostly returns were also the most touching moment of the entire week 116 Daly concluded to say fans got what they wanted is an understatement I defy anyone to be disappointed with the sheer amount of famous faces back on screen 116 James Jackson from The Times Saturday review branded it a TV event and recognised it as the soap worlds Top Gun Maverick 121 Frances Ryan The Guardian stated that the opening credits montage made it feel like watching your life flash before your eyes 113 She branded it a nostalgia filled finale and called the wedding the crux of the episode allowing a celebratory mood and most importantly an angle for former character returns 113 She believed the slew of high profile actors returning for the finale was a testament to Neighbours success She singled out a returning Pearce who appeared to be having the time of his life and created a moving reunion with Jane Ryan added that Scott and Charlene s returns made it feel like thirty years have passed and no time at all 113 She also praised writers for managing to end existing plots alongside sufficient nostalgia for older fans despite the challenge Ryan concluded that this isn t a finale mourning a show s demise it s a celebration of its success and what a success it was 113 David Knox from TV Tonight believed original cast member Dennis having the opening lines of the finale was a fitting tribute 127 He believed that there was a lot of content to cram into one episode Knox thought writers faced a difficult task to balance numerous returns with concluding stories Knox claimed that they got it mostly right because of the sentimental wedding 127 He described soapie U turns left right and centre and numerous nods to the past and criticised the episode s fast pacing The writer claimed that one scene was done at such dizzying speed that is caused him to yell at his television 127 Knox also critiqued Izzy s final story and opined that the Ramsay Street history book finally brought Izzy to her senses and ended her story 127 Knox believed writers reuniting Jane and Mike was bringing soapie viewers the union they had longed for On favourite couple Scott and Charlene s return Knox stated it was a pop culture moment that was a miracle to bring off He concluded that Susan s speech as the finale s finest moment 127 Karl Quinn from The Age thought that Izzy was given a moment of redemption during the finale but true to her characterisation she could not help but heap infamy upon scandal He described the episode as comforting heartwarming funny and even genuinely moving in this last hurrah it was certainly all that 128 nbsp Natalie Bassingwhaite plays Izzy Hoyland who critics believed gained redemption during the finale Laura Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap praised Jackie Woodburne in particular for her performance writing For all the fanfare for the big name returns the Hollywood blessings of Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie or the strangely silent Kylie the true star of the Neighbours finale was Jackie Woodburne Susan s final speech about friendship and love and especially remembering those who d gone too soon packed a real punch Sleep well Neighbours You were just too good for this world 129 Tyler also enjoyed the scene in which Mike told Jane he still loved her saying the moment almost finished us off for good 129 Their colleague Johnathon Hughes branded the episode an epic last episode and Alice Penwill added that the wedding meant the characters leave television screens with smiles on their faces 67 68 Digital Spy s Daniel Kilkelly believed that writers tricked viewers in the episodes prior to the finale via the sale of the Ramsay Street houses He called it depressing and stole viewers comfort that life on Ramsay Street was eternal 130 Kilkelly believed the characters deciding not to move away provided an element of surprise Though he though the sudden and implausible u turns were the type of silliness that could only work on Neighbours 130 Kilkelly stated that Pearce slotted back in effortlessly as Mike and Scott and Charlene s return issued a heartwarming moment which provided plenty of nostalgia He branded Beth and Flick s returns as gloriously silly and questioned Philip Martin s random return 130 Kilkelly also had high praise for Woodburne s performance as Susan who was arguably the most beloved of the finale cast He wrote that she stole the show as was given the well deserved honour of ending the show 130 He concluded that tears will have been shed on both sides of the world thanks to Susan s heartfelt voiceover reflecting on Ramsay Street and what it meant to her 130 Ash Percival from HuffPost