Neighbours

Template:Infobox television

Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera, running daily episodes of 25 minutes, time excluding commercials. Originally aired on the Seven Network in Australia in 1985, it was shifted to Network Ten early in its life and has remained popular with its core teenage audience ever since. However, rival Australian soap Home and Away still consistently rates better in its home country and has done for over a decade now. The show was created by Reg Watson and is produced by his production company, Grundy Productions.

The series follows the daily lives of several families who live in the fictional Ramsay Street, Erinsborough - although in fact it is restricted to the small cul-de-sac of six houses at the end of the street - and includes the usual soap staples of births, deaths, and marriages. The show features a regular turnover of attractive young actors mixed in with the more stable cast of older people. Though it is not commonly mentioned so as to not alienate viewers in other Australian cities, Erinsborough (a pseudo-anagram of 'neighbours') is undoubtedly supposed to be a suburb of Melbourne. The show is filmed in Melbourne, and for street scenes uses Pine Oak Court in Vermont South, a suburb in eastern Melbourne. Erinsborough is often contrasted with the neighbouring, and equally fictitious, suburb of Eden Hills. Other locations often mentioned (and sometimes seen) in the show include West Waratah and Waratah Heights.

Many successful Australian actors and singers had some of their earliest work on Neighbours, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe (brief extra appearance), Natalie Imbruglia, Jason Donovan, Holly Valance, Mark Little, Delta Goodrem. Actor Alan Dale who had previously starred in The Young Doctors, played the central character of Jim Robinson for the show's first seven years and is now a recognisable star in US series such as 24 and The O.C.. One of the most enduring characters currently on the show is Harold Bishop, played by actor Ian Smith who has also written many of the scripts for the show.

Neighbours is currently celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2005.

Contents

1 Neighbours internationally 2 Storylines 3 Current characters 4 Past characters 5 Around Erinsborough 6 Seasons 7 Noteworthy episodes 8 See also 9 External links

Neighbours internationally

The show is also popular in the United Kingdom where it quickly gained a cult following after it began to be broadcast there in 1986. BBC One began by screening it at lunchtime, but it was soon given an early evening repeat slot by controller Michael Grade on the advice of his daughter. In the late 1980s it regularly had a UK audience in the tens of millions and was sometimes watched by more people than the population of Australia at that time. The episodes in the UK are now generally shown between one and three months after they are seen in Australia, as the BBC often removes the show from its schedule during major sports tournaments such as Wimbledon and bank holidays in order to take into account the fact that the show usually takes a four week break over the Christmas/New Year in Australia for the Southern Hemisphere summer.

The show has also been sold to networks in many other countries. Episodes from 1999 were aired for a six-week trial basis on the American channel Oxygen in March of 2004. At first, it was shown in the afternoon opposite higher-rated American soaps such as The Young and the Restless and All My Children, which gave the show anemic ratings from the first airing; the people who would be most interested in the show were watching other, more established serials. After a couple of weeks, the show moved to a late-night time slot and eventually left the air entirely. It was the sixth Australian soap opera to be aired in the United States (The Sullivans, Prisoner, Home and Away, Paradise Beach and Pacific Drive are the other five).

Storylines

In the beginning, the show mainly focused on two families, the Robinsons and the Ramsays (after whom "Ramsay Street" is named) who were as the name of the show suggests, neighbours. The show initially gained notoriety for its depiction of the teenage romance of Scott Robinson and Charlene Ramsay. Their Romeo and Juliet style romance culminated in a wedding was keenly anticipated by viewers and is still fondly regarded today as being one of the high points of the series. Another popular couple in the show's early days was the pairing of Des Clarke and Daphne Lawrence, a couple who also lived on Ramsay Street alongside the Ramsays and the Robinsons. Daphne's death in 1988 is still considered as one of the most emotional moments on the show.

Both the Ramsays and the Robinsons have been written out of the series with the sole exception of the Bishop family who are related to the Ramsays through the marriage of Harold Bishop to the late Madge Ramsay. Also, one of the original characters, Paul Robinson, made a return to the show in the final episode of 2004 and has become a recurring guest character in 2005. Today the show revolves around the Scully, Hoyland, Bishop and Timmins families, along with several other residents who live in Ramsay Street.

In the late 1990s, Neighbours gained the reputation as being a somewhat conservative soap with topics such as sex generally not being included in the storylines due to its early evening timeslot in Australia and the United Kingdom (Earlier storylines involving controversial topics such as incest and teenage sex were often censored by the BBC in the UK, which may account for the reluctance on the part of producers to depict controversial issues). In the past two years this has started to change, with the show now regularly featuring its teenage characters discussing issues such as sex and contraception in a manner which has not been seen on the show since the mid 1990s. Most recently, the show has depicted a lesbian storyline involving Sky Mangel and Lana Crawford. The character of Sindi Watts has also been involved in storylines involving stripping and more recently prostitution. The break up of long time married couple Karl and Susan Kennedy and soon after Joe and Lyn Scully has also been a great source of interest to viewers, especially since it has led to a long running storyline in which Izzy Hoyland duped Karl into believing that he was the father of her unborn child and is still continuing the charade today, despite the fact that she tragically miscarried in November 2004.

