Neighbours has been a stalwart in soap history since its inception in 1985, launching the careers of some of the biggest stars in the world, from Jason Donovan to Kylie Minogue.
The Australian show became the only television programme in the country to run all year round, spanning across a whopping 5,955 episodes. Now, the show is set to come to an end after it has failed to renew with any new broadcasters, after Channel 5 dropped the programme from its list.
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The show first aired on Australia's Seven Network, but was dropped four months later with low ratings, reports Birmingham Live. It then moved to Network Ten, and several characters were reeled in to garner views, including a certain Charlene Mitchell who was played by the one and only Kylie Minogue.
So, what became of the original Neighbours cast? Read on below to find out more.
Des Clarke - Paul Keane
In the first ever episode of Neighbours, Des was introduced to Ramsay Street as a man on his stag do, as he prepared to marry fiance Lorraine Kingham.
However, things took a sharp turn as he was drawn in by the stripper who was hired for the event. Des later eventually married stripper-turned-wife Daphne, and married in 1986. He left the soap in 1990, but returned for the Neighbours 35 year anniversary.
In his normal life, Paul didn't handle famous life well, and battled with a strong drug addiction for over a decade. After leaving the soap and rehabilitating, Paul began to work a normal job in a pub, and left acting altogether.
Jim Robinson - Alan Dale
Alan played the role of Jim Robinson for a whopping 860 episodes from the initial beginnings of Neighbours, until Jim died on-screen from a heart attack in 1993. He struggled to find acting jobs at first after leaving the soap, but found success over in the States after taking acting classes later on in his 50's.
Alan has since performed in some of the biggest series, such as Lost, 24, Ugly Betty, and even appeared in huge movies like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Star Trek and Nemesis.
Helen Daniels - Anne Haddy
Anne played the mother-in-law of Jim and grandmother of Paul Robinson. Anne remained on Neighbours long after Jim's on-screen death, and only left the show once she passed away in real life.
Anne holds the title of the second longest-serving character on the soap after Paul. Anne was forced to quit the role of Helen due to ill health, after deciding the best ending for her character was for Helen to be killed off.
Anne later died at home in Melbourne from a kidney related disease on June 6, 1999, aged just 68. Her final episode broadcast later that day in the UK on BBC One, with a dedication to the actress in the credits.
Paul Robinson - Stefan Dennis
Stefan is the only character on the show that has remained on Neighbours the whole time during its period on screen. He did take a break from the show in 1990, but returned in 2004 and has been on ever since.
Stefan has previously enjoyed roles on The Bill, Casualty and Dream Team but is known worldwide for his portrayal as Paul. He is the stalwart in the show that has been involved in some of the biggest plotlines in Neighbours.
Daphne Lawrence - Elaine Smith
Daphne later became the on-screen wife of Des Clarke in Neighbours - Elaine remained in the soap for three years before the character died after being injured in a car accident.
Scottish actress Elaine was the first character to give birth in Ramsay Street, and also became the first on-screen character to die. Elaine returned to university in 2017 after her ending on Neighbours to get a degree in teaching, and began work as a drama and primary school in Sydney.
Shane Ramsay - Peter O'Brien
Shane was best known as the love rival and villain to Des, as he dated Daphne first - he was also Paul Robinsons best friend. Shane continued on in the soap for two years, and was involved in two plotlines that ended in car crashes, with one resulting in a manslaughter charge.
At the end of his run on the show, Paul left the programme as his character left Ramsay Street to travel around Australia - with his uncle Tom moving to Ramsay Street with his wife Madge and stepdaughter Charlene.
Paul appeared in a few iconic series, such as Gossip Girl and Queer as Folk. Other appearances also include Doctor Who, Casualty and The Bill.
Max Ramsay - Francis Bell
Max was the father of Shane and Danny and the husband of Maria. The patriarch of the Ramsay family, Ramsay Street was even named after Max's grandfather.
In 1986, Max's contract was not renewed after 190 episodes and he was forced to quit the show abruptly. Sadly, Francis battled depression for a few years following this, and died in 1994.
Julie Robinson - Julie Mullins
Julie was originally played by actress Vicki Blanche however she left the role after just seven months. The character returned after actress Julie Mullins was cast in the role.
Julie the Neighbours character was best known for her nosey tendencies, and gossipy nature, and is the half sister of Paul and stepdaughter of Jim.
In 1994, actress Julie Mullins saw her character killed off in a tragic murder mystery weekend after her body was found at the bottom of a staircase.
After leaving the show, Julie returned to Ireland and now works in theatre and is a writer.
Scott Robinson - Darius Perkins
Scott is the son of Jim and the brother of Paul and Julie. Darius originally played the role of Scott in 1985 but the role was recast when Neighbours moved to Network Ten.
Jason Donovan then was cast in the role - not a half-bad upgrade, right? The episode featuring Scott and Charlene's wedding achieved the highest ever ratings for Neighbours and attracted 19.6 million viewers when it was aired in the UK.
Darius went to the dark side after he left Neighbours, being cast as Gary Samuels in rival Australian soap Home and Away. However, it was built bridges when he returned to Neighbours in a small capacity in 2014.
Darius later passed away in 2019 after a battle with cancer.
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