UK said that viewers were left beside themselves as they watched Woodburne narrate a moving entry into the Ramsay Street history book He branded the speech a poignant monologue emotional scene and tear jerking nostalgia trip 74 Charlie Milward of the Daily Express assessed that all characters got their happy ever afters and viewers were in disbelief over the finality of it all Milward described episode 8901 as a rollercoaster episode 131 Paul Stuart from the Coventry Telegraph described Susan s monologue as a powerful speech during an emotional farewell show that was one last hurrah for deceased characters 132 Katy Hallam from Birmingham Mail described the speech as tear jerking and powerful 133 Shannen Findlay from Mamamia wrote that viewers were understandably nervous about Toadie and Melanie s wedding considering his past dramatic weddings Findlay was thankful the wedding went smoothly She described Paine s dialogue dressed in a gorilla costume as pretty emotional and corny Imbruglia and Valance s cameos were described as one heck of a surprise and summarised the finale as an emotional episode 134 A writer from STV News stated Neighbours closed out its final moments with emotional reunions a joyful wedding and a nostalgic tribute to past and present stars 63 They assessed that the wedding provides moments of reunion and love and the cameo video a star studded line up filled with emotional tributes 63 Naomi Clarke and Kaitlin Easton from Daily Record headlined Neighbours ends 37 year run with nostalgia emotional reunions and wedding joy 135 They added that Susan s speech was poignant 135 nbsp Guy Pearce received critical acclaim for his reprisal of the Mike Young role Claudia Connell from Weekend the episode had the promise to be an emotional farewell given all of the returning cast members 136 Steven Murphy from the Daily Express Saturday Magazine opined that the action in the episode mainly focuses on Toadie and Melanie s wedding and contains several surprises 137 Jon Peake editor of Total TV Guide opined that the finale allowed viewers to wallow in nostalgia as a slew of old faces return 138 A Total TV Guide writer added that they were grateful Neighbours had the chance to go out in a blaze of glory and branded the wedding theme a truly joyful occasion 122 A TV Mag writer stated their disbelief that the show was ending and branded the finale three episodes forming the finale as emotional 123 Simon Timblick and Sarah Selwood from TVTimes branded the episode a prime time double length episode celebrating its history They thought that the returnees provided more magic in the air and that producers delivered on their promise to end the show on a incredible high 139 Writing for Whattowatch com Timblick wrote it was an emotional send off filled with romance reunions and surprise appearances 119 Emma Shacklock from Woman amp Home praised the episode for being packed full of special moments and a bittersweet experience She singled out Woodburne s monologue performance and branded her lines as amongst the most impactful and emotional of the episode 140 The episode s emotional theme surprised Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph 112 She branded Mike and Jane s genuinely touching reunification as the show s Casablanca moment She praised Pearce s performance which was delivered as if he was in an Oscar worthy film Singh assessed it was wholly all about nostalgia and ideal for older viewers 112 Daily Mirror s Ian Hyland wrote that the finale had glorious offerings an absolute treat mixed with the added bonus of cast returns 141 Hyland judged that there were no major shocks in the story but anyone who enjoyed a teenage romance would be thrilled by Mike and Jane s obvious spark Hyland appraised the fact that you could watch them falling in love all over again without thinking That s actual Guy Pearce from Hollywood right there spoke volumes for their enduring chemistry 141 Hyland believed that promotional photographs of Donovan and Minogue ruined their brief royal walkabout on screen resulting in an anti climax 141 Mixed and negative analysis edit Ed Power The Irish Times wrote goodness it goes out with an all star bang Power thought the regular cast and guest cast stories made the episodes feel like two finales in one set in one universe He also praised Pearce stating he commits entirely to the part and never acts as if he s slumming it or doing Ramsay Street a favour 142 Gwendolyn Smith from i praised the many joys of the momentous double episode finale She branded Clive and Mike s fight as pure Ramsay Street and a bittersweet reminder of all the delightful absurdity we re going to miss 114 Smith