Neighbours fans were left feeling bereft in March 2022, when it was announced that the Australian soap would be coming to an end after 37 years.
The news followed months of desperate searching to find a new international broadcast partner to help fund the show, after its biggest investor – the UK’s Channel 5 – made the decision to pull out and stop airing it.
Come July, we said a tearful goodbye to the residents of Ramsay Street – seemingly forever – but just four months later, it was revealed Neighbours was about to pull off the biggest back-from-the-dead plot twist in soap history.
Bosses announced that a new deal had been struck with Amazon, meaning the show would be able to produce new episodes to air on the free streaming service Freevee in the UK, internationally on Prime Video, and return to Network 10 in Australia.
With filming on the new Neighbours episodes having begun back in April, the countdown is officially on until we’re welcomed back to Erinsborough. Here’s everything we know about its return so far...
When is Neighbours back?
Neighbours has been confirmed for a September launch date. Amazon Freevee later sent confirmation of the show’s exact launch date in a press newsletter to media outlets, which it has since admitted was done in error. The date had been published by HuffPost UK in a previous version of this article.
It is not yet known if there will be a gap between Australia and the UK, but Network 10 has retained first-run rights to the show in Oz.
Whatever the outcome, though, we shouldn’t expect too big a gap, as the show has also been confirmed for an unspecified September launch Down Under.
In the meantime, UK fans can watch iconic episodes from the Neighbours archive, and the complete 2012 – 2018 seasons, on Freevee.
How did Neighbours end in 2022?
Neighbours appeared to be pretty well wrapped up by the time its finale aired in July 2022, with lots of long-running storylines reaching a conclusion, and a host of former residents returning to the street to bid farewell.
While the last episode was set against the wedding of Toadie Rebecchi and Melanie Pearson, the big news was the return of the show’s 80s power couple Charlene and Scott Robinson, played by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.
The couple – who hadn’t been seen on Ramsay Street since 1988 – paid an unexpected visit to Erinsborough, as the show reunited another of its much-loved 80s pairings, Jane Harris and Mike Young.
Guy Pearce jetted in from Hollywood to film scenes for the soap’s swan song, as his character moved back to the Street to give things another go with his former love Jane.
There were also romantic reunions for Terese Willis and Paul Robinson, Chloe Brennan and Elly Conway, and Nicolette Stone and Kiri Durant.
With all but one of the houses on Ramsay Street up for sale in the final days of the series, it ended will all the residents – bar Chloe, who decided to move to Sydney with Elly – choosing to stay put.
Neighbours’ closing moments then saw Susan Kennedy looking affectionately at her friends and neighbours at their Street party, as actor Jackie Woodburne narrated a moving entry into the Ramsay Street History Book.
Which characters are returning to Neighbours for the reboot?
The news Neighbours was returning came with confirmation that long-standing cast members Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne, Stefan Dennis and Ryan Moloney would be back.
Since then, there have been a number of announcements about Neighbours’ returning full-time cast, and the those confirmed so far are:
- Alan Fletcher as Dr Karl Kennedy
- Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy
- Stefan Dennis as Paul Robinson
- Ryan Moloney as Toadie Rebecchi
- Annie Jones as Jane Harris
- Rebekah Elmaloglou as Terese Willis
- Georgie Stone as Mackenzie Hargreaves
- Tim Kano as Leo Tanaka
- Lucinda Cowden as Melanie Pearson
- Lloyd Will as Andrew Rodwell
- Candice Leask as Wendy Rodwell
- Emerald Chan as Sadie Rodwell
- Lucinda Armstrong Hall as Holly Hoyland
A number of other characters are confirmed for guest appearances in the new episodes, who are:
- Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson
- Ian Smith as Harold Bishop
- April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan
- Guy Pearce as Mike Young
- Jodi Gordon as Elly Conway
Meanwhile, fan forums and Reddit threads are awash with speculation there are more returning cast members still to be announced, who include:
- Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi
- Takaya Honda as David Tanaka
- Matt Wilson as Aaron Brennan
- Bonnie Anderson as Bea Nilsson
- Benjamin McNair as Malcom Kennedy
It has also been claimed the role of Nicolette Stone has been recast to new actor Hannah Monson, taking over from Charlotte Chimes, who has confirmed she will not be part of the reboot.
There have also been suggestions that Toadie’s youngest children, Nell and Hugo Rebecchi, have been recast, as well as Jane Harris’ son Byron, who was previously played by Joe Klocek for a guest stint in the show’s final weeks.
Who are the new cast members coming to Neighbours?
Fans can also expect to see lots of fresh faces when the show returns, as it has already been confirmed there will be a new family on the Street – the Varga-Murphys – and a new manager for Harold’s coffee shop in the shape of Haz Devkar.
Former star of The O.C. Mischa Barton will also appear in a guest role as the mysterious Reece Sinclair.
Former Big Brother Australia contestant Xavier Molyneux has also been spotted filming, although he has not been officially announced as being part of the cast yet.
New cast announced for the show so far are:
- Sara West as Cara Varga-Murphy
- Naomi Rukavina as Remi Varga-Murphy
- Marley Williams as Dex Varga-Murphy
- Riley Bryant as JJ Varga-Murphy
- Shiv Palekar as Haz Devkar
- Mischa Barton as Reece Sinclair
What do we know about the storylines for the new Neighbours?
It is believed there will be a time jump from the events of the finale when Neighbours returns – likely a year, but possibly two, to explain why some faces are no longer on the Street.
It has also been hinted that the new series will feature flashbacks, with April Rose Pengilly (Chloe Brennan) posting on Instagram that she was filming on Ramsay Street with confetti on the floor, which you’ll remember rained down on the cast in the closing moments of the show.
There have been claims that Guy Pearce’s second return as Mike Young will feature in flashbacks, as the Hollywood star isn’t believed to be coming back full-time.
Elsewhere, it has been speculated that Mischa Barton’s character has a link to former Erinsborough bad guy Finn Kelly, which could spell trouble for the Kennedys, who had a tortuous time at the hands of the evil teacher.
It has also been teased that someone in the Varga-Murphy family “has an ulterior motive for being in Erinsborough... And it’ll have explosive ramifications for their neighbours”.
While other details are not yet known, Alan Fletcher, who plays Dr Karl Kennedy, has claimed fans have a lot to look forward to when the show returns.
“The new storylines that they’ve got for these first few weeks of Neighbours are startling,” he told Digital Spy last month. “I actually got in contact with our story team by email the other night when I read the latest scripts that I’ve received, just to congratulate them.
“They’re some of the most innovative and exciting scripts I’ve ever seen in the show on my 28 years. The fans have got an enormous amount to look forward to.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Information about the return date of Neighbours in this article has been updated.