Since they have been coworkers for almost 30 years, Alan Fletcher, 65, refers to Jackie Woodburne, 66, as his “dearest friend.” The Neighbours actor opened up exclusively to Express.co.uk about their friendship off-screen.
Fans of Neighbours had a lot of emotions last week when the final episodes of the show appeared on Friday.
When asked by Express.co.uk what he would miss most about the Neighbours set, Alan left a very touching message for his closest coworker.
Working relationships, I believe, more than anything else, Alan said.
“I mean, aside from Jackie Woodburn, who is obviously the nicest and dearest friend and with whom we have adored collaborating,
We have a wonderful friendship both on and off the screen.
“The cast and crew were like one huge family; we laughed nonstop and watched out for one another.
We’ll continue to communicate, but things won’t be the same.
We won’t ever see each other as frequently as we used to.
Alan also talked about his feelings on giving up his Doctor Karl identity.
“I would frequently fly over to the UK to perform in pantomimes, band tours, and other events. I’ve always been busy as a result.
But now that Neighbours is over, I’ll be doing the UK leg of the Doctor Karl tour, and perhaps again in 2023.
In addition, I’ll be performing at numerous festivals and playing a lot of music.
Therefore, I predict that I’ll be quite busy this year!
Alan will now devote all of his attention to his Doctor Karl tour and his musical endeavours.
Alyce Platt, a former Neighbours co-star, and Alan collaborated on a brand-new duet, “Sorry Is The Word,” for his latest song.
Speaking about the song, he said: “Sorry Is The Word’ originated from my own life experience, like a lot of songs.
“I have discovered over time that so much grief and wasted chances are caused by pride and an unwillingness to accept responsibility and apologise.”
In addition to coming back in September for his Doctor Karl tour, Alan was thrilled to be visiting the UK last month for his music tour dates.
I’ve missed out, he gushed. To film three episodes of Neighbours in the UK in March 2020, Jackie Woodburn and I were supposed to travel over.
“I was also planning to go on my Doctor Karl tour, but three days before our flight was scheduled, our firm cancelled it owing to Covid.
“The UK is like a second home to me, so I haven’t left the country since, and I can’t wait to come home!”
