Fans of Neighbours have been waiting for Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) to return to Ramsay Street, and that moment is almost here.
Susan and Karl Kennedy are thrilled that the former café owner and Erinsborough legend will return to his old haunts next week (Jackie Woodburne and Alan Fletcher).
For several of the inhabitants of the show, his presence couldn’t have come at a better time; Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone) in particular benefited from some good ol’ Harold wisdom.
As fans are aware, Mackenzie has been having a difficult time accepting the loss of her loving husband Hendrix Grayson (Ben Turland), who passed away as a result of his body rejecting the lung transplant he had previously undergone.
Grant, her father, came to take care of her, although the two had fought frequently.
The following week, they reach a compromise and agree to be more honest with one another, but when Sadie Rodwell (Emerald Chan) discovers some surprising Hendrix tapes, Grant tries to take over once more.
Wendy (Candice Leask) expresses her opinion, arguing that since Mackenzie is an adult, she should be able to decide for herself, but Grant sticks by his choice.
That is, until Wendy’s attitude is echoed by Toadie (Ryan Moloney) and Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cohen), at which point Grant realises he has been overly protective of his daughter.
When Karl and Susan return to Ramsay Street, they are astounded by how segregated Mackenzie is. They urge her to patch things up with her father, but Mack won’t, leaving the couple at a loss for what to do.
Harold comes in.
Harold catches Karl and Susan off guard, and it turns out that Mackenzie needs Harold more than anything.
The stalwart of the programme empathises with Mackenzie’s plight and confides in her about his own experience with bereavement. Mackenzie begins to feel strong for the first time in a long time as a result of his advice’s success.
But Zara Zelwyn (Freya Van Dyke), another Ramsay Street regular, is also in need of Harold’s counsel as she bemoans the unfairness of Toadie and Melanie’s engagement.
Harold doesn’t seem to be that excited about the development either, so her remarks must be having an impact.
Despite this, he declines to separate Melanie and Toadie as Zara requests, although he does agree to look at it further.
He will ask Amy Greenwood (Jacinta Stapleton) in later scenes about Melanie’s trustworthiness, and despite her personal emotions, Amy will speak favourably of Mel.
Will Amy’s glowing praise put an end to Harold’s scepticism about Mel? That remains to be seen, but nonetheless, we are eagerly anticipating Harold’s return to our televisions.
Prior to the final episode of Neighbours, it was initially confirmed in March that Harold will be joining a number of other well-known figures from the past.
Viewers are aware that Neighbours will end later this month after Channel 5 controversially decided to replace it with “original UK drama” that it believes has a “strong appeal” with viewers.
The final month of episodes will be must-see television and has been characterised as an on-air celebration of the show’s legacy.