thought it satisfied Neighbours fanatics and returning viewers She summarised the finale as a tear jerking star packed nostalgia fest grand homecoming of the soap s illustrious Hollywood and pop alumni and an unapologetically soppy self referential affair studded with flashbacks to iconic Neighbours moments 114 Smith also observed low stakes drama and absurd emotional U turns She noted viewers had to suspend disbelief when all residents chose to remain on Ramsay Street Smith described the final scenes as cheesy heart rending and faintly hallucinogenic 114 Ben Dowell from The Times criticised the episode because it was narratively all over the place the editing was terrible the directing was clunky and some of the acting is best forgotten 143 He added I loved it but let s be honest on one level this was terrible less 47 odd minutes of drama than a shonky documentary 143 144 Nick Hilton from The Independent was not impressed with the episode issuing it a one star rating He scathed a star studded swansong that forgot the thing that makes soap operas so captivating the plot 115 Hilton believed writers had a Herculean task of resolution to tie up four decades of stories He called the extended runtime a creative decision that only prolongs the agony 115 The finale shows the juxtaposition between Neighbours bumbling soap actors and its A list escapees in deep chiaroscuro 115 Hilton concluded that the numerous cameos gave the episode an almost meta quality and returning viewers would undoubtedly find the production so cheap and flimsy that it s hardly a surprise it s fallen apart 115 Writing for Yahoo News David Brown arraigned the inclusion of various scenes as pointless He lambasted Neighbours brought us less an hour of television drama and more a mere parade of old familiar faces who d been booked to tickle the belly of fans both current and lapsed 145 Brown concluded that the finale was more awkward than affecting and was ultimately a strangely hollow enterprise 145 Amy Denman of the Daily Mirror reported that cut scenes in the UK broadcast aggravated its British viewers They profiled numerous angry messages posted to social media networking website Twitter 146 Cast and celebrity response edit nbsp Australian politician Bill Shorten praised the finale Former Neighbours actor Craig McLachlan who played Henry Ramsay was not invited to appear in the episode despite his character s popularity 147 McLachlan had previously been found not guilty of sexual assault allegations and blamed cancel culture for being snubbed by producers His agent claimed that it was unfair that his on screen family returned for the episode without Henry 147 After the finale McLachlan paid tribute to the show and filmed himself in character as Henry 148 Original cast member David Clencie who played Danny Ramsay claimed that his offer to return for the finale was ignored by producers He also accused the show s writers of stealing his storyline ideas after he publicised them via the Neighbours fansite The Perfect Blend 149 Nicola Charles who played Sarah Beaumont believed she was not asked to appear as she is unvaccinated against COVID 19 She was critical of the episode calling it a shambles and said that she felt relieved that her character was not part of it 150 Takaya Honda revealed that many of the cast involved in the episode were having a watch party gathering 151 Fellow Australian soap opera Home and Away paid tribute to Neighbours after the finale 152 A farewell video for Neighbours was produced by the British soap opera EastEnders and featured a cameo from Alan Fletcher It was released on the day of the finale and also contained cast members well wishes 153 Coronation Street also posted a farewell video to social media featuring two of their actors Sally Ann Matthews and Rob Mallard saying goodbye to the show 154 Australian politician Bill Shorten stated the Neighbours finale is the ultimate throwback Every face is as familiar as our own neighbours but also showing inclusive TV for people with disability Brilliant 155 Australian actress Penny McNamee stated that the finale had me feeling all the feels and congratulated the cast 156 Rove McManus opined that the production pulled the stops out to deliver a blockbuster finale 157 After viewing the finale presenter Angela Bishop congratulated the cast and branded the finale a brilliant episode 158 Media personality Myf Warhurst praised Pearce and Jones performance in the finale and called for their own spin off show 159 Television presenter Lisa Wilkinson believed that they were magical together and wanted more television content from them 160 Actress and producer Jane Kennedy also