Neighbours

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History
Making its debut on the Seven Network in March 1985 Neighbours follows the daily lives of several families who live in Ramsay Street in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough.

When Seven cancelled the series at the end of 1985 because of low ratings, Network Ten took the then-unprecedented step of picking up the show and began airing it in 1996. The daily half-hour drama got off to a slow start, but, with the addition of new, younger characters and a big publicity push, the ratings started to climb.

Jason Donovan replaced Darius Perkins in the role of Scott Robinson and the romance between Scott and Kylie Minogue’s character Charlene Mitchell was hugely popular with viewers. The episode featuring Scott and Charlene’s wedding achieved the highest ever ratings for the show and is still one of the highest rating soapie episodes ever in Australia.

In October 1986, Neighbours was picked up by the BBC, which initially gave the show a low-profile daytime slot. But viewers, attracted to the sunshine, cheerful characters and leafiness of Ramsay Street, which offered a stark contrast to darker British soaps like Coronation Street and EastEnders, started tuning in despite the dodgy timeslot. Teens even started leaving school early to get home in time to catch the show. One young fan, Alison Grade, just happened to be the daughter of BBC executive Michael Grade. She suggested to her dad that the show be moved to a later time and, in January 1988, the BBC did just that. Within weeks of starting in the 5.30pm timeslot (it was also shown at 1.30pm), the little Aussie soapie that could had risen to the top of the ratings. At its peak in the UK, over 20 million people – more than the population of Australia at that time – watched the show, including members of the Royal family. The cast even appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in 1988!

In the beginning, the main families were the Ramsays (after whom the street was named), the Robinsons and the Clarkes, but over the years other families, including the Alessi, Bishop, Kennedy, Hoyland, Gottlieb, Hancock, Rebecchi, Scully, Stark, Timmins and Willis clans, have moved in and out of the cul-de-sac.

Over the years, the show has seen its fair share of births, deaths and marriages along with murders, affairs, mysterious disappearances and sudden reappearances, plane crashes, people being trapped in burning buildings (which apparently never have working fire exits) and that old soapie staple, amnesia. In 2005, Neighbours celebrated its 20th anniversary with an episode featuring many former cast members, and the show was also inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. It is now the longest-running Australian drama ever.

Discussion Board
What do you think about Neighbours and its characters? Share your thoughts and opinions about the drama on its discussion board

Meet the characters

Harold Bishop played by Ian Smith
A strict church-going vegetarian teetotaller when he was first introduced, Harold has been through a lot. Both his wives died. His daughter was shot by duck hunters. His son was blown up on a plane. He fell off a cliff, suffered amnesia and disappeared for five years before finally returning to Erinsborough, where he didn’t remember anyone and had to try to re-learn his whole life story. He's been caught in fires, had car accidents, a heart attack and a stroke (which affected his personality and made him turn his back on vegetarianism, teetotalism and the Salvation Army). He even attempted murder at one stage. Though he's no oil painting, numerous Ramsay St women have thrown themselves at him over the years, but his most disturbing relationship was a brief flirtation with a woman who looked exactly like his dead daughter!

Lou Carpenter played by Tom Oliver
Lou and Harold were at high school together and both vied for the attentions of Madge Ramsay (Anne Charleston), who ended up marrying someone else and moving away. Years later, Harold and Madge were reunited, but Lou, a bit of a ladies man, also turned up in Erinsborough and continued to try to romance Madge over the years. While Harold was missing, presumed dead, Madge and Lou became engaged, but ended up calling it off. Lou is the local entrepreneur, owning and/or running several Erinsborough businesses and Ramsay St houses.

Mickey Gannon played by Fletcher O'Leary
Mickey's mother, Kirsten, appeared in Erinsborough one day and announced to Ned Parker that he was Mickey's father. Explaining that she needed time alone, Kirsten left Mickey in Ned's care indefinitely.

Steph Hoyland played by Carla Bonner
Tomboy Steph has always been more into Grand Prix racing than girly stuff, but that hasn't stopped her from having her fair share of weddings and more than her fair share of romantic dramas. These included falling in love with her best friend's fiancé and having her first wedding ruined when the groom admitted he'd been having an affair with her sister. Despite her problems, she's proved to be a loyal friend and a great mum to baby Charlie (Aaron Aulsebrook-Walker) and step-mum.

Dr Karl Kennedy played by Alan Fletcher
Sometimes the bad guy, sometimes the good guy, Dr Karl has had a turbulent time in Ramsay St. He's saved people's lives but broken doctor-patient confidentiality. He's clashed with his fellow neighbours and had problems with drinking and womanising, but his long-suffering wife Susan (Jackie Woodburne) forgave him over and over again, until finally he admitted he didn't love her any more and they divorced. Bad girl Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) got her claws into him for a while, even having him believe he was the father of the baby she miscarried and the two almost got married, but the truth about her eventually came out. Given the number of times he and Susan have gotten back together, it was only a matter of time before they reconciled again.