Current characters

Spoiler warning: This list is based on the Australian cast, and will sometimes reflect arrivals and departures which have not been broadcast in the UK.

These are the current main characters, who each appear in two or three episodes every week, apart from fairly rare breaks for the actors' other real life commitments. (The actors all get a month off at the same time for their main holidays). Most main characters feature for at least two years, but only a fairly small minority last for more than five years.

• Bishop family
  • Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) (1987-1991, 1996, 1997 onwards) - former coffee-shop owner (before it burned down), General Store co-owner, devout Christian, Salvation Army member, tuba player, slightly naïve, often comic relief, widower of the late Madge Bishop, father of David and Kerry Bishop, grandfather of Sky Mangel and Serena Bishop. Harold was given up for dead in 1991, when it was thought he had been washed out to sea. Five years later, however, in one of the show's less credible storylines, Harold reappeared in Erinsborough as a Salvation Army worker called Ted. Recently suffered a stroke, but has now recovered. However, the stroke brought out some elements of his personality which had been previously hidden from his loved ones and the audience. Runs "The General Store" with Lou Carpenter.
  • David Bishop (Kevin Harrington) (1988, 2003 onwards) - Harold's son and Serena's father. A dull individual, often too proud to ask for help. Recently lost much of the family's wealth on a poor business decision. He has a long running feud with Max Hoyland. Paul Robinson helped him become a councillor on the Erinsborough council, but he ended up being Paul's puppet. Eventually, Paul framed him for defrauding his charity, the "Helen Daniels Trust", but David managed to get off because the police messed up the search warrant. Unfortunately, Liljana left him for Paul Robinson. David, along with other Ramsay Street residents, managed to bring Paul Robinson down though, and prevented the construction of the Erinsborough Mall (which would have resulted in the destruction of Ramsay Street).
  • Liljana Bishop (nee Ristic) (Marcella Russo) (2003 onwards) - David's ethnic Serbian wife, who reads coffee beans. She got a liver transplant from her illegitimate long-lost son (adopted out at birth) and Serena's ex-boyfriend, Luka Dokich, Svetlanka's godson. During a trial seperation with David she started to develop feelings for Paul Robinson, and she then left David after he was arrested for fraud. She started openly seeing Paul Robinson, but since he has being exposed and was found almost dead in the forest, she doesn't really know whether she stil loves him.
  • Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher) (2003 onwards) - teenage daughter of David and Liljana. Was taken advantage of by an older photographer named Chris Cousins, who wanted to get nude pictures of her to put on the Internet. Went out with Stingray Timmins for a while, then started dating Luka Dokich, only to find out he was her half-brother. Had a short fling with Boyd Hoyland, but got back with Stingray, to whom she has lost her virginity. She went off the rails a little when her parents broke up, and even stole Dylan's car. She and Stingray have now broken up for a second time.
  • Sky Mangel (Miranda Fryer) (Stephanie McIntosh) (1988-1991, 2003 onwards) - Harold's teenage granddaughter, daughter of Joe Mangel (absent) and Kerry Bishop (deceased), ex-girlfriend of Boyd Hoyland, to whom she lost her virginity. Became best friends with Lana Crawford after they initially hated each other, and Sky helped Lana come out of the closet. She recently found out about Serena and Boyd's fling, and is really angry with Serena because of it. Developed a close personal friendship with Gabby Walker, because of the similarity she had with her mother. She and Boyd broke up after he found out she kissed Dylan. Dylan and her managed to find dirt on Affirmacon, the company who contaminated Lassiters Lake and want to build the Erinbrough Mall, and with the help of other residents managed to bring Affirmacon down.

• Scully family
  • Lynette "Lyn" Scully (nee O'Rourke) (Janet Andrewartha) (1999 onwards) - mildly neurotic hairdresser, works for Gino. Recently split up with her long-time husband, Joe. Mother of Steph, Jack, Flick, Michelle and Oscar. When Oscar was born, she got post-natal depression and even left Oscar alone in the car once. Has slight problems with shoplifting. Recently dated Andy Tanner, who left his wife for Lyn, but ended it shortly afterwards. Janelle and the other Timmins are currently living in her house with her. She was romantically involved with Bobby Hoyland, until she found out he had cheated on her with Susan.
  • Oscar Scully (Ingo Dammer-Smith) (2003 onwards) - infant son of Lyn and Joe Scully. His mother had post-natal depression when he was born, but she got over it after a while.
  • Harvey the Dog (2000 onwards) - The Scully's family dog.

