Summary

  • The last episode of Neighbours is being broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK - an hour-long grand finale

  • The Australian TV soap ran for some 37 years, clocking up nearly 9,000 episodes

  • Former stars of the show including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce are returning to say goodbye

  • Minogue, who played Charlene Robinson from 1986 to 1988, recently told Australia's Today Extra that returning was "lovely and emotional"

  • Donovan, who played Charlene's boyfriend then husband Scott Robinson, said the show "changed how a lot of people viewed Australians"

  • The final episode will also feature cast members from the early era of the show including Peter O'Brien, who appeared in the first programme as Shane Ramsay

  • The show's executive producer Jason Herbison said since the news of the show ending was revealed, audiences have "come out and given us a big group hug"

Live Reporting

  1. And that is the end

    Cast members of the final Neighbours episodeEPA

    Cast members pose for a photo during the filming of the final Neighbours episode

    And, so after an extensive list of credits, that is the end of Neighbours.

    An emotional and uplifting episode to finish off.

    That is all from us. Thank you for joining us for this moment of TV history. We hope we became good friends.

    Thanks to TV commentator Emma Bullimore for her contributions.

    This live coverage was brought to you by Dulcie Lee, George Wright, Doug Faulkner and Alex Kleiderman.

  2. So many loose ends tied up

    Simon Atkinson
    BBC News in Melbourne

    No big explosion killing everyone off. No scandal set to tear a hole in the community.

    But - whether wishful thinking from fans or serious consideration from TV producers - there’s a question floating around in Australia since the finale aired here… Might that not be the end after all?

    Well, bosses at the Australian broadcaster say they are “optimistic” it could return “in some form” - perhaps buoyed by the viewing figures for the farewell.

    “I still cling to the slim, optimistic hope that would be possible because there’s great appetite for content everywhere,” Beverley McGarvey, executive vice president of Paramount Australia and New Zealand told Melbourne’s Herald Sun.

    And I guess it could be done. The set is being pulled down. The actors are looking for other work. But the street location is going nowhere.

    Ultimately it’ll be down to cash - the reason it was axed was nobody wanted to pay for it.

    But with so many loose ends tied up, that does appear to be it.

  3. Goodbye Neighbours

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Toadie and Melanie kiss at their weddingFreemantle

    So with a wave to the camera, a nod to Bouncer and a rogue balloon, that’s all folks.

    “Thank you for loving us. We love you,” is the message on screen.

    No, it’s just something in my eye.

    That was surely the perfect ending for fans - no explosions or tram crashes, just nostalgia, happy endings and familiar faces.

    It would have been nice if someone had remembered to write more dialogue for Kylie and Jason, or given them a bigger storyline - but you can’t have it all.

    And the message was clear: it’s not just about the break-out superstars, this show has been a family of hundreds over the years, and one that will be sorely missed.

    Bye bye Neighbours: you became such good friends.

  4. Coming to the end

    We're approaching the end with an emotional tribute from Susan as she walks trough the street and reminisces.

    She ends by saying "together we have been the perfect blend" in a nod to the theme song.

  5. Welling up yet?

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Susan looks somewhat forlornly into the middle distanceFreemantle

    After a few more seconds of Kylie and Jason being woefully underused, we’re ready for Susan to write her entry in Harold’s book - the big, sentimental moment to wrap up 37 years of TV gold.

    It’s perfectly pitched, with a nod to those no longer with us (look, there’s Madge sitting contentedly next to her beloved Harold), and Susan declares: "Together we have been the perfect blend."

    There’s champagne and hugs, and if you’re not welling up then your heart is officially made of stone.

  6. Charlene, Scott, Mike and Jane meet up

    Now we get a quick reunion between Charlene and Scott and Mike and Jane.

    A moment for the fans.

  7. Final part of Neighbours coming up

    And we are into the final ad break ever for Neighbours on Channel 5.

    We hope you have your tissues at the ready...

  8. Robbie and Goodrem enter the fray

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Cue montage! Some of Toadie and Melanie’s old neighbours have sent video messages for their wedding.

    This is the moment we’ve been waiting for: Margot Robbie, Delta Goodrem, Mark Little and new BFFs Natalie and Holly all send their love, sitting in various hotel rooms around the world, probably with their publicists just out of shot.

