neighbors has concluded its final moments with emotional reunions, a joyous wedding and a nostalgic tribute to stars past and present.
After being on screen for 37 years, the Australian soap ended on Friday with a double-episode special, which featured star-studded cameos from Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie and singer Natalie Imbruglia.
The show first aired in 1985 and followed the cul-de-sac of Ramsay Street in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough.
In the opening finale, Ramsay Street becomes apparent as the community once knew it was coming to an end as Susan Kennedy, played by Jackie Woodburne, surveys all the houses around her house for sale.
Harold Bishop, reprized by Ian Smith for the final episodes, tells Susan and her husband Karl that they are the ‘last custodians’ of the area and suggests that she write the introduction to their photo album ‘History Of Ramsay Street’.
Another favorite character returning to their old hunting grounds is Mike Young, played by Guy Pearce, who shows his daughter Sam (Henrietta Graham) around the area.
After running into his old friend and former love interest Jane Harris, played by Annie Jones, they embark on a journey through the houses on Ramsay Street and reminisce about their childhood.
They remember special moments, including his reaction to her makeover when she first went without glasses and when her grandmother didn’t allow him to visit her.
However, their time to reminisce doesn’t go down well with Jane’s former partner Clive Gibbons (Geoff Paine) who ends up in a drunken row with a lamp to Mike and says, “See this lamp, this is me, he’s a bit old, a little weathered and it can’t turn Jane on, but that doesn’t mean I can just be ignored or traded in for some fancy new model.
The wedding of Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) and Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) also offers moments of reunion and love as the happy couple tie the knot, reuniting Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). , as well as girlfriends Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly) and Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta).
In the finale, Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien) and Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) also share an intimate moment together.
While the residents of Ramsay Street are at the wedding, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, who starred as couple Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell in the 1980s, make their long-awaited return to the cul-de-sac in a green mini with a Queensland number plate.
After Charlene shows her typical feisty mind by nearly breaking into a house – reminiscent of Minogue’s very first scene on the soap in 1986 when Scott caught her breaking into her mother’s house and being beaten for his troubles – the pair get finally reuniting with Jane and Mike to bring the four friends back together.
After Toadie and Melanie’s wedding, Kennedy’s surprise the happy couple with a video message from their friends over the years who couldn’t make the big day.
Among the star-studded lineup is a trio who achieved chart success as singers after their time in Erinsborough: Delta Goodremwho played Nina Tucker, Natalie Imbruglia, who was Beth Brennan, and Holly Valance who played Felicity Scully.
Oscar nominee Margot Robbie, who played Donna Freedman and is currently filming the live-action Barbie movie, also conveys a precious message: “My years on Ramsay Street were honestly some of the best of my entire life.”
Libby and Billy Kennedy (Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer), Joe Mangel (Mark Little), Steph Scully (Carla Bonner), Lance Wilkinson (Andrew Bibby), and Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough) also all congratulate.
After the emotional tribute, Melanie and Toadie decide to stay on Ramsay Street, as do Paul and Terese after they reunite.
Mike also takes the plunge and tells Jane that he would like to buy a property on the street and give their relationship another chance, which makes her emotional.
As the Ramsay Street characters past and present come together for one last time at the street party’s wedding reception, Susan delivers a poignant speech.
She says: “When we moved to Ramsay Street, the community was already there – the Ramsays and Robinsons.
“The stories from those early days are legendary and their legacy lives on today. There have been many families of all shapes and sizes over the years, some of them unexpected. And friends who became like family, whether they were family or not.
“Love has always been central. How many Ramsays were born on the street?
“Of course it rarely went smoothly, but most of the time it worked out.
“I think of all the people who never crossed paths, who could have been good friends and those who kept showing up whether we welcomed them or not. The street always has a way of bringing people back.”
She also reflected on friends and neighbors who were no longer with them, with ghostly figures of deceased characters appearing among the crowd, including Erinsborough, the stalwart Madge Bishop, played by Anne Charleston.
Susan concluded, “I think you have to recognize everything, celebrate it all – the good, the bad, because that’s all that makes us who we are.
“Everyone deserves a place in Ramsay Street’s history, even those who have watched us from afar. Together we have been the perfect mix.”
The credits then showed a montage of photos of characters through the eras before a message appeared on screen that read, “Thank you for loving us, we love you.”