• Timmins / Rebecchi family
  • Janelle Timmins (nee Rebecchi) (Nell Feeney) (2004, 2005 onwards) - Dylan and Stingray's mother from Colac, and Big Kev's sister. A bitter, lazy woman who used to make money from injury scams. Trying to provide for a family of six children on her own, since her husband left her. Is currently Lyn's apprentice at The Salon, and is living with Lyn. Had a small fling with Bobby Hoyland.
  • Dylan Timmins (Damien Bodie) (2005 onwards) - Stingray's brother. Was formerly a high-school dropout in juvenile detention. Now released and trying to reform himself, he is constantly being put down by his mother. Dylan is currently repeating year 12, and is also doing part time work for Paul Robinson. It is not known what that work is, but it seems to be something illegal. Paul convinced him to set up his friend Roo to be arrested by the cops in an attempted robbery of "Scarlet Bar". He is trying to hook up with Sky, and even caused Sky and Boyd to break up. When hee and Sky tried to save some animals that had been poisoned in the contaminated Lassiters lake, he then got poisoned himself, and is now succeptable to cancer and other ailments. After some help from Paul Robinson, he and Sky, with the help of other residents, managed to bring down Affirmacon.
  • Janae Timmins (Eliza Taylor-Cotter) (2005 onwards) - Janelle's daughter, Dylan and Stingray's younger sister, older sister of Bree, ex-girlfriend of Mike Pill, nemises of Serena Bishop. She is very flirtatious, and in her own opinion, "Janae Timmins is a dead set hottie." She stole Shazza's boyfriend, Mike. She then met up with Chris Cousens who spiked her drink and tried to take advantage of her, but Scott, Dylan and Bree arrived in the nick of time to help her. Mike pressured her into having unprotected sex with him, and she dumped him shortly afterwards. Is now trying to crack onto Boyd. She is undergoing councilling sessions with Karl Kennedy.
  • Briana "Bree" Timmins (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) (2005 onwards) - The youngest of the Timmins children. She seems like a sweet little girl, but she is actually very sneaky and helps Janae in her schemes. She really enjoys reading. Her mother makes her very nervous, and causes her to vomit. She came first place in the Erinsborough High spelling bee, and is now competing in the next few rounds of the spelling bee.
  • Scott "Stingray" Timmins (Ben Nicholas) (2004 onwards) - teenage cousin of Toadfish, and "favourite" son of Janelle Timmins. Diagnosed with ADHD. Boyfriend of Serena Bishop. Has 5 brothers and 4 sisters, including Dylan Timmins. Used to go out with a girl named Shazza, who he lost his virginity to, but soon broke up with her. Had split up with Serena for a while, but has now got back together with her, but broke up with her again after Boyd and Sky broke up, because he had found about Serena and Boyd's fling.
  • Jarrod "Toadfish" (or "Toadie") Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) (1995 onwards) - sometime tearaway, now a respectable lawyer and part-time wrestler called "The Lawman", current co-host of the wrestling show "Choke-Hold" with Connor. Was married to Dee Bliss (for about twenty minutes, before she went missing after their car careened off a cliff after the ceremony, presumed drowned), ex-boyfriend of Sindi Watts. Is currently dating Eva, who is a wrestler, primary school teacher and jazz singer, in a long distance relationship.

• Hoyland family
  • Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) (2002 onwards) - father of two, married to Steph (not mother of Summer and Boyd), son of Bobby and Rosie Hoyland. His first wife died several years ago, leaving him to raise Summer and Boyd by himself. Former co-owner of the pub "Lou's Place" (with Lou Carpenter), before it burnt down. Co-owner of "Scarlet Bar" with his sister Izzy. Was working on the Oil Rigs for a temporary period but returned after being told of Boyd's condition. His father Bobby recently returned to see Max and Izzy, and Max didn't want anything to do with him, but after he decided to accept him, Bobby ran away again. He and Steph have applied for adoption, and are going to adopt a baby off a young girl named Kayla, who has moved in with the Hoylands.
  • Stephanie "Steph" Hoyland (nee Scully) (Emma Roche) (Carla Bonner) (1999 onwards) - 20-something mechanic and biker chick, overcame cancer and is married to Max Hoyland. Daughter of Lyn. Was undergoing IVF treatment with Max, but it failed. Was found guilty of the murder of her biological grandfather Charlie Cassidy (although innocent), but was given a suspended sentence. She managed to appeal her verdict with some money given to her by Bobby, and therefore was able to apply for adoption.
  • Summer Hoyland (Marisa Siketa) (2002 onwards) - precocious 14 year old daughter of Max. Used to date a kid named Declan for a while, until her friend Lisa stole him off her. She then started going out with a rich kid named Caleb, but broke up with him afterwards. She is good friends with Bree and Lisa, and came second in the Erinsborough High spelling bee.
  • Boyd Hoyland (Kyal Marsh) (2002 onwards) - teenage son of Max, skater and ex-boyfriend of Sky Mangel, to whom he lost his virginity in 2004. Had a dispute with a guy named Travis Dean about space to put up posters, which resulted in Travis threatening Boyd's family. He was up a grade, but flunked his year 12 exams and got a job at a gym. At the gym he was convinced to take human growth hormone and suffered the side effects. Was mistakenly diagnosed as having Adolescent Schizophrenia but the symptoms were due to a large frontal lobe brain tumour. This was removed but surgery was complicated by an asystolic cardiac arrest responding to adrenaline and CPR. He was in a coma, but woke up after his grandfather came to see him. He broke up with Sky after he found out she kissed Dylan while he was in a coma. The teenage representative on Neighbours' current male pin up list.
  • Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaithe) (2003 onwards) - sister of Max, ex-business partner of Harold Bishop in the coffee shop, co-owner of "Scarlett Bar" with Max. She moved in with Karl Kennedy after he broke up with Susan and for a long period claimed (falsely) that Karl is the father of her unborn baby. Has also had affairs with Jack Scully and Gus Cleary, who is the biological father of her unborn child. She is no longer pregnant, owing to a miscarriage. Recently broke up with Karl, due to an affair with Paul Robinson, but got back together with him shortly afterwards. Darcy Tyler, who knows the secret about her baby and was put into a coma by Izzy, has woken up, but luckily for her has know memory of the incident.

