Neighbours Finale Review

Neighbours is one of Australia’s most recognisable TV shows. It was a pop culture phenomenon beyond its shores, particularly within the UK. After 37 years, Neighbours has come to an end and gets a nostalgic-filled send-off.

Times are changing at Ramsay Street. Many of Ramsay Street’s residences are selling up and moving out, leaving the Kennedys behind. Lassiters is also up for sale and Paul plans to move to New York. There is also time for celebrations because Toadie and Melanie are about to get married, and many former residents return to Erinsborough.

Neighbours was a show that has drawn in generations of TV audiences. I was a viewer in the noughties and the show was at the height of its popularity in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I have a personal connection to the soap because my great aunt played Mrs. Mangel. The finale was made as a celebration of the show’s history, iconic characters, and famous actors. The Kennedys, Toadie, and Paul Robinson were given a lot of attention in the finale, more so than newer characters. The Kennedys were given the role of acting as Ramsay Street’s historians, Toadie’s getting married, and Paul was conflicted about his relationship with Terese.

The finale’s mission to pay tribute to the past had a boost by bringing back Guy Pearce as Mike Young. Pearce started his career on Neighbours and became a successful actor in Hollywood after appearing on the show. It was a coup for the series to get Pearce back for a prominent role in the final episodes. His storyline involved his relationship with Jane Harris, his girlfriend back in the ’80s and they rekindle their relationship. But there was a big issue for them, Jane was already in a relationship.

Bringing back Pearce did give the Neighbours finale some star power, but it served another purpose. His role and storyline gave older fans something to hook on to.  Many older fans would have tuned into the finale even though they haven’t watched the soap in years. It’s what I did.  Older fans can see a conclusion to their story, and their appearance allowed for flashbacks and bring back iconic characters who were long gone, like Mrs. Mangel.

The soap’s heydays were also highlighted by the return of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. They played famous characters and they were given a grand entry when they arrived back on Ramsay Street. The finale built up to the reunite between Paul, Mike, Jane, Charlene, and Scott.

Other eras of Neighbours were referenced and there were many cameos in this sent-off. The most published was Margot Robbie since she has become one of the most successful actors who appeared in the soap. Many of the cameos were done as a video message. Robbie is busy making the Barbie movie so unable to fly down to Melbourne. It was still lovely to see Kym Valentine, Carla Bonner, and Delta Goodrum reappear and reprise their roles that I grew up knowing. There were even more cameos, including characters I didn’t recognise but others will.

Natalie Imbruglia and Holly Valance had a prominent cameo because they had a scene together and talked about growing up on Ramsay Street. They had a cross-generational connection. Although Imbruglia’s character did point out she never knew Toadie but still sent a video message to the bloke.

Even characters who had died had a cameo. Whilst other characters reappeared in clips and photos, like the aforementioned Mrs. Mangel, Hilary Robinson, and fan favourite Bouncer the dog.

Neighbours had a reputation for being a feel-good soap. It was set in the sunny suburbs of Melbourne and was about the community of Ramsay Street. There was rarely any darkness. The finale reflected this because the wedding was wonderfully cheesy as characters gathered around Toadie and Melanie and said words that described their relationship. There was a fun comedy moment when Harold Bishop had to use a hosepipe to break up a fight. The final scenes showed the residents, old and new celebrating together.

The finale was made for the fans. The episode concluded with a message saying thank you for watching over the years. It is sad for fans to see Neighbours end; they can be happy the soap got a fitting conclusion.