HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEIGHBOURS - MY MEMORIES

As I am currently listening to this afternoon BBC Radio 2's show with Scott Mills to celebrate the 36 years of Neighbours, it got me thinking about the memories I have of watching the show so I thought why not wrote a blog on it.

Neighbours is a show for me that I remember being on in the background as I would visit my grandparents throughout my childhood but it wasn't until 2013/ 2014, I started to watch properly so I thought I would share with you my memories.

Neighbours was created by Reg Watson airing for the first time in Australia on 18th March, 1985.

Neighbours has featured has some of the most iconic characters in Susan, and Karl Kennedy to Paul Robinson, alongside Charlene and Scott Robinson, to finally the incredible characters that were Harold and Madge Bishop.

One of the very first memories, I always think of when I think of Neighbours would be the 30th Anniversary back in 2015 which saw Delta Goodrem return to perform as part of their festival line up that is one moments.

Everyone has their favourite family, but mine are the Turners/ Smith as everything about their setup and the dynamics of the characters were something that I loved. Lauren, Amber, Matt, Paige, who made up the Turners, alongside the Willis' made up of Brad, Terese, Josh, Imogen, Ned, and Piper - through watching this families we saw many brilliant scenes and especially with my favourite throughout the years with Amber and Josh, and Piper and Tyler Brennan.

Back in June 2014, viewers saw Paige Novak arrive who was on the hunt of her biological parents - Lauren Carpenter and Brad Willis which made for some amazing viewing. Paige went on to marry Policeman, Mark Brennan back in March 2020 following her proposing to him a wedding expo where they married as another couple had pulled out.

Paige was a character that I really enjoyed hearing the character development off over the years she was on the show.

As much as I would shout at my screen during the episodes, Finn Kelly's time on Ramsay Street gave for some incredible viewing through his time on the show especially back in 2020 as 35th anniversary episode week.

But, 2021 has seen me becoming hooked once again on the show thanks to the Nicolette Stone, David Tanaka, brother and sister, Aaron and Chloe Brennan storyline with Nicolette's surrogacy that has seen many twists and turns that you won't be expecting especially if you watch on Australia time you will know what I mean (I won't spoil) but it gets even more complicated!

As I rewatched scenes recently, I have to mention how much I loved Flick Scully played by Holly Valance, as she was one of those characters that was feisty and was never afraid to stand up for what she wanted. Steph Scully played by Carla Bonner is someone that has had many big storylines during her time which saw her do all of her storylines with such honesty, and purity that would often leave the viewers with a mix of emotions which is something that is a credit to her acting ability. However, in 2018 when she left for good I was emotional as she was one of the those characters that always had you wanting more, and that wasn't going to happen anymore.

Toadie is one of those characters that is still in the show which has seen him go through much of a tough time throughout his years, but one of my saddest for him was when his wife, Sonya died from cancer in some of the most heart-breaking scenes back in 2019.

In 1988, 20 million tuned in to watch the wedding of Charlene and Scott played by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donavon which was one of those moments that will stick out for many fans of the show.

Finally, I can't end this blog without mentioning my favourite songs by the Neighbours cast past and present; Natalie Imbruglia with Torn which was released back in 1997 that gave me one of my favourite songs fro my childhood that I still love to date as much as I love another in Delta Goodrem with Born To Try that is the one song that inspires me, and keeps me on track when I am having a down day. However, you cannot forget the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Holly Valance, and most recently, Bonnie Anderson who won Australia's Masked Singer in 2020. 

You can watch Neighbours on Channel 5 at 1.45pm and 5.30pm weekdays.