The wedding of Scott and Charlene was televised to almost 20 million viewers in the UK in November 1988, some 18 months after it was broadcast in Australia, and this is perhaps when Neighbours fever peaked.
Now that Australia’s longest-running soap opera is nearing its end, Ramsay Street’s most adored couple is sending viewers into a frenzy of anticipation.
The 90-minute finale’s details are being kept under wraps, but one “secret” was just too fantastic to keep: 34 years after saying farewell, Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue will reunite on the street.
The two recently returned to the Nunawading studio, where the show has been filmed since 1986, and they shared photos from their visit on Monday (following its move to 10 after a year on Seven).
Donovan tweeted, “So nice to be back with this absolute icon.” “Final scenes with Scott and Charlene.”
Having reconciled, Minogue wrote on Instagram.
A short while later, 10 posted a few further pictures of the couple in a tender embrace, with Charlene, who was once a mechanic, clad in her vintage dungarees and a house in the backdrop bearing a real estate agent’s sign on the front. Has it been purchased by Australia’s beloveds?
It’s important to note that only one house in Pin Oak Court, where Ramsay Street actually is, is up for sale right now, and it’s not the one visible in the backdrop of these pictures.
One fan wrote on Twitter, “Love that Charlene’s last appearance for Neighbours is the same, albeit a somewhat more sophisticated outfit, as her first moment for Neighbours where she was wearing head to toe denim.”
Despite being much anticipated, even the cast and crew were kept in the dark about the couple’s participation in the conclusion. A person involved in the production claims that they were only revealed as visitors a few hours before they showed up to shoot a few scenes. They left after a few of hours. Was everything a dream?
It’s believed that Guy Pearce also recorded a scene for the show’s conclusion. It is unknown if any of the other well-known graduates, such as Margot Robbie, Craig McLachlan, Brooke Satchwell, and Delta Goodrem, will attend.
Jason Herbison, the executive producer of the show, acknowledges feeling the pressure that comes with creating a conclusion deserving of such a significant place in the Australian television landscape.
When this masthead visited the set for the final episode’s filming, he explained that the goal was to “first and foremost, it’s about finishing up the narratives and the characters in a satisfying way.” Second, it’s about what extra we could do to make the 37-year-old programme feel like a fitting conclusion.
Herbison assures that the conclusion they have developed will be “quite warm, very joyous.” That doesn’t mean, though, that it won’t also pay homage to some of the more bizarre episodes of the programme, which have included dreams, doppelgängers, explosions, and, of course, weddings.
It’s like Neighbours, I’ll just say that, Herbison concludes. “We are a show that occasionally gets away with stuff other shows maybe haven’t.
“I did consider what small thing we could do at the conclusion that could be memorable and in keeping with some of the slightly absurd things we’ve done over the years. That’s how you should phrase it.