voiced her admiration of the duo stating Mike and Jane is everything 161 She added that the finale made her cry while she watched it 162 Home and Away actress Emily Symons stated that she and her co stars were not happy to be the only Australian soap opera still airing and that they felt sad for the Neighbours cast and crew She described the finale as the most beautiful episode you ve ever seen adding It was so emotional and wonderful to see all the old characters coming back it was really special 163 Screenwriter Russell T Davies called the finale brilliant praising Woodburne the Izzy storyline and the revisitation of Jane s makeover 164 Accolades edit In 2024 Herbison received a nomination for Best Script for a Television Serial for Episode 8903 at the 56th AWGIE Awards 165 Return editFollowing the significant reaction to the finale Amazon Freevee entered talks with Fremantle to co produce future episodes of Neighbours The series recommission was announced on 17 November 2022 with Dennis Woodburne Fletcher and Moloney returning 166 The series resumed with episode 8904 on 18 September 2023 References edit Goodbye to Ramsay Street could this be the end of Neighbours Woman s Day 26 July 2021 Retrieved 11 May 2022 a b c d e Knox David 4 March 2022 Ramsay Street is eternal I would never ever blow it up TV Tonight Retrieved 9 May 2022 a b Neighbours under threat after Channel 5 drops show BBC News 6 February 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2022 Mercado Andrew 9 February 2022 Neighbours EP Jason Herbison and Andrew Mercado on celebrating the soap Mediaweek Retrieved 7 May 2022 Kilkelly Daniel 29 April 2022 Neighbours references Save Neighbours petition did you spot it Digital Spy Retrieved 12 May 2022 a b End of the road for Neighbours Australian soap axed after 37 years ITV News 3 March 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2022 Hibbs James 12 July 2022 Home and Away safe on Channel 5 until makers decide to cancel it Radio Times Retrieved 14 July 2022 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Kilkelly Daniel 2 August 2022 Neighbours boss addresses finale mysteries Digital Spy Retrieved 5 August 2022 a b c Julians Joe 22 June 2022 Neighbours script producer Shane Isheev on show ending Digital Spy Retrieved 22 June 2022 Rajput Priyanca 4 March 2022 Neighbours story team finish work on soap for final episode Digital Spy Retrieved 23 May 2022 a b c Fowler Bella 9 May 2022 Leaked script reveals Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan s role in Neighbours finale news com au Retrieved 9 May 2022 Cooper Brenna 1 June 2022 Neighbours boss responds to leak over Scott and Charlene s return Digital Spy Retrieved 2 June 2022 Russell Rachel 20 May 2022 Alan Fletcher Neighbours star opens up on alopecia battle after fans share concern over hair loss Sky News Retrieved 23 May 2022 emmajsteele1 20 May 2022 Thanks Neighbours That s a wrap for me Tweet via Twitter a b c Kilkelly Daniel 23 May 2022 Neighbours boss teases surprising ending for soap after writing final ever episodes Digital Spy Retrieved 23 May 2022 Knox David 10 June 2022 Farewell to Neighbours We are all sad but we re also enormously proud TV Tonight Retrieved 10 June 2022 a b Spilsbury Tom 23 29 July 2022 Ramsay treat TV Choice No 30 England p 4 a b Only a footstep away Total TV Guide No 30 England 23 29 July 2022 pp 4 5 Tyler Laura Jayne 26 February 4 March 2022 Harold comes home Inside Soap No 9 p 13 Warner Sam 3 March 2022 Neighbours to bring back Shane Ramsay ahead of show s final episodes Digital Spy Retrieved 4 March 2022 a b Rodger James 3 March 2022 Neighbours Alan Fletcher confirms legends will return for final episodes Birmingham Mail Retrieved 11 May 2022 Rodger James Hughes Lorna 14 February 2022 Kylie and Jason in line for Neighbours return for final episode Chester Chronicle Retrieved 11 May 2022 Neighbours Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan to reunite as Charlene and Scott on Ramsay Street for series finale Sky News 1 May 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2022 a b c Tyler Laura Jayne 14 20 May 2022 Especially for you Inside Soap No 20 pp 14 15 Mazzoni Alana 23 May 2022 Charlene s back Kylie Minogue talks Neighbours return New Idea Retrieved 23 May 2022 Paul Jenny 25 May 2022 Kylie Minogue on appreciating the small things the advice she d give her younger self and that return to Neighbours Glamour Retrieved 29 May 2022 Astamenkovic Gordan Check Out The first Footage Of Kylie Minogue And Jason Donovan On The Neighbours Set KIIS 101 1 Retrieved 29 May 2022 Timblick Simon Selwood Sarah 23 29 July 2022 Now we re back together TVTimes No 29 England pp 