We revisit the other noteworthy episodes from Neighbours’ nearly 39-year run as the sitcom marks its 9000th episode on Monday.
Next week, in the 9000th episode, Aaron (Matt Wilson) decides that the only way Chelsea (Viva Bianca) can really determine if she is on the right path is to take her on a tour around Erinsborough, specifically a “Paul Robinson Greatest Hits” tour. This is while Chelsea continues to solidify her place in Paul’s (Stefan Dennis) life.
Appearing in episode 1, which aired in Australia on March 18, 1985, Paul is the sole surviving character who was present from the beginning. He’s still very much in the spotlight some 39 years later.
Aaron gives Paul a sobering insight into his evil past during the tour of Erinsborough.
Concurrently, Isla (Hana Abe-Tucker) endures hardships following the death of David (Takaya Honda) and persistently longs for her cherished grandfather. Hannah Monson’s character Nicolette expresses anxiety, but Remi (Naomi Rukavina) argues that she might be requesting Paul because she knows David.
Meanwhile, there’s a very real chance that Toadie (Ryan Moloney) and Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) are getting closer to the line that shouldn’t be crossed as a result of their ongoing rift, which is pushing Toadie in the direction of his ex-wife Melanie (Lucinda Cowden).
Similar to Home and Away, Neighbours doesn’t always celebrate reaching its “thousand” episode milestone. That’s not to argue that long-term viewers haven’t had one or two standout episodes that they find particularly memorable.
The show has always used a climax technique, with multiple stories being piqued in one episode. Its core has been Neighbours in more recent years; it’s funny, nostalgic, and sometimes even thought-provoking.
Back to the Bay revisits its past “thousand episode milestones” as it heads towards its upcoming big.
Episode 1 (July 7, 1989)
Des (Paul Keane) and Jane (Annie Jones) gathered with Henry (Craig McLachlan) and Bronwyn (Rachel Friend) to celebrate their engagement after the passing of his beloved Daphne (Elaine Smith). A third pair, Kerry (Linda Hartley-Clark) and Joe (Mark Little), joined the other two as the celebration got underway and declared they were also getting married.
As Matt (Ashley Paske) was ready to return to Adelaide, Hilary (Anne Scott-Pendlebury) was confronted with the possibility that she would lose him. He gave her two choices: either she came to terms with his identity and accepted it, or he would leave Erinsborough.
Conceding, Hilary declared that Matt was actually her son, Matthew Robinson, and not the son of her friend.
Episode Number Ten (September 10, 1993)
Helen (Anne Haddy) celebrated her birthday with a number of her loved ones at the newly remodelled Waterhole.
Her two grandkids, Lucy (Melissa Bell) and Paul, were returning in this episode of Neighbours, which demonstrated the true nature of good neighbours. In addition, it resolved a number of unresolved issues, such as Julie Mullins’ and Ian Rawlings’ reconciliation after their marriage had been in disarray for some years.
Somewhere, after being caught up in the gas explosion at the Lassiters complex, Stephen (Lochie Daddo) astonished his wife Phoebe (Simone Robertson) by getting out of his wheelchair and walking.
The third episode (January 23, 1998)
Following the events of the cliffhanger in November of the previous year, in which Karl (Alan Fletcher) kissed Sarah (Nicola Charles) and Ben (Brett Cousins) was involved in a terrible car wreck, the 3000th episode aired at the end of the return week in 1998.
While Anne (Brooke Satchwell) and Caitlin (Emily Milburn) spoke through their feelings for Billy (Jesse Spencer) and made the decision to draw a line in the sand, Hannah (Rebecca Ritters), Toadie, and Lance (Andrew Bibby) started a bidding war between Lou (Tom Oliver) and Madge (Anne Charleston) over a jukebox.
Karl and Sarah are devastated when Susan (Jackie Woodburne) tells her friends how fortunate she is to have a spouse like Karl as she gets ready to depart for her new position as the principle of a high school in Wangaratta.
The fourth episode (May 10, 2002)
After the five-member Hancock family bid farewell in the last episode, Mal (Benji McNair), who had bought No. 32 from them, got into a fight with his father Karl.
