Veteran actor Alan Fletcher, who has almost three decades of Neighbours experience, is the third longest-serving performer in Australian soap opera history.
The 65-year-old actor is thinking about a dramatic career move following the poignant finale of the long-running programme last week, in which viewers bid farewell to the residents of Ramsay Street after 37 years on television.
Since 1994, Fletcher has played Dr. Karl Kennedy on Magic Radio’s Breakfast Show. He said: “Now that Neighbours is over, I’m thinking about actually getting into medicine.”
The TV personality, who was born in Perth, said he had always made an effort to maintain his private life apart from his public character, but he was now having a change of heart.
He joked, “I religiously don’t give medical advise while I’ve been on Neighbours because I’m genuinely frightened about the government following me down.”
It follows the announcement of Ryan Moloney, Fletcher’s co-star who has portrayed Jarrod “Toadie” Rebecchi on the programme since 1995, about his own significant departure from television.
The 42-year-old actor stated that he intended to transition into a modest tradesman after finishing his run on Neighbours.
According to Moloney, “I’m not ruling anything out.” I’m enrolled in a civil construction course that involves operating excavators and constructing roads.
I enjoy playing with those kinds of machines, Moloney continued. I enjoy performing earthworks and other manual labor-intensive tasks.
That’s where I am right now, but who knows how it will all turn out?
Last week’s emotional finale of Neighbours, which lasted 37 years and 8903 episodes, marked the show’s end.
The show’s most well-known alumni, Margot Robbie, as well as Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Holly Valance, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem, and other prominent Australian actors and musicians returned for the nostalgic episode.
The final episode was watched by up to 3 million viewers in the UK and around 900,000 in Australia.
After the UK network Channel 5 decided to end its contract, Australian production company Fremantle media failed to find a new broadcast partner, leading to the announcement that Neighbours will be cancelled in March.
The majority of the production cost had been paid for by Channel 5.