10 11 Neighbours stars returning for the soap s final episode revealed ITV News 7 May 2022 Retrieved 11 May 2022 Anderton Joe 24 May 2022 Neighbours confirms Bonnie Anderson s return for final episode Digital Spy Retrieved 24 May 2022 a b c Studio 10 Studio10au 2 June 2022 Rob Mills spills on his favourite memories playing Finn Kelly on Neighbours Tweet Retrieved 5 June 2022 via Twitter a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Lindsay Duncan 3 June 2022 Hollywood star Guy Pearce returns to Neighbours for final episode Metro Retrieved 3 June 2022 Donovan Jason 23 July 2022 It changed my life writes its star Jason Donovan The Times Saturday review No 73843 Times Newspapers News UK pp 4 5 Yeates Cydney 24 July 2022 Madge Bishop returns to Neighbours as a ghost in the final episode Metro Retrieved 24 July 2022 Neighbours Margot Robbie to return for TV soap finale BBC News 24 July 2022 Retrieved 24 July 2022 a b c Margot Robbie and Delta Goodrem to return for Neighbours finale along with characters Billy Libby and Stephanie Sky News 24 July 2022 Retrieved 24 July 2022 Nordyke Kimberly 24 July 2022 Margot Robbie to Appear in Series Finale of Long Running Australian Soap Neighbours The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 24 July 2022 Patterson Stephen 24 July 2022 Natalie Imbruglia and Holly Valance join Margot Robbie in huge Neighbours returns for epic final episode Metro Retrieved 24 July 2022 Roundup Neighbours replacement Facebook Covid restrictions The Crown Mediaweek 27 July 2022 Retrieved 27 July 2022 Kilkelly Daniel 12 October 2022 Hollyoaks casts Neighbours star Jemma Donovan for exciting new character group Digital Spy Retrieved 13 October 2022 Knox David 16 July 2022 Neighbours finale week all the stars amp synopses TV Tonight Retrieved 25 July 2022 Beresford Adam 23 29 July 2022 Ram see ya Street TV Mag pp 4 5 Denby Laura 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale cameos as fan favourites make surprise returns Radio Times Retrieved 4 August 2022 a b Tobin Christian 30 July 2022 Neighbours finale viewers spot scenes cut from Channel 5 broadcast Radio Times Retrieved 30 July 2022 Bridges Don DonBridges1 30 July 2022 Would love to at some stage Love Ireland Which county I was asked to do the final ep but was doing a play and couldn t get time off Tweet Retrieved 13 August 2022 via Twitter a b c Campbell Tina 11 May 2022 Neighbours star teases top secret ending to final episode Evening Standard Retrieved 11 May 2022 McMillan Ashleigh 1 May 2022 Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan return to Neighbours The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 9 May 2022 Knox David 2 August 2022 Neighbours reveals why Kylie amp Jason had limited dialogue in finale TV Tonight Retrieved 20 September 2022 Craig David 5 June 2022 Neighbours uses body doubles for Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan comeback Radio Times Retrieved 5 June 2022 a b Percival Ash 1 May 2022 It s Official Kylie And Jason Are Heading Back To Ramsay Street For Neighbours Big Send Off HuffPost Retrieved 9 May 2022 Hirini Rangi 8 May 2022 Neighbours favourites announced for finale PerthNow Retrieved 11 May 2022 a b Kilkelly Daniel 12 May 2022 Neighbours star Georgie Stone reveals real life sacrifice she s making for show finale Digital Spy Retrieved 12 May 2022 a b Anderton Joe 13 July 2022 Neighbours star Jackie Woodburne teases joyful ending for soap Digital Spy Retrieved 14 July 2022 a b Paine Geoff 20 July 2022 I began my Neighbours journey in a gorilla suit and ended it the same way The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 July 2022 McLean Gareth 23 29 July 2022 Farewell Ramsay Street Radio Times No 30 North West Yorkshire North East pp 20 21 Sarrubba Stefania 1 August 2022 Former Neighbours stars reveal how surprise Beth and Flick scene came about Digital Spy Retrieved 2 August 2022 natalie imbruglia 28 July 2022 Such a laugh filming neighbours final episode with hollycandy in London via Instagram Coy Bronte 4 August 2022 Kylie Minogue admits there were tears during Neighbours finale cameo News com au Retrieved 23 August 2022 Lynch Jessica 29 July 2022 As the curtain closes on Neighbours the iconic cast have reunited ahead of the finale TV Week Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b McIntyre Sarah 24 May 2022 Date for Neighbours final episode in Ireland is revealed RTE Retrieved 24 May 2022 a b c d e f Kilkelly Daniel 14 July 2022 Channel 5 breaks silence on Neighbours ending and fan reaction Digital Spy Retrieved 14 July 2022 Dubey Shivani 30 July 2022 Neighbours fans notice cut moments in UK version of finale Digital Spy