While fans of Neighbours were delighted to see classic characters return to Ramsay Street for the final ever episode, there was one tribute missing to arguably the most beloved character of all – Bouncer the dog.
Viewers were left emotional by the return of acting icons Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Valance, and many, many more as stars lined up to bid farewell to Erinsborough after 37 years.
And even ‘dead’ characters including Madge Bishop, played by Anne Charleston, and Hendrix Greyson, played by Ben Turland, returned as ghosts to join the fun one last time.
But there was no mention or reference to adorable golden Labrador Bouncer who starred on the show from 1987 until 1993 during the course of the final episode.
And it turns out a plan had been floated to make a nod to the beloved pet as scenes played out – but sadly it had to be cut due to timing constraints.
Showrunner Jason Herbison gave an interview to Digital Spy where he explained there were many more cameos and moment he had wished to squeeze into the last ever episode.
And hinting that a reference to Bouncer was sadly forced to be cut, he said: "Right up until a couple of days before I was still adding and seeing how far I could go. I also wanted a white Labrador to run through the street – but I realised it was too much to ask!”
He added: “It's a huge testament to the incredible crew that we got everything shot.”
Bouncer didn’t go entirely unmentioned over the course of the final week of episodes – as the character Shane Ramsay revealed he had named his car ‘Bouncer’ in tribute to the pet.
And an image of the dog himself was shown in a montage of photos at the end of the very last ever episode.
Bouncer featured on the show for six years – including in an iconic dream sequence where the shoemakers gave insight into what they thought the animal would think about.
The scene showed Bouncer imagining he was marrying a fellow dog named Rosie - with the two animals starting a family together.
Bouncer was last seen being driven off to live on a farm back in 1993 – and sadly the dog passed away thirteen weeks after filming his final scenes.
He died aged seven-years-old and passed away due to cancer.
The Neighbours finale was a smash hit in the UK and Australia, with millions tuning in to see the final scenes of the series.
Viewers watched as Guy Pearce’s Mike Young returned to Ramsay Street and rekindled his romance with Jane Harris, played by Annie Jones.
Kylie and Jason returned as Charlene and Scott – while a plethora of other stars appeared via video message on the show with Margot Robbie and Delta Goodrem among those featuring to bid the show farewell.
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