• Other
  • Louis "Lou" Carpenter (Tom Oliver) (1988, 1991 onwards) - businessman, sometime mayor, widower, Dungeons and Dragons player, former co-owner of the pub "Lou's Place" (with Max Hoyland) before it burnt down, co-owner of "The General Store" with Harold Bishop and owner of the garage "Carpenter's Mechanics" Has a long-standing chalk-and-cheese friendship with Harold Bishop. He went to jail but was later released after an appeal hearing conducted by lawyer Toadfish Rebecchi.
  • Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough) (2001 onwards) - friend of Toadfish. Former mechanic. Lost everything when fleeced by a cult, now a police officer, now in relationship with Sindi Watts. One of Neighbours current pin ups. He was temporarily blind after rescuing Sindi from an explosion in the Lassiters Complex which destroyed Lou's Place, The Coffee Shop and several other buildings, but got his eyesight back after a $50000 operation. Engaged to Sindi Watts after she proposed to him at the Scarlett Bar.
  • Connor O'Neill (Patrick Harvey) (2002 onwards) - Young, slightly naïve, Irish immigrant, works at "Scarlett Bar", co-host of the wrestling show "Choke-hold" with Toadie. Romantically linked with Michelle Scully, but had an affair with Lori Lee while Michelle was abroad. Has one daughter, Maddy, with Lori Lee, whom he rarely sees. Was in a realtionship with Carmella Carmenetti, who was recently stalked by her bodyguard Frank, but she ended it after the stalking incident.
  • Sindi Watts (Marisa Warrington) (2002, 2003, 2004 onwards) - Sister of Penny Watts. She's interested in star signs. Used to date crime boss Rocco Cammineti, and then cheated on him with Toadie. Now in relationship with Stuart Parker, and recently returned to stripping to pay for an eye operation for Stuart. After a couple of nights she even turned to prostitution, and won a bet with her client to get the money without doing the deed. Unfortunately, she gave the money away, but then Paul Robinson's "Helen Daniel Trust" raised the money for Stuart's operation. Used to work at Carmella's magazine, but got fired and now works as a barmaid at "Scarlett Bar". She proposed to Stuart Parker and he accepted
  • Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) (1994 onwards) - doctor and frustrated would-be rock star. His thirty-year marriage to Susan hit the rocks after he became friendly with Izzy Hoyland, eventually leaving Susan for her. Nearly died from a heart attack after breaking up with Izzy, and then got back together with her a few weeks later. Went to Africa for a month to work for Médecins Sans Frontiéres, and has recently came back. The middle-aged representative on Neighbours current male pin-up list.
  • Susan Smith (previously Kennedy) (Jackie Woodburne) (1994 onwards) - Ex wife of Karl, mother to Malcolm, Libby and Billy, grandmother to Ben, English teacher and previously headteacher. After the break up with Karl, she was in a relationship with a former priest named Tom Scully, but he ended the relationship. She had to euthanaise her mother when she was younger, and the only two people she has told about this are Brett Stark and Lyn Scully. She is currently romantically involved with Bobby Hoyland, but eventually found out about his indiscretions with Janelle and Lyn.
  • Dahl the Galah (1994 onwards) - originally belonged to Brett Stark, when he left, he gave it to Libby to look after and it has lived in the Kennedy house ever since. However when Karl used to lived in the house, Dahl sometimes made him angry.
  • Casserole "Cassie" the Sheep (1995 onwards)
  • Audrey the Dog (2002 onwards) - originally owned by Libby Kennedy, named after Audrey Hepburn. Ran away a while ago only to be found when Mal Kennedy accidently ran her over. She survived, and now lives with Libby's mother Susan.
  • Bob the dog (1997 onwards) - originally belonged to Sarah Beaumont. When she asked for him to join her in her new home abroad, they duped her by sending a lookalike in his place.

• Guest characters

Guest characters on Neighbours are played by actors who do not have a long term contract to appear (almost) every week. These can range from single episode appearances, to two or three month stints of weekly appearances, to intermittent appearances over several years. Unlike main characters, they do not appear in the opening titles. The list shows some guest characters who appeared in many episodes in 2004 and 2005.

• • Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) (1985-1993, 2004 onwards) - Sneaky businessman, son of Jim Robinson. Was married to Terri Inglis (who murdered someone and then shot Paul), Gail Lewis (who he married for a business deal before true love blossomed) and finally Christina Allesi. Had eventually fled to Brazil on fraud charges. Returned to Ramsay Street in 2004. Had an affair with Izzy Hoyland, and stole Liljana Bishop from David. Is now believed to have caused the Lassiters Explosion and murdered Gus Cleary, and to have framed David for fraud. The only person who knows about these secrets is Izzy, although David believes that Paul is the one who framed him. He worked for a company called Affirmacon, who want to build a mall where Ramsay Street is, and contaminated Lassiters Lake to aid in the construction. He tried to bring down Affirmacon, but his buisness partner, Tony Corbett, found out about it, and when his thugs tried to kill him, Paul accidently fell off a cliff running away from them. He survived, and was found by Dylan and Sky after almost drowning in a lake.
  • Tony Corbett (Robert Morgan) (2005) - Paul's business partner, and an employee of Affirmacon. He wants to build a mall in place of Ramsay Street. When he found out about Paul's betrayal, he kidnapped him and took him out to the forest, where his thugs tried to kill Paul, but Paul ran off and then accidently ran off a cliff.
  • Kayla Thomas (Virginia Ryan) (2005) - A teenage, homeless pregannt girl that wants Max and Steph to adopt her baby. When they found out about how bad her refuge was, they let her stay at their place, but she is very worried about it, since it is against the rules of the adoption agency.
  • Darcy Tyler (Mark Raffety) (2001-2003, 2004, 2005) - Susan's nephew and former doctor and business partner of Karl. He was sent to prison after stealing from Susan. He got out of jail on day release, where he discovered the Izzy's baby wasn't Karl's. He confronted Izzy and tried to get her to tell the tuth, but she accidently pushed him down some stairs and put him in a coma, and framed him for robbery in the process. He has now woken up, but luckily for Izzy he doesn't remember anything that happened.

Past characters

There is a separate article about past Neighbours characters.

Around Erinsborough

Apart from Ramsay Street, there are many other places inside and around the fictional suburb of Erinsborough that have been in Neighbours, including:

• Lassiter's Complex: Lassiter's Complex is the most common set used in Neighbours besides Ramsay Street, and has been a regular occurrence since 1986. When Neighbours switched from the Seven Network to Network Ten, the producers decided to convert an old set from the shortlived 1981 series Holiday Island into the Lassiter's Complex. The Lassiter's Complex includes:
  • The General Store: The General Store is a Cafe/Post Office, that is owned by Lou Carpenter and Harold Bishop. It was originally owned by Daphne Lawrence under the name "Daphne's". Throughout it's time it has had many other owners as well, including Madge Bishop and Isabelle Hoyland, and has also gone by the names "The Hungry Bite", "The Holy Roll" and the "Coffee Shop". In the 2004 Season finale, Lou's Place was caught on fire and it and "The Coffee Shop" burnt down. Harold and Isabelle ended their partnership, and he started a partnership with Lou. They got the Coffee Shop rebuilt, and renamed it "The General Store".
  • Scarlett Bar: Scarlett Bar is a Bar/Restaurant owned by Max and Isabelle Hoyland. it has previously been "The Waterhole", "Chez Chez" and "Lou's Place", and has had such owners as Paul Robinson, Lou Carpenter and Cheryl Stark. In 2004 it was set on fire and burnt to the ground. Max ended his partnership with Lou and started a partnership with his sister Izzy, and they got "Lou's Place" rebuilt. Max originally wanted to call it "Max's", but Izzy decided to change the name to "Scarlett Bar" at the last minute.
  • Lassiter's Hotel: Lassiter's Hotel was originally owned by Jack Lassiter. Rosemary Daniels and the Daniels/Robinson Corporation then bought the Erinsborough branch, and is currently owned by Lambert Industries. It has had such employees as Felicity Scully, Paul Robinson, Toadfish Rebbechi, Melanie Pearson, Christina Allesi and Taj Coppin. Lassiter's Hotel also has branches in Darwin, London, Montana and New York.
  • Erinsborough Medical Centre: Erinsborough Medical Centre used to be Paul's office at Lassiter's Hotel, but was then bought by Karl Kennedy and converted into a medical centre. As of 2003 the legal firm "Tim Collins and Associates" has shared the building with the medical centre. It was burnt down in the fire in 2004, and hasn't been rebuilt yet.
  • A Good Hair Day: "A Good Hair Day" is a salon owned by Gino D'Esposito. It has had such employees as Felicity Scully, Lyn Scully and Janelle Timmins.

• Erinsborough High School: Erinsborough High School is Erinsborough and West Warratah's high school, in which many teenage residents have attended, as well as teachers including Dorothy Burke, Lisa Elliott, Tess Bell, Evan Hancock, Libby Kennedy, Susan Smith and Paul Robinson. The current principle is Candace Barkham, and previous principals have been Dorothy Burke and Susan Smith. The school is also occasionally used for community events, such as the Serbian Youth Night.