    It’s such an emotional sight that the newlyweds even agree to take their house off the market and stay in Erinsborough, without even discussing it first!

    I look forward to tomorrow’s headlines about an Aussie property crash.

  9. It's becoming a love fest

    After Paul and Terese make up, Mike and Jane are continuing to talk things out and now the younger couples are all agreeing to stay in Erinsborough as well.

  10. Nobody wants to leave Erinsborough

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Paul and Terese smile into the cameraFreemantle

    It’s terrible news for their estate agent, but everyone else is delighted: Paul and Terese are staying, and nobody wants to leave Erinsborough now.

    It’s like the end of a Disney movie, but without a ridiculously catchy song for your children to torture you with.

  11. Kylie and Jason return

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    As Jane and Mike ride off into the sunset together, we hear the familiar strains of 80s number one Especially for You, as a green Mini pulls up on Ramsay Street.

    It turns out Scott and Charlene love listening to themselves on the radio - perhaps James Corden is hiding in the back.

    “Home sweet home,” says Kylie as she stares at the empty street.

    Awkwardly nobody is there to greet them, so Charlene coyly runs over to an open window suggesting she’s going to break in.

    It’s not the scene I would have written for them, but we’ll go with it… The main thing is that love’s young dream has gone the distance, even if Kylie and Jason’s off-screen romance did not make it into the 1990s.

  12. Paul and Terese have a moment

    After an awkward moment at the wedding Paul and Terese make it up on a bench as they tell each other they love the other.

    She says she is willing to accept his (many) flaws.

  13. Mike and Jane get closer

    We're back as Mike and Jane get closer, decades after they first flirted.

    Jane says she is "daring to dream to recapture a time from the past".

  14. Toadie and Melanie run up the aisle!

    And Toadie and Melanie run up the aisle and then the bride shouts "I do" before the celebrant has a chance to do her thing.

    She says that Erinsborough has "never seen a couple" like them.

    And we are half way through the episode already.

  15. Where's Kylie and Jason?

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    There were many ways for this episode to go down in history, but most horrendous wedding outfits of all time wasn’t the direction I expected them to go in.

    Still, at least Toadie and Melanie made it to the church on time.

    There’s still no sign of Kylie and Jason, though.

    Hurry up, it’s hardly going to be worth it soon!

  16. The last Neighbours wedding?

    And now a bit of Harry Styles plays as Melanie and Toadie prepare for the last ever Neighbours wedding.

  17. Cheesy comeback for Natalie and Holly

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Amazing! Fans of late 90s and early noughties pop will be screaming at the telly.

    Natalie Imbruglia and Holly Valance (who were never on the show at the same time) have bumped into each other on a bench in an unspecified city.

    They discover that they both lived on Ramsay Street - what are the odds?!

    This is the cheesy comeback content I am here for.

    Hoping for a karaoke mash-up of Torn and Kiss Kiss by the end of the episode.

    Natalie ImbrugliaShutterstock

    Natalie Imbruglia in her Neighbours days

    Holly ValanceShutterstock

    And Holly Valance

  18. Where is this going?

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    They had to give Stefan Dennis something to do in the finale. He’s been there since the very beginning after all.

    Paul Robinson is like the Ian Beale of Ramsay Street, but with even more wives and a chiseled jawline.

    He’s estranged from Terese, but they’re both still in love with each other, so you can see where this is going?

  19. Harold's hero moment

    Emma Bullimore
    TV commentator

    Clive and Mike fighting with a turquoise lampFreemantle

    And all of a sudden Clive and Mike get into a fight, with Clive brandishing a lamp...

    Ha! Neighbours has always had a sense of humour, and furious Clive’s attempts to start a Bridget Jones-style punch-up with Mike are genius.

    After all, what middle-aged man wouldn’t bring a table lamp to a scrap?

    Harold gets his hero moment too… with a hosepipe.

    All bets are off, give them the International Bafta right now.

    Harold stands in the background with a hose pointed at Clive and Mike, who are fighting with the remains of a lampFreemantle

    Harold to the rescue - incredible scenes

  20. Back from the break

    We're back from the ad break with the Kennedys still fretting about their neighbours leaving.

    And now Clive is riled about Mike's return as he chats to Paul Robinson.