Neighbours says goodbye with final photo as filming finishes after 37 years

Neighbours cast and crew members have said goodbye to Ramsay Street after 37 years, with producers sharing a farewell photo after wrapping on the last scene.

The soap opera, which first aired in Australia in 1985 before coming to the UK the following year, will air its final episodes in August after being axed earlier this year.

A photo from the last day on the Neighbours set shows fan-favourite characters including Karl and Susan Kennedy, Paul Robinson and Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi.

While Scott and Charlene Robinson – Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue – are not featured in the picture, they are set to appear in the final episodes after being confirmed to return along with several other old Erinsborough faces. Their wedding in 1987 remains one of the soap’s most famous scenes, with millions tuning in to see the couple saying “I do”.

Although the series has lost viewers in recent years, it has always been a favourite in the UK as the sunnier Australian cousin of its British counterparts.

The show’s executive producer Jason Herbison said tears were shed after filming finished.

“We all knew this day was coming but until we were here in this moment when the very last scene was filmed, it was hard to express how we would all feel,” he said.

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“Of course, it is sad and tears were shed, but we’re also enormously proud. Thirty-seven years is an incredible achievement and that should be celebrated.

“We’ve also been incredibly touched by the response from our viewers all over the world. Neighbours is more than a TV show to many people. They see us as part of the family and we feel privileged to have been invited into their homes, and I know the legacy of Neighbours will live on for many years.”

Dr Karl Kennedy star Alan Fletcher – the show’s longest-serving actor – told Sky News in a recent interview that saying goodbye would be emotional.

Who else is set to appear in the final episodes?

Neighbours has followed the lives of those living and working in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough – and helped launch the careers of stars including Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe, Natalie Imbruglia, Guy Pearce, Liam Hemsworth, Holly Valance and of course, Minogue and Donovan.

Memento star Pearce, who started his career playing Mike Young in the soap, is among the returning actors reprising roles for the finale, and shared photos reuniting with the cast and crew in recent days.

Peter O’Brien, who appeared in the show’s first episode as Shane Ramsay, Ian Smith as Harold Bishop – a character who famously came back from the dead – comedian Mark Little as Joe Mangel and Paul Keane, who played Des Clarke, are also among the 1980s cast members returning.

Stars from the 1990s include Daniel MacPherson (Joel Samuels), Benjamin McNair (Malcolm Kennedy), Melissa Bell (Lucy Robinson) and Lesley Baker (Angie Rebecchi).

Among those returning from the Noughties era are Chris Milligan (Kyle Canning), Morgan Baker (Callum Rebecchi) and James Mason (Chris Pappas) – as well as Natalie Bassingthwaighte as Izzy Hoyland, who famously had an affair with Dr Karl.

Pippa Black who played Elle Robinson and her on-screen brother Jordan Patrick Smith, who played Andrew Robinson, will also return.

From the show’s latest era, Olympia Valance returns as Paige Smith alongside Jodi Anasta as Elly Conway, Zoe Cramond who played Amy Williams and Kate Kendall as Lauren Turner.

Ben Hall as Ned Willis, Olivia Junkeer as Yashvi Rebecchi and Zima Anderson as Roxy Willis will also appear.

It was announced earlier this year that Neighbours would cease production in June after failing to secure new funding since being dropped by its broadcaster.

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