• Erinsborough Hospital: Erinsborough Hospital is where the residents of Erinsborough go to if they need major medical attention. Residents who have worked there include Pam Willis, Dee Bliss, Darcy Tyler and Karl Kennedy

• Grease Monkeys: Grease Monkeys is Erinsborough's fast food restaurant, in which many of the younger members of the cast, dine regulary. It was originally owned by Madge and Harold Bishop and former employees include Felicity Scully, Tad Reeves and Sky Mangel.

• Carpenter's Mechanics: Carpenter's Mechanics is a garage in which the residents take their cars if they need mechanical attention. It was originally owned by Lou Carpenter and Ben Atkins, since then Drew Kirk bought into the business and Stuart Parker and Steph Scully have both worked there.

• Eden Hills: Eden Hills is the rich suburb near Erinsborough. It contains an expensive private school, Eden Hills Grammar and Eden Hills University.

• West Warratah: West Warratah is a poor suburb near Erinsborough.

• Ansons Corner: Ansons Corner is another suburb near Erinsborough.

Seasons

• 1985: 1985 was the first year Neighbours aired, and was the only season to be shown on the Seven Network. 1985 focussed mainly on the Robinson and Ramsay families, as well as a few other residents such as Des Clarke and Daphne Lawrence. Some notable storylines in this year was Maria Ramsay revealing to her husband Max that Danny was not his real son, and Paul Robinson's wife Terri murdering Charles Durnham, and then shooting him. There were no character arrivals in 1985, but Maria Ramsay and Julie Robinson left the show about halfway through the season.

• 1986: After the Seven Network axed Neighbours in 1985, Network Ten picked the series. Some major changes were made at the start of 1986 to revitalise the show. Darius Perkins, who played Scott Robinson, was recast with Jason Donovan, and new characters like Madge Ramsay, Charlene Ramsay, Clive Gibbons and Mike Young were added. Des and Daphne got married, and later on Mrs. Mangel and Jane Harris arrived.

• 1987: The most memorable moment of 1987 would without a doubt be the wedding of Scott Robinson and Charlene Ramsay. 1987 was also the arrival of Harold Bishop, one of Neighbours' most famous characters, as well as Daphne Clark giving birth to her son Jamie. Other arrivals to the show in 1987 were Gail Lewis, Henry Ramsay and the return of Lucy Robinson (now played by Sascha Close), as well as the departures of Clive Gibbons and Shane Ramsay.

• 1988: 1988 had the first death of a major cast member, when Daphne Clark died of a car accident and uttered the words "I love you too Clarky" to her husband Des. Harold and Madge finally got married as well, in a wedding that deeply angered Mrs. Mangel. Some major character arrivals this year were Bronwyn Davies, Sharon Davies, Todd Landers, Katie Landers and Joe Mangel, and it also saw the departure of Charlene Ramsay.

• 1989: This season started off with Joe Mangel ex-wife Noelene arriving to claim custody of his son Toby, but after a feirce battle Joe gets custody of him. Harold's daughter Kerry Bishop and her daughter Sky arrives, and Joe Mangel and Kerry get married. Scott Robinson leaves to be with Charlene, and Todd Landers cheats on his girlfriend Melissa with new girl Cody Willis.

• 1990: 1990 saw the death of Kerry Bishop in a duck hunting accident, as well as the arrival of the rest of the Willis family. 1990 had massive cast changes throughout the year, with the arrival of Caroline Alessi, Christina Alessi, Josh Anderson, Dorothy Burke, Glen Donnelly, Ryan McLachlan and the Willises, as well as the departures of Kerry Bishop, Des Clarke, Bronwyn Davies, Sharon Davies and Beverly Robinson.

• 1991: In 1991 Paul Robinson got married to his third wife, Christina Allessi, and they had a child named Andrew. Dorothy Burke's husband Colin Burke arrives, but cheats on her with Rosemary Daniels. Adam Willis and Cody Willis both left, and were then replaced by their older siblings Gaby and Brad. Harold Bishop also disappeared and was presumed dead, and shortly after Lou Carpenter arrived to move in on Madge.

• 1992: This year saw the death of Todd Landers after he was hit by a bus while trying to stop his girlfriend Pheobe from having an abortion. New families the Martins and the Allesis arrived in Erinborough as well, as well as the departure of Paul Robinson on fraud charges.

• 1993: 1993 is often seen as one of the darkest and most dramatic seasons of Neighbours. Micheal Martin tries to make his step-mother Julie Robinson's life a living hell, including drugging her and almost drowning her, and is then sent off to a detention centre. Long running character Jim Robinson died of a heart attack, and his girlfriend Fiona Hartman then stole all his money and fled Erinsborough.

• 1994: The Willis family left in 1994, and were replaced by the Kennedy family. Julie Robinson also died from falling of a tower at the "Murder Mystery Weekend". In the season finale Mark Gottlieb jilted Annalise Hartman at the alter and announced he had decided to become a preist.

• 1995: 1995 is seen as one of the worst season's in Neighbours' history, with most of the fans finding the storylines very dull. That said, the season still had some memorable moments, including Susan Kennedy confessing to Brett Stark that she performed euthanaisia on her mother when she was younger.