Retrieved 31 July 2022 a b c d Neighbours ends 37 year run with emotional reunions and wedding joy STV News 30 July 2022 Retrieved 12 August 2022 a b c Kilkelly Daniel 30 July 2022 Neighbours boss explains cuts in UK finale episode Digital Spy Retrieved 31 July 2022 a b Schedules and Highlights Week 35 TVNZ Archived from the original on 31 August 2022 Morris Lauren 30 July 2022 Neighbours writer reveals beautiful moment cut from finale Radio Times Retrieved 2 August 2022 a b c d Hughes Johnathon 23 29 July 2022 Scott amp Charlene back to save Ramsay Street Inside Soap No 30 pp 4 5 a b c d e f g h Penwill Alice 23 29 July 2022 Toadie amp Mel s wedding party Inside Soap No 30 p 7 Penwill Alice 23 29 July 2022 Mike returns for Jane Inside Soap No 30 p 6 Harp Justin 19 July 2022 Guy Pearce reveals more on surprise Neighbours return as Mike Young Digital Spy Retrieved 30 July 2022 Kilkelly Daniel 22 September 2023 Neighbours where are all of the missing characters Digital Spy Retrieved 23 September 2023 Patterson Stephen 13 November 2023 Neighbours solves major finale mystery in flashback twist as identity of Amy Greenwood s baby daddy is confirmed Metro Retrieved 22 December 2023 a b Kilkelly Daniel 4 August 2022 Neighbours shares a peek at final scene script Digital Spy Retrieved 11 August 2022 a b c d Percival Ash 30 July 2022 Neighbours Final Scene Was A Tear Jerking Nostalgia Trip And Fans Are Not OK HuffPost UK Retrieved 11 August 2022 Julians Joe 18 July 2022 Neighbours lines up emotional Susan scenes in series finale Digital Spy Retrieved 11 August 2022 Knox David 9 June 2022 Studio 10 at Neighbours TV Tonight Retrieved 14 July 2022 Anderton Joe 11 July 2022 Kylie Minogue shares Neighbours finale pics with Jason Donovan Digital Spy Retrieved 14 July 2022 Beasley Tom 14 July 2022 Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan to release Especially for You as Neighbours ends Yahoo News Retrieved 14 July 2022 The Final Week Of Neighbours How Will It All End 10Play 30 June 2022 Archived from the original on 6 July 2022 Retrieved 14 July 2022 Back together Charlene and Scott reunited for Neighbours farewell TV Choice No 30 England 23 29 July 2022 pp Cover Especially for you Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan are back together in Neighbours 34 years later for its epic last ever episode TV Mag 23 29 July 2022 pp Cover Surprises in last ever Neighbours What s on TV No 29 England 23 29 July 2022 pp Cover Farewell Neighbours The stars say goodbye to Ramsay Street TVTimes No 29 England 23 29 July 2022 pp Cover Down under and out After 37 years Neighbours airs its final episode and some of the soap s biggest stars return LOVE TV No 29 23 July 2022 pp Cover Neighbours finale revealed Scott amp Charlene save Ramsay Street Inside Soap No 30 23 29 July 2022 pp Cover Mellor Louisa 27 July 2022 How to Host the Ultimate Neighbours Finale Party Den of Geek Retrieved 23 August 2022 Neighbours finale Final episode airs in Australia after 37 years BBC News 29 July 2022 Retrieved 22 November 2022 Walker Dan Vanderpuije Claudia Liza 29 July 2022 5 News at 5 5 News Channel 5 Neighbours finale Watch the stars reunite as clips released ahead of final episode airing in UK ITV News 29 July 2022 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Backstage Podcast Neighbours finale Comic Con news and our tips for August Sky News 30 July 2022 Retrieved 23 August 2022 Watson Meg Mitchell Thomas Schelle Caroline 28 July 2022 As it happened Neighbours finale Star studded cast returns to Ramsay Street as iconic Australian TV show says goodbye after 37 years The Age Retrieved 4 August 2022 Watson Meg Mitchell Thomas Schelle Caroline 28 July 2022 As it happened Neighbours finale Star studded cast returns to Ramsay Street as iconic Australian TV show says goodbye after 37 years The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 4 August 2022 Bryan Scott 29 July 2022 Neighbours the finale as it happened The Guardian Retrieved 4 August 2022 Knox David 31 March 2022 10 Peach doubles up on Neighbours episodes in time for finale TV Tonight Retrieved 7 May 2022 Seddon Dan 4 May 2022 Neighbours confirms return for Olympia Valance ahead of show ending Digital Spy Retrieved 5 May 2022 Knox David 4 June 2022 10 planning big Neighbours wrap TV Tonight Retrieved 1 July 2022 Channel10AU 30 June 2022 After 37 years 8 903 episodes countless marriages deaths births and disasters it s time to say goodbye Neighbours history making Finale 7 30 Thursday July 28 on 10 and 10 Peach Tweet via Twitter Atkinson Simon Khalil Shaimaa 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale Final episode airs in Australia after 