Neighbours star Ryan Moloney reveals the unusual way he was told about the show's revival
It's coming back next year
Last updated 18th Nov 2022
Fans were delighted yesterday when it was announced that Neighbours had been revived by Amazon's Freevee, months after it was axed due to low viewing figures.
Now, with the confirmation that the newly revived series will see the return of fan favourites Paul Robinson (played by Stefan Dennis), Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), Toadfish (Ryan Moloney), and Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne), Ryan has revealed the unusual way he was told the show would be returning.
Opening up to Australian show TV Tonight, the actor, who has been on the show since 1995, explained: "Last Friday, Jason, the producer came to our house - the four of our houses - and just said ‘Hey, look, Neighbours is coming back. Do you want to come back?’ I was like ‘Uhhh…..yes!’"
He went on to confirm: "It’s Alan, Jackie, Stefan and myself who are locked into to start on it. I don’t know who’s going to come back.
"I think it’s also an opportunity to create some new cast members as well, tell new stories and make things as diverse as possible. I think it’s an amazing opportunity, really, for that."
Although it has not yet been confirmed how many episodes of the new series there will be, Ryan did confirm it was full time employment continuing: "Amazing things happen, but we don’t really know any of the details. It’s so new. I don’t even know if they’ve actually know if they’ve got the street.
"I think there’s only maybe three people who knew, in Production.
"But Jason (Herbison) never gave up on on trying to get it happening. I think that’s probably just a general ethos of our show. When COVID hit the ethos was ‘We’ve got to find a way to keep this going’ and we did, and now we’ve done it again."
When quizzed on how he thought the plot would continue, after the famous last episode which saw Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Natalie Imbruglia and Margot Robbie returning to reprise their roles, Ryan said: "Anything’s possible really. We could pick up from that day or a pick up from a couple of years down the line. Knowing Toadie’s luck…. but I want to work with Lucinda (Cowden, aka ‘Melanie’) again!
"It’s going to be a very exciting time for Neighbours and for the fans and thank you so much for all the love that everyone has been feeling for us. Even over this time, there were people who never gave up hope. I think it will be nice to say, ‘We were right!’"
He added: "And I’m so glad that we didn’t blow up the street!"
Neighbours will return in the second half of 2023 on Amazon Freevee.
Now take a look through TV shows we'd like to see back on TV:
SM:TV Live
Our Saturday mornings were made better with three hours of sketches, competitions and cartoons brought to us by a fresh-faced Cat Deeley and Ant and Dec. Remember the "Chums" sketch? Or Wonky Donkey!
Gladiators
Watching pro athletes battle contestants in an epic 'survival of the fittest' was awesome TV. Plus with characters named like Wolf, Storm and Pather, how could it lose?
Footballers' Wives
Broadcasting between 2002-2006, Footballers' Wives followed fictional Premier League football club Earls Park, as well as all of the drama from both the players and their fiery wives!
Friends
It's the question we've all been asking for the last 10 years, but in 2020 all six members of the Friends cast reunited! Thankfully we will get a fresh take on the series soon as the main six cast members are reuniting for a one-off special to look back at the show, although it's been postponed due to the Coronavirus.
Bad Girls
Set inside a fictional women's prison, Bad Girls aired on ITV between 1996-2006 and featured some very famous faces, including Claire King and Debra Stephenson.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
She was confident, funny, magical AND she had a talking cat. Sabrina made us all want to be a witch!
Ugly Betty
Believe it or not, it's been a massive 10 years since Ugly Betty last aired on our screens! The show, which featured actress America Ferrera, followed a character called Betty Suarez, who despite her lack of 'style', landed a job at a very prestigious fashion magazine.
Where The Heart Is
The British drama, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families.
It's a Knockout
It was stupid, it was crazy, but it was certainly fun! It's a Knockout started way back in 1966, but the show made a number of returns on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Although all episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are now on Netflix, we'd love to see Will Smith get back into his character alongside Carlton Banks.
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn't quite take off!
The Queen's Nose
Who would have thought that rubbing a 50p coin would be so interesting? We used to love watching the adventures of Harmony as she used up her magic wishes.
Fun House
We used to love watching two schools battle each other in three rounds of madness. Bring back the gunge and Pat Sharp's crazy hairstyles!
Grange Hill
Despite being at school all day, we loved to come home and watch other people be at school. Strange. But gripping story lines and relatable characters had us glued to our screens.
Now read:
Neighbours SAVED with new series announced for 2023
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan open up about returning to Neighbours ahead of finale airing
Fans notice there are TWO versions of the Neighbours finale and aren't happy