It’s a dark day when Ian Smith aka Harold Bishop reveals he has “very aggressive non-fixable cancer”. It’s more than just a soap storyline, and he’s admitted the prognosis is not good.
Neighbours was appointment viewing back in the late Eighties and discussed in offices and playgrounds up and down the country. Even the royal family admitted to being fans, and growing up, I would watch religiously with my family – we even had the boardgame and annuals.
Like most fads, people eventually move on, but Neighbours was always there like a comfort blanket, waiting for you to switch on. Smith, as the fuddy-duddy teetotal vegetarian who wore huge glasses and played the tuba, remained for many years at the heart of it.
He first made his debut in 1987, but tragedy struck when his character was washed out to sea and presumed dead. Then, following a miraculous return in 1996 where it was revealed he had been living with amnesia, he remained on screen until 2009.
The rug was well and truly pulled out from under all of us when it was announced in 2022 that the show was being cancelled after almost four decades and again we all tuned in for what was billed as the final ever episode with all the beloved old characters, including Smith, returning for one last hurrah and it was like time had stood still.
I was excited when I was invited in May of this year to interview Smith following the news he was returning to the rebooted show as a series regular, but it’s crazy how much can change in just six months.
Despite being officially retired, it was clear just how thrilled he was to be back.
“I almost kissed them over the phone, I really did. I just said ‘yes!’” he laughed. “I’m the most fortunate elderly actor who is kept off the street and still using his brain and doing what he loves doing, it’s lovely.”
He even shared his hopes of returning to the UK, having previously trod the boards of the West End.
During his tenure, Harold’s romance with one true love Madge (Anne Charleston) was a focus of numerous plots while his rivalry with frenemy Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) – who nicknamed him “Jelly Belly” – added comedy.
If there’s one small area of comfort, it’s that Harold is set to be reunited with Madge onscreen once again, with Charleston confirmed to return for Smith’s final scenes – though in what capacity has not yet been revealed.
Madge was killed off in 2001, but briefly returned in 2015 and for the finale in 2022 as a figment of Harold’s imagination.
Harold was more than just a character on a TV show – he has been everyone’s neighbour for 30 years. He was there for us through the good times, the bad times and the sad times and just like the lyrics to the the theme song, “that’s when good neighbours become good friends.”