• 1996: Many fans herald 1996 as a new beginning for Neighbours, with the departures of many longrunning characters and the return of Harold Bishop, who was presumed dead, and his wife Madge. 1996 also saw the arrival of the Wilkinson family, and the death of Cody Willis and Cheryl Stark.

• 1997: Helen Daniels, the longest serving cast member on Neighbours and the last original resident on the street, died in 1997 in her sleep. Ruth Wilkinson's son Ben Atkins had a crash in the season finale, and Karl Kennedy cheated on Susan with Sarah Beaumont.

• 1998: The most memorable moment of 1998 would most proabably be when Susan Kennedy found out about Karl's affair and slapped him. 1998 was also the arrival of Joel Samuels and Drew Kirk, and the departure of the Atkins family.

• 1999: 1999 saw the departure of one of the most long running families, the Martin family, who were replaced by the Scully Family. Sarah Beaumont also got married to Peter Hannay and left Erinsborough, and the season ended with a Millennium Party where the Scully House caught on fire.

• 2000: 2000 had some of the least amount of cast changes in the whole series, with the only arrivals being Dione Bliss and Darcy Tyler, and the only departures being Amy Greenwood, Bill Kennedy and Anne Wilkinson. Tad discovered he was adopted, and found his real mother just before she died. A mess up in the schedule meant the proper season finale (involving Joe Scully being caught in a fire) was aired two weeks beforehand, and the season finale ended up being a normal, mediocre episode.

• 2001: Another new family arrived this season, the Hancocks, and Madge Bishop died of pancreatic cancer. Libby Kennedy became pregnant, and gave birth to her baby in the season finale.

• 2002: The Hancock family left after being in the show for less than a year, and were shortly replaced by the Hoyland family. Steph Scully got engaged to Marc Lambert, but he cheated on her with her sister Flick, and then stood her up at the alter. 2002 saw many cast changes, with the arrivals of Taj Coppin, Boyd Hoyland, Max Hoyland, Rosie Hoyland, Summer Hoyland, Lori Lee, Connor O'Neill, Stuart Parker, Jack Scully and Nina Tucker, and the departures of Elly Conway, Emily Hancock, Evan Hancock, Leo Hancock, Maggie Hancock, Matthew Hancock, Drew Kirk, Tad Reeves, Joel Samuels and Felicity Scully.

• 2003: 2003 would be most remembered for the death of Dee Bliss on her and Toadie's wedding day. Darcy Tyler was also arrested for robbing the Kennedys, Jack Scully and Nina Tucker had an affair, and Lyn Scully gave birth to her fifth child, Oscar. At the end of this season the Bishop family arrived, as well as the return of Sky Mangel.

• 2004: 2004 is considered by many to be one of Neighbours' best seasons, with many solid storylines and lots of guest stints by past characters, such as Darcy Tyler, Darren Stark, Michelle Scully, Nina Tucker and Mal Kennedy. Libby also returned to the main cast, but then left about six months afterwards. 2004 also had very few cast changes, with the only new characters being Scott "Stingray" Timmins and Sindi Watts, and the only departures being Joe Scully, Taj Coppin and Jack Scully.

Noteworthy episodes

Please note: All dates are the original Australian airdates.

• 1985 - The first episode involving Des Clarke's bachelor party. (Episode 1)
• 1985 - Paul Robinson being shot by his first wife Terri after he found out she had murdered someone. (Episode 167-168)

• 1986 - Clive Gibbons doing an emergency tracheotomy on Lucy Robinson after she was stung by a wasp.
• 1986 - Clive Gibbons' Christmas dream after being knocked out at a Boxing match. (Episode 400)

• 1987 - Charlene and Scott's wedding with cameo appearance by Angry Anderson. (Episode 523)

• 1988 - Daphne waking from her coma and uttering the immortal line "I love you too, Clarkey" to her husband Des, before dying of her injuries. (Episode 690)

• 1989 - Madge Bishop and Harold Bishop winning the Lottery. (Episode 1113)

• 1990 - Bouncer the Dog dreams of marrying his canine sweetheart Rosie.
• 1990 - Kerry Bishop getting shot by a duck hunter. (Episode 1285-1286)

• 1991 - Harold Bishop disappearing off a cliff into the ocean. (Episode 1520)

• 1992 - Todd Landers hit by a car and killed as he rushed to stop his pregnant girlfriend Pheobe from having an abortion. (Episode 1721-1722)

• 1993 - Jim Robinson's Heart Attack and death. (Episode 1904)
• 1993 - Brad Willis and Beth Brennan's first attempt at a wedding is cancelled when everyone learns of Brad's affair with Lauren Carpenter. (Episode 1919)
• 1993 - The Waterhole explosion. (Episode 1950)
• 1993 - Brad Willis and Beth Brennan getting married in secret and then lying about it to avoid dissapointing their friends and family. They were then married for a second time. (Episode 2068)

