Everybody needs good Neighbours – especially if they are Hollywood A-listers.
After fears the iconic Aussie soap could be axed for good, it will return to our screens next month on Amazon Freevee.
The show was dumped by Channel 5 last year as it said it wanted to spend more on UK content. But the US streaming giant stepped in for a “new chapter” in Neighbours’ 38-year history.
The show will include guest appearances from original cast member Guy Pearce – who is now a top movie star – as well as The OC’s Mischa Barton, 37.
Cambridgeshire-born Guy, 55, returned to the show for its “Grand Finale” last year.
His character, Mike Young, was reunited with love interest Jane Harris, played by Annie Jones, and bought a house on Ramsay Street. On future appearances, Iron Man star Guy said: “Annie and I called each other, and I asked ‘What do we do now, because we’re living in the street?’. And she said, ‘Well I’m all right because I’m on the show anyway, but what will you do?’ I said,
‘I don’t know’. So we’re in the process of working it out.
“Obviously, if I’m going to extricate myself from the show, I want to do it respectfully.
“I wasn’t just gonna go, ‘Well, bad luck. You had your chance, that was it’, you know. There may be a little appearance or two…”
Jason Herbison, the soap’s executive producer, said: “All the cast and crew are excited Ramsay Street will welcome viewers again to the neighbourhood.”
Almost 20 million British fans tuned in to Neighbours back in November 1988 to watch Charlene and Scott (Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan) get married.
