Mark Little returns to Neighbours as Joe Mangel after 17 years, as he pays a final farewell to the Aussie soap.
The actor, now 62, will join a video call from his Welsh home as he was unable to fly to Australia to film his cameo on set. The call will feature Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and Joe, who will discuss their concerns about Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowen). Harold and Joe are just two of a slew of former stars to return ahead of the final ever epsiode of the Aussie soap, which first aired in 1985. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return, as will now Hollywood star, Guy Pearce.
In 2020, it was announced that Mark now lives on a farm in Powys, and said on Twitter that he was "proud to be Welsh". He will return for the final time today, Friday July 15.
Read more: Why Joe Mangel from Neighbours is now living in a remote farmhouse in the middle of Wales
After the announcement that Mark Little had moved to Wales, he tweeted: "I have been way out of the loop. And what a loopy loop it is. We have moved HQ and have been finessing a magic acre in the wilderness. I have been as busy as a farmer.
"We are now Anarchists Of The Forest and proud to be Welsh."
The previously London-based star had a fantastic response when one Twitter user asked why he'd chosen Wales to settle.
"It chose us. We bought before the pandemic and spent six months of lockdown selling up and moving out. It has been torrid avoiding Covid and fascism...but we survive...a beautiful spot just south of lake Vyrnwy.
Mark added: "(The house) was in a state but we are making it pretty...lovely part of the world...far from the madding crowd...nice neighbours."
Little played Joe Mangel from 1988 to 1991, and reprised his role as part of the Neighbours' twentieth-anniversary celebrations. Fans fell in love with his depiction of Joe as a fun-loving gardener and construction worker.
After leaving Neighbours, hosted Channel 4's the Big Breakfast with Zoe Ball, and went on to win a Laurence Olivier Award in 2000 for his one-man show.
The future of Neighbours had been in doubt after Channel 5 confirmed it would stop airing the show in February. And in March the show’s Twitter account said: “We are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June.
“Following the loss of our key broadcast partner in the UK and despite an extensive search for alternative funding, we simply have no option but to rest the show. To our amazing, loyal fans, we know this is a huge disappointment, as it is to all of us on the team. We thank you for all your messages and support and promise to end the show on an incredible high. From here on, we are celebrating Neighbours.”
You can catch Joe Mangel return to Neighbours this evening (Friday July 15) and the final Neighbours episode will air on Channel 5 on Friday July 29.
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