• 1994 - Julie Martin falling off a tower and dying during the Murder Mystery Weekend. (Episode 2242)
• 1994 - Mark Gottlieb jilting Annalise Hartman at the altar and telling her that he has decided to become a priest. (Episode 2290)

• 1995 - Mark Gottlieb discovering Lucy Robinson working as a go-go dancer. (Episode 2358)
• 1995 - Susan confessing to Brett Stark, whilst in Africa, that she performed Euthanasia on her mother. (Episode 2528)

• 1996 - Cody Willis being shot by drug dealers. (Episode 2571)
• 1996 - Cheryl Stark getting knocked over by a car and Karl Kennedy giving her the wrong injection which killed her. (Episode 2710-2711)
• 1996 - Helen discovering Harold Bishop alive when he had been presumed dead for five years. (Episode 2733)

• 1997 - Helen Daniels dying in her sleep after twelve years on the show. (Episode 2965)
• 1997 - Ben Atkins race car crashing and bursting into flames. (Episode 2995)

• 1998 - Susan slapping Karl after finding out about his affair with Sarah Beaumont. (Episode 3110)
• 1998 - Joel Samuels' leg being trapped under a ute, with the water level rapidly rising around him. (Episode 3220)

• 1999 - Sarah Beaumont's wedding to Peter Hannay, in which her and Karl share one last passionate kiss. (Episode 3347)
• 1999 - The Scully house catching fire at the Millennium Eve party, with Lolly Carpenter trapped inside. (Episode 3445)

• 2000 - Steph Scully and Libby Kennedy having a serious accident on Steph's motorcycle. (Episode 3558)
• 2000 - Joe Scully delivering a baby in his Taxi whilist he and his pregnant passenger are trapped in a bushfire. (Episode 3670)

• 2001 - Drew Kirk and Libby Kennedy's scottish themed wedding. (Episode 3708)
• 2001 - Madge Bishop's death, after suffering from pancreatic cancer. (Episode 3740)
• 2001 - Whilst being trapped in a stable in Oakey, Libby Kennedy going into labour with Ben. (Episode 3920)

• 2002 - Rosie Hoyland's church catching fire, with her and Lou Carpenter trapped inside. (Episode 3999)
• 2002 - Steph Scully being jilted at the altar by Marc Lambert and realising that it was because Marc loved her sister Flick Scully. (Episode 4007-4008)
• 2002 - Drew Kirk's death, after being thrown from a horse. (Episode 4091)

• 2003 - Darcy Tyler gets arrested for robbing the Kennedys and knocking over a pregnant Lyn Scully. (Episode 4247)
• 2003 - Dee Rebecchi (nee Bliss) disappearing off a cliff after her wedding. (Episode 4293)

• 2004 - Susan Kennedy exploding at Karl Kennedy after she found out he and Izzy Hoyland were having a baby, and the rest of the street witnessing it. (Episode 4502 - "Publish and be Damned")
• 2004 - The Lassiter's explosion, in which the Coffee Shop, Lou's Place and the Doctors Surgery were all destroyed and Paul Robinson's return to the show during the chaos of the explosion. (Episode 4630 - "The End of an Era")

• 2005 - Steph Hoyland is incriminated for the death of her grandfather, Charlie Cassidy. (Episode 4635 - "Rites and Wrongs")
• 2005 - Susan Smith (formerly Kennedy) confesses to Lyn Scully that she killed her mother, a plot point not brought up since 1996. (Episode 4634 - "Lasting Impressions")
• 2005 - Boyd Hoyland is believed to have murdered the father of Izzy's baby, Gus Cleary. (Episode 4644 - "Frisky Business")
• 2005 - Izzy finally pushes Karl to breaking point - Karl almost dies from a heart attack on a lonely country road, but is taken to hospital and survives. (Episode 4678 - "Arrested Development")
• 2005 - Boyd Hoyland is diagnosed with a big brain tumour. (Episode 4702 - "Karmacoma")
• 2005 - Paul Robinson is exposed and the destruction of Ramsay Street is avoided. (Episode 4744 - "Eau de Nouvelle Voiture" / Episode 4745 - "Civil Disobedience")
• 2005 - Darcy Tyler finally wakes up from his coma. (Episode 4747 - "Eyes Wide Open")

See also

• List of Australian television series

External links

• official Australian page (http://www.neighbours.com/) - minimal content
• BBC Neighbours website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/neighbours) - effectively the main official site
• The Perfect Blend (http://www.perfectblend.net/) - Extensive Neighbours fan site (interviews, biographies, reviews and much more)
• Neighboursfans.com (http://www.neighboursfans.com/forum/index.php) - the largest Neighbours discussion board
• Neighbours Message Board (http://www.neighboursboard.co.uk/) - hosted by The Perfect Blend
• Neighbours Worldwide Fanpages (http://www.ramsay-street.co.uk/)
• Template:Imdb title
• Neighbours Online (http://www.idris-c.com/Neighbours/)

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Neighbours is also the title of a 1952 Academy Award-winning short film by the National Film Board of Canada using the technique known as pixilation.de:Neighbours fr:Les Voisins nl:Neighbours