37 years BBC News Retrieved 23 August 2022 Kikelly Daniel 1 July 2022 Neighbours finale rescheduled with primetime slot Digital Spy Retrieved 1 July 2022 Martin Emily 3 May 2022 I rewatched Scott and Charlene s wedding and I wish I hadn t WalesOnline Retrieved 9 May 2022 Schmidt Chantelle 9 May 2022 The Neighbours finale script has leaked online amp here s how the show is apparently gonna end Pedestrian Retrieved 9 May 2022 Neighbours leaked script reveals final scene for Charlene amp Scott More FM 9 May 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2022 Idato Michael 13 February 2022 Was it all a dream What to expect from a final episode of Neighbours The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 11 May 2022 Chilton Louis 12 July 2022 Neighbours fans work out plot of finale from tiny detail in Kylie Minogue photo The Independent Retrieved 14 July 2022 Evitts Jared 14 July 2022 Neighbours final episode When will it air what s the storyline and why is it ending Wales Online Retrieved 20 July 2022 Anderton Joe 6 June 2022 Neighbours addresses Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan body doubles Digital Spy Retrieved 20 July 2022 Knox David 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale tops TV ratings TV Tonight Retrieved 29 July 2022 Fowler Bella Bond Nick 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale a ratings hit for Ten news com au Retrieved 29 July 2022 Knox David 5 August 2022 1 38m Neighbours finale lifts in last week s ratings TV Tonight Retrieved 9 August 2022 Dubey Shivani 30 July 2022 Neighbours finale ratings revealed as the soap goes out on a high Digital Spy Retrieved 30 July 2022 Kilkelly Daniel 8 August 2022 Neighbours finale tops 4 million viewers in consolidated ratings Digital Spy Retrieved 9 August 2022 a b c Singh Anita 29 July 2022 Neighbours the Finale review Guy Pearce stole the show in a perfect farewell to Ramsay Street The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c d e Ryan Frances 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale review Kylie and Jason make 30 years vanish in an instant The Guardian Retrieved 29 July 2022 a b c d Smith Gwendolyn 29 July 2022 I wept my way through the soppy hallucinatory last episode of Neighbours i Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c d e Hilton Nick 29 July 2022 Neighbours The Finale is a flimsy agonising end to an era review The Independent Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c d e f Daly Helen 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale review Tears reunions and Susan s crowning moment Radio Times Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Timblick Simon 23 29 July 2022 Pick of the day Neighbours night TVTimes No 29 England p 81 a b Picks of the day 29 July Friday Weekend No 30 23 July 2022 p 61 a b Timblick Simon 29 July 2022 Review the last ever episode of Neighbours Kylie Jason and a lot of Ramsay Street nostalgia Whattowatch com Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c Brown David 23 29 July 2022 Friday choices The pick of today s TV Radio Times No 30 North West Yorkshire North East p 100 a b Jackson James 23 July 2022 Critics choice Neighbours the finale The Times Saturday review No 73843 Times Newspapers News UK p 48 a b Friday 29 July Total TV Guide No 30 England 23 29 July 2022 p 98 a b Picks of the day 29 July Friday TV Mag 23 29 July 2022 p 61 Friday main channels TV Choice No 30 England 23 29 July 2022 p 70 Friday 29 July What s on TV No 29 England 23 29 July 2022 p 80 Cannon Nick Perkins Steven 23 29 July 2022 Hot TV this week What s on TV No 29 England p 3 a b c d e Knox David 29 July 2022 How do you begin to describe a street Neighbours bows out in nostalgic hug TV Tonight Retrieved 29 July 2022 Quinn Karl 28 July 2022 Neighbours bows out with heart style and a whole lot of star power The Age Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Tyler Laura Jayne 6 12 August 2022 Hits amp Misses Inside Soap No 32 p 98 a b c d e Kilkelly Daniel 29 July 2022 How Neighbours tricked fans with its emotional finale storyline Digital Spy Retrieved 29 July 2022 Milward Charlie 29 July 2022 Neighbours viewers in tears as Channel 5 soap finally comes to an end I have goosebumps Daily Express Retrieved 11 August 2022 Suart Paul Hallam Katy 30 July 2022 Emotional Neighbours finale sees four characters return from the dead Coventry Telegraph Retrieved 11 August 2022 Hallam Katy 29 July 2022 Four Neighbours characters who surprisingly returned from the dead in finale Birmingham Mail Retrieved 11 August 2022 Findlay Shannen 28 July 2022 Susan Where were you just then The 8 biggest moments from the Neighbours