Orla Newstead
Ramsay Street has been a familiar place on screen for Australians and Brits for nearly 40 years. It has served us some unforgettable moments: from Charlene and Scott’s wedding, to affairs, and even a plane crash, Neighbours will hold a place in many peoples’ hearts after the series concludes this summer. In celebration of the show, Orla Newstead takes a look at the stars who made a name for themselves on the show.
Neighbours has been a stepping-stone for so many Australian stars to break into mainstream success. Perhaps a couple of the earliest stars to rise from the show in its golden age are the actors Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. They portrayed Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson who fall for each other despite the long-standing feud between their two families, essentially situating themselves as a modern Romeo and Juliet with a perm and mullet.
Since leaving the show, Kylie Minogue has had a glowing music career. We cannot forget the iconic tune ‘Especially for You’ that she released with Jason Donovan during their relationship that developed during their time on the show. Following this Neighbours success, she has had seven number one albums since 1988. She has not dabbled in as many acting roles as Jason Donovan but she certainly has a more successful music career. Despite this, Donovan’s acting career has taken him all over the world. As well as being successful on screen, he has performed on stage including starring in the drag sensation Priscilla, Queen of the Desert which toured the UK from 2013-2014.
Speaking of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Guy Pearce (who starred in the 1994 film) came to prominence playing Mike Young, a friend of Donovan’s character, Scott. Pearce left the show in 1989 to pursue more challenging roles and this was a career master stroke. From Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000) to The King’s Speech (2010), Pearce’s career has been a mosaic of blockbusters.
Fast forward a few years – or maybe twenty – the show continued to allow stars to blossom. One of the more contemporary actors is the incredible Margot Robbie who portrayed Donna Freedman. With a three year tenure on the show, her character received the full Neighbours experience, even having a wedding (albeit not quite as iconic as the Robinsons’)!
It is Neighbours’ ageless nature that had allowed it to survive in such a competitive television market for so long
With the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, weekly television has suffered. It is Neighbours’ ageless nature that had allowed it to survive in such a competitive television market for so long. I, like so many others, will miss Ramsay Street.
Orla Newstead
Featured image courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article trailer courtesy of HD Retro Trailers via Youtube.com. No changes were made to this video.
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