Susan Kinski played by Jackie Woodburne
She was Susan Kennedy, mum of three and happily married to Dr Karl when she first moved to Ramsay St, but she's had a rough ride ever since. Her marriage became rocky, thanks to Karl's lies, drinking and infidelity, and the couple eventually divorced, though they maintain a connection. She had an affair with a priest and then her second husband died of lymphoma within hours of their wedding. She's suffered from amnesia, admitted that she killed her sick mother and been betrayed by Darcy her dastardly nephew. But, through it all, Susan has often provided a home for people in trouble, including a number of the Timmins kids and the kids of her dead husband.
Jackie answers your reader questions

Rachel Kinski played by Caitlin Stasey
Rachel had a rocky start to life. Her mum died. Her dad Alex (Andrew Clarke) kicked out her older sister Katya (Dichen Lachman) and home schooled Rachel and her brother Zeke (Matthew Werkmeister. Rachel and Zeke were happy when their dad started dating Susan (Jackie Woodburne), but were devastated when they discovered he was dying and were then involved in the custody battle between Susan and Katya. Despite her youth, Rachel's been involved in a few Ramsay St romances, but it's her fiery friendship with Bree Timmins (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) that has proved to be her most enduring relationship.

Zeke Kinski played by Matthew Werkmeister
Zeke's been through all the same traumas as sister Rachel (Caitlin Stasey), but has dealt with them differently. When his dad died, he refused to speak to anyone. Eventually he spoke to his sister Katya (Dichen Lachman), but no one else, however, when Rachel had an accident at home, he had no choice but to call for an ambulance. When the custody battle over him and Rachel began, Zeke chose Katya over Susan (Jackie Woodburne) as his guardian and got his wish when Susan gave in to Katya. Zeke has also had a rocky relationship with Bree (Sianoa Smit-McPhee), but has leapt to her defence when the chips were down.

Rebecca Napier played by Jane Hall
When Rebecca was revealed to be Oliver Barnes' biological mother, the pair tried to meet. Unfortunately, Rebecca couldn't take the situation and left, making it clear that she didn't want Oliver in her life. Will she change her mind?

Declan Napier played by James Sorensen
Declan arrived on Ramsay Street with his mother, Rebecca, as they were running away from their past. Declan is a troublemaker who doesn't think ahead — he just acts. Could his mother's history of recklessness have something to do with his behaviour?

Bridget Parker played by Eloise Mignon
Steve and Miranda Parker's daughter Eloise is a tomboy. Unlike most self-conscious teenage girls, she's open-minded and isn't afraid of what people think of her. She probably has her parents' support and caring to thank for that.

Miranda Parker played by Nikki Coghill
Miranda works as an event manager, but her priority is her family. She is very close to her husband, Steve, and her teenage children, Bridget and Riley. She is a caring and protective wife and mother.

Ned Parker played by Daniel O'Connor
After his brother Stuart's (Blair McDonough) new wife was put in a mental institution on their honeymoon, Ned turned up in Ramsay St to look after Stuart, but got his houses mixed up and took a shower in the wrong one, shocking Janelle Timmins (Nell Feeney) when she found him in her lounge room wearing only a towel. After helping Stuart through his battle with depression, he proceeded to get tangled up with various Ramsay St women, including scheming Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte).
Q&A; with Dan O'Connor
Dan answers your reader questions

Riley Parker played by Sweeney Young
Riley is an independent guy who is always genuine and true to himself. His only problem is that, like many people, he has unresolved issues with his parents, Steve and Miranda. Will they stop him from accomplishing his goals?

Steve Parker played by Steve Bastoni
Steve "Stevo" Parker is a veterinarian by profession, but he also plays in an up-and-coming band called Stevie and the Wonderfuls. He has two younger brothers, Stuart and Ned. Steve has a very close relationship to his wife, Miranda, with whom he has two children, Bridget and Riley.

Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi played by Ryan Moloney
Toadie's another troubled-teen-turned-good. In his early days, he stole, played truant, "borrowed" other people's cars and was generally a bad influence on the other neighbourhood kids. He was also fond of a practical joke, but was kind-hearted enough to feel bad when they occasionally backfired, as did most of his "get rich quick" schemes. He was stunned to discover he had an above-average IQ and ended up becoming a lawyer and settling down a bit. His lowest point came when, driving away from his wedding to Dee Bliss (Madeleine West), he lost control of the car and went over a cliff. Dee's body was washed away and never found. But Toadie managed to pick up the pieces and continues to help many of his wayward family members through tough times in their lives.

Paul Robinson played by Stefan Dennis
Paul started as a nice young man who looked set to join his father's engineering firm. But, after dropping out of uni to become a flight attendant, Paul started to go off the rails. He's come and gone from Ramsay St over the years, been married three times, had five kids, done time in jail, had affairs, had numerous attempts made on his life (including several by his son Robert) and even lost a leg. He's now the owner of Lassiter's, a pretty ruthless businessman and still in and out of trouble with the ladies.