finale Mamamia Retrieved 12 August 2022 a b Clarke Naomi Easton Kaitlin 29 July 2022 Neighbours ends 37 year run with nostalgia emotional reunions and wedding joy Daily Record Retrieved 12 August 2022 Connell Claudia 23 July 2022 Why we ll miss our Aussie Neighbours Weekend No 30 pp 8 9 Murphy Steven 23 July 2022 Love thy Neighbours Daily Express Saturday Magazine No 30 pp 8 9 Peake Jon 23 29 July 2022 Your total TV week Total TV Guide No 30 England p 3 Timblick Simon Selwood Sarah 23 29 July 2022 Thanks for the memories TVTimes No 29 England pp 8 9 Shacklock Emma 1 August 2022 All the Neighbours finale details you might have missed as we say goodbye to our favourite Erinsborough residents Woman amp Home Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c Hyland Ian 29 July 2022 Last Neighbours has everything you d want from show which changed TV forever Daily Mirror Retrieved 23 August 2022 Power Ed 30 July 2022 Neighbours fades to black with an all star cast and an all in Guy Pearce performance The Irish Times Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Dowell Ben 29 July 2022 Neighbours The Finale review I loved it but be honest it was terrible and the cast knew it The Times Retrieved 23 August 2022 Vassell Nicole 30 July 2022 Neighbours The Finale What the critics said about the last ever episode The Independent Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b Brown David 29 July 2022 Neighbours finale review The last episode made for deeply odd TV Yahoo News Retrieved 23 August 2022 Denman Amy 30 July 2022 Neighbours viewers fume as they spot cut moments and missing star in finale Daily Mirror Retrieved 11 August 2022 a b Luckhurst Josh 27 July 2022 Neighbours star talks devastating rejection after not returning for finale Daily Mirror Retrieved 29 July 2022 Waters Lowenna 29 July 2022 Who is Craig McLachlan Neighbours star films video in character after finale snub Evening Standard Retrieved 29 July 2022 Patterson Stephen 27 July 2022 They completely shafted me Original star slams Neighbours in blistering rant Metro Retrieved 29 July 2022 Rodger James 29 July 2022 Neighbours star blasts shambles final episode after being snubbed Birmingham Mail Retrieved 29 July 2022 takayahonda 28 July 2022 neighbourswatchparty neighbours Tweet via Twitter Chase Stephanie 29 July 2022 Home and Away pays tribute to Neighbours after show finale airs Digital Spy Retrieved 29 July 2022 Daly Helen 29 July 2022 Alan Fletcher makes EastEnders cameo for touching tribute to Neighbours Radio Times Retrieved 29 July 2022 itvcorrie 29 July 2022 Here s Sally Ann Matthews and Rob Mallard leading the cast farewell to our dear friend Neighbours Tweet via Twitter Sarkari Karishma 29 July 2022 Fans react to pretty perfect Neighbours finale lobby for next year s Logies celebrity nine com au Retrieved 23 August 2022 PennyMcNamee 28 July 2022 Oofty The Neighbours finale had me feeling all the feels Well done to everyone who contributed to such an iconic piece of Australian television history throughout the decades Tweet via Twitter theprojecttv 28 July 2022 After 37 years on our screens we finally say goodbye to our favourite Neighbours of Ramsay Street The cast has gathered to watch the final episode together and we stopped by to see how they re all feeling TheProjectTV Tweet via Twitter AngelaBishop 28 July 2022 The Neighbours cast watching the finale Congratulations everyone it was brilliant Tweet via Twitter MyfWarhurst 28 July 2022 Excuse me but I demand a Mike TheGuyPearce and Jane spin off series celebrating their mid life rekindled love NeighboursFinale Tweet via Twitter Lisa Wilkinson 28 July 2022 Weren t they magical together MyfWarhurst More Annie Jones amp Guy Pearce on screen please neighboursfinale Neighbours Tweet via Twitter Jane L Kennedy 28 July 2022 Mike and Jane is everything NeighboursFinale Tweet via Twitter Jane L Kennedy 28 July 2022 I m not crying ok YES I M crying NeighboursFinale Tweet via Twitter Chase Stephanie 12 August 2022 Home and Away star Emily Symons very sad over Neighbours axe Digital Spy Retrieved 13 August 2022 Knox David 31 July 2022 2 5m Brits watch Neighbours finale TV Tonight Retrieved 22 November 2022 Knox David 17 January 2024 56th Annual AWGIE Awards nominees TV Tonight Retrieved 17 January 2024 Earp Catherine 17 September 2022 Neighbours announced for shock 2023 return following Channel 5 axe Digital Spy Retrieved 17 November 2022 External links edit Neighbours The Finale at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Neighbours The Finale amp oldid 1223900763, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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