Mal was first confused to discover that Karl, who resided in the UK with his wife Catherine (Radha Mitchell), despised the fact that he never saw his kid anymore and was envious of his success in life at such a young age.
Though Steph (Carla Bonner) was getting ready for her wedding to Marc Lambert (David Karakai), she was not aware that Marc was infatuated with her sister Felicity (Holly Valance).
A fire broke out while Lou and Rosie (Maggie Millar) were trapped in her church. Felicity ran in to save the two from the burning vestry as they fought through the smoke.
Episode 5000: “Five Thousand and Counting” (30 June 2006)
As the show entered the Fun Bus era, this was the only milestone episode with a title. Paul finds himself at the mercy of his crazy son Robert (Adam Hunter), who had imprisoned him in a mineshaft that had been abandoned.
Robert taunted him and then started to blow up the mineshaft surrounding him. Fearing for Robert’s safety, Katya (Dichen Lachman) sent Elle (Pippa Black) and Gail (Fiona Corke) looking locate the campsite where Paul and Robert were rumoured to be.
Zeke (Matthew Werkmeister) discovered that Karl and Susan were gradually falling back in love, while Janelle (Nell Feeney) was surprised to learn that Sky (Stephanie McIntosh) was expecting a child and that her son Dylan (Damien Bodie) was the father.
The 6000th episode (August 27, 2010)
The major plot of 2010 began with Episode 6000, which is arguably the most memorable of the “thousand episodes.”
The Monday episode, 5996, began a countdown, and viewers were greeted with a title card that said, “You’ve watched the families of Ramsay Street for 25 years.” They have always supported one another, even if they have lied and loved one another. This is the run-up to the moment that will completely destroy one family.
True to form, Paul had used a variety of deceit and cunning to win himself a lot of enemies in and around Erinsborough. As the show progressed, talking about Paul’s lies became more and more important. At the end of the thirty-minute segment, Paul was thrown off the hotel’s mezzanine.
Who promoted PR, was the query that was put forth? The identity wasn’t made public until October, despite the abundance of possible offenders.
7000th episode (October 24, 2014)
After winning $7000 on a scratchie that his son Mal had given him for his birthday, Karl was ecstatic. The only issue was that Karl noticed the ticket was missing after boasting about his victory. Colette Mann’s character Sheila started looking for the ticket in the hopes of finding it before Karl, therefore it was a race to the finish.
Meanwhile, Toadie and his wife Sonya (Eve Morey) adopted a lifestyle that was unfamiliar to them—nudinism—in an effort to attract potential clientele. Toadie is eventually compelled to acknowledge that they aren’t genuinely naturalists, having led the clientele to believe that it is their way of life.
Not too long after, Karl too discovered himself in the nuddy, looking for the lost scratchie. When the clients leave, Toadie discovers a letter saying, “Your wife is not who you think she is,” in his mailbox. Sonya has a drug problem. addiction to gambling. alcoholic.
8000th episode (December 21, 2018)
After meeting Valerie Grundy (Patti Newton), an old neighbour who lives in the enigmatic No. 34, Aaron (Matt Wilson) and David tell Piper (Mavournee Hazel) about their encounter. Piper wants to interview Valerie for a celebratory vlog now that she has 8,000 followers.
Regretfully, Valerie is discovered dead in her armchair the next morning. When Valerie’s neighbours on Ramsay Street went to box up her things, they discovered she was a hoarder and possessed a number of artefacts from the Street’s past.
Elsewhere, Ned (Ben Hall) discovered about Bea’s (Bonnie Anderson) history as a busker, and Leo (Tim Kano) found himself instantly captivated by Sydney crime princess Delaney Renshaw (Ella Newton).
With 9000 episodes produced, the next major milestone for the show is quickly approaching.
When the show’s 2022 return was announced, it was revealed that Fremantle had signed a two-year contract with Amazon. Given that the show debuted in September 2023, it is almost a given that it will commemorate its 40th anniversary in March 2025!