Elle Robinson played by Pippa Black
Paul's second wife Gail (Fiona Corke) moved to Tasmania while pregnant with triplets. As a result, Paul rarely saw them. But, at 19, Lucinda (Elle for short) turned up in Erinsborough. It quickly became clear that Elle was her father's daughter and she's turned out to be just as good at scheming and manipulating as he is.
Pippa answers your reader questions

Janae Timmins played by Eliza Taylor-Cotter
Boy-mad Janae got herself into lots of trouble almost as soon as she turned up in Ramsay St. She was drugged at a dance and narrowly escaped being raped thanks to her brothers and sister turning up in the nick of time. She had unprotected sex with her boyfriend, then found out he was HIV positive, but luckily found out she wasn't. Her tendency to be jealous and confrontational has played havoc with her relationships and her topsy turvy family life hasn't helped either.

Bree Timmins played by Sianoa Smit-McPhee
Bookworm Bree never did fit in with the rest of the Timmins clan, whose main reading material was their own arrest warrants. So it was a bit of relief for Bree when she discovered that she had been accidentally switched at birth and was not really a Timmins. But, instead of setting out to find her real family, she was somehow persuaded to stay with the family she'd grown up with.
Sianoa answers your reader questions

Carmella Cammeniti played by Natalie Blair
The spoilt daughter of local mafia figure Rocco Cammeniti, Carmella has had an eventful time at Ramsay St. She's been a barmaid, magazine editor, women's wrestling publicist and even a nun! A master manipulator, most of her plots have revolved around her love life, whether it was hiding it from her father, seeking revenge on old lovers or trying to win them back. Her life as a nun was short-lived and Carmella's now out of her habit. But is she back to her old tricks?
Natalie answers your reader questions

Rosetta Cammeniti played by Natalie Saleeba
Growing up, she was always the good girl and her sister Carmella was always the rebel, but when Rosetta arrived in Ramsay St, a role reversal seemed to be on the cards. The lawyer, who was still living at home with her mother in her late twenties, moved out, broke up with her fiancé and set out to start over.
Q&A; with Natalie Saleeba
Natalie answers your reader questions

Heidi "Pepper" Steiger played by Nicky Whelan
Bubbly, attractive and energetic, Pepper is the daughter of Senior Sergeant Steiger. The PE teacher arrived in Ramsay St with her fiancé Frazer Yeats in tow, but it soon became plain there was something fishy about their relationship...

Frazer Yeats played by Ben Lawson
Tall, dark, handsome, mysterious and brooding, this professional gambler arrived in Ramsay St with his fiancée, but quickly turned his attentions to Rosetta, his brother's ex-fiancée. Having always lived his life by the roll of the dice, he wasn't afraid to take chances and was keen to live the high life — no matter what he had to do to secure it...
Ben answers your reader questions

Lolly Allen played by Adelaide Kane
Lou Carpenter's troubled teen daughter Louise "Lolly" Allen returned to Ramsay Street from living with her birth father and stepmother complaining that she was miserable at home and would prefer to live with Lou and Harold. After causing distress to her school teacher Pepper by accusing her of abuse, it was finally revealed that the actual cause of her bruises was Lolly's stepmother Sandy. What does the future hold for Lolly?

Ringo Brown played by Sam Clark
Keeping his true identity a secret became much harder for Frazer Yeats when his younger brother suddenly arrived on the scene! Ringo first appeared spying on his older brother but when caught sneaking around outside No 30, Ringo confesses that he wants to move out of home and in with Frazer. Originally posing as Rick Yeats to keep his brother's true identity of George Brown from Rosie, Ringo finally reveals his real name and begins an on-again, off-again romance with Rachel Kinski.

Oliver Barnes played by David Hoflin
Arriving at the Scarlet Bar to explain his brother Will Griggs' sudden disappearance to Carmella, Oliver is instantly attracted to the Erinsborough beauty and reveals that it was he who was the backpacker Will had claimed to be. After helping Carmella set up her father's business, he becomes wary of her ruthless attitude and begins to fall for Elle's charms. Who will win the heart of this Ramsay Street Romeo?

Famous Faces
Over the years, Neighbours has helped launch the careers of many actors who've gone on to fame and fortune in Australia and overseas. Famous Faces

The Neigbourhood
Find out all about Erinsborough and where the locals hang out...The Neighbourhood

Trivia
Trivia and inside info on the actors and characters of Neighbours... Trivia

Quiz
Are you a Ramsay Street know-it-all? Take our Neighbours quiz here.

Big Moments
Over the years Ramsey Street has been the scene of terrible tragedy, amazing triumphs, numerous disappearances and fires and some very weird coincidences... Big Moments