As the residents of Ramsay Street talking we are getting lots of past clips from the show.

We've seen Scott and Charlene - Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue - among others as the characters reminisce.

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

So, Guy Pearce is back as sexy Mike, and Jane is already weak at the knees - he’s the one that got away and he still fancies her with her glasses on (if your nickname is Plain Jane Superbrain, then you value such things).

You might remember Mike and Jane were chummy with Scott and Charlene, so this is vintage Neighbours in action.

We’ve got a classic soap love triangle on our hands - will Jane choose latest squeeze Clive or first love Mike?

She has already fallen out with Clive, while Mike has nice hair and a motorbike, so it hardly feels like Sophie’s Choice.

Image source, Shutterstock

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

Mike has decided he wants to nose around all the houses where he used to hang out, and as luck would have it, Jane has all the keys!

And luckily they’re all tidy as they’re up for sale and ready for viewings.

Cue nostalgic old Neighbours clips, as Mike and Jane reminisce - it’s difficult to get past the haircuts and remember the storylines, but I do feel fuzzy inside.

The anticipation builds as they remember their mates Scott and Charlene…

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

If Neighbours was a big part of your student years, you’ll have fond memories of Toadie, who joined the show in 1995.

He has already been married three times, without lasting success - his first wife even faked her own death shortly after they said I Do, which seems quite rude.

So it’s surprising he’s looking so upbeat this time round. Doesn’t he know he’s on a soap?

This won’t be straight forward.

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

Here we go then!

It’s just an ordinary street in an ordinary neighbourhood where extraordinary things tend to happen, apparently.

Apart from everyone leaving to become international pop stars. There are tears from the beginning as Neighbours legend Susan Kennedy wells up, looking at all the For Sale signs on the street.

Recently, her friends have all decided they need a fresh start, putting their houses on the market and leaving Harold wondering if it was something he said. Perhaps they’re all moving to Weatherfield so they can sign a contract for Corrie.

Expect the Kennedys to take a central role in this episode. They’re like the Ken and Deirdre of Erinsborough.

Handy plot device alert: Harold is re-writing his History of Ramsay Street book after it was destroyed years ago.

What a convenient excuse to get back in touch with old friends!

The final ever episode of Neighbours begins with some old clips from the archives showing some much-loved characters to get the nostalgia juices flowing.

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

Image source, Channel 5

So what to expect from tonight’s episode - coming up in a few minutes on Channel 5?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Kylie and Jason are back tonight as Scott and Charlene. Sans Donovan mullet sadly.

Also returning are Guy Pearce, already on Ramsay Street flirting with old flame "Plain Jane Superbrain", and Margot Robbie, now the highest paid actress in Hollywood.

We’re expecting some surprises too - this is the show that once gave us Bouncer’s dream, a fantasy sequence where a Labrador planned his own wedding. So brace yourself.

There’s also the small matter of wrapping up current storylines, including the wedding of long-serving character, Toadie.

If this were EastEnders he’d definitely be jilted at the altar, but the outlook tends to be more optimistic in Erinsborough.

Image source, Susie Catling

Neighbours is being mourned in living rooms across the country today - and a field in north Devon.

The annual Chulmleigh Old Fair has been running since 1253.

This year it's marking the end of Neighbours in its scarecrow competition.

"This year’s theme for the scarecrow competition is Celebrations from the 1950s to the present day and it seemed a golden opportunity to celebrate 1987 with a bit of humour with Scott and Charlene’s wedding, coinciding with the end of Neighbours," Susie Catling explains.

I was 14 when the wedding took place and have very fond memories of watching it.”

Shaimaa Khalil
Reporting from Federation Square in Melbourne

The show's final episode has already aired in Australia, and central Melbourne's Federation Square turned into a big watch party with dozens of fans gathered on a cold night, huddled in blankets.

People took turns taking photos next to a Ramsay Street sign. It felt like a collective trip down memory lane.

You could feel it so poignantly - that wave of love and nostalgia for Australia’s longest-running soap.

When the episode started, I felt just as moved watching the fans as I did watching the actual show!

There were smiles, gasps, cheers, big whoops when a star made a comeback, some yelling at the screen and inevitably a lot of tears when it drew to a close.

“It’s been such a big part of lives growing up in the UK in the 80s. I never imagined we’d be living in Melbourne,” Bec Turner told me.

And her friend Naomi Barrie has a spoiler-free message for UK viewers: "You’re in for a treat. Watch it and soak up every minute."

With only a few minutes to go, let's take a look at what Neighbours stars - including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan - have been tweeting in the run-up to the show's final episode:

Emma Bullimore
TV commentator

Image source, Freemantle

Just over 10 minutes to go before our final visit to Ramsay Street.

When Channel 5 announced they were axing the show, we all assumed another broadcaster would swoop in and rescue it.

Nothing is over till it’s over in the age of streamers (see Lucifer, Arrested Development, Ripper Street etc, which have all been saved).

And this is a soap after all - if Dallas can write off a whole series by Bobby Ewing appearing in the shower, anything is possible.

Even Madge is rumoured to be coming back from the dead tonight.

But despite an outcry from fans, it seems like this really is the end, after 37 years on our screens.

Tissues at the ready.

It’s a big moment in TV history: how do you write an ending that does justice to this show?

How do you honour characters that have been in our living rooms for decades? Will everyone just move to Queensland with a knowing look?

Nearly time to find out.

We're moments away from the final slice of life from Ramsay Street.

The BBC got a sneak peek behind the scenes as filming wrapped for the last time on the Melbourne set last month.

Cast and crew alike got a little emotional - take a look:

Joining us for the Neighbours finale on Channel 5 at 21:00 BST is TV commentator Emma Bullimore.

You may have heard her on BBC Radio 2, where she is Jo Whiley’s resident TV critic, as well as across other BBC stations, Times Radio and writing in national papers.

She’ll be sharing her thoughts, analysis and excitement throughout the episode and will be bringing those of us in need of a reminder up to speed on what’s been happening on Ramsay Street.

As promised, here are some more big names of the actors who made their name on Neighbours.

Guy Pearce

Image source, Shutterstock

After his understated role as Mike Young, Pearce later revealed himself as the show’s dark horse.

He enjoyed international success in the early 90s for his role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, followed by starring roles in LA Confidential and Memento.

More recently, Pearce has appeared in The Hurt Locker, the King’s Speech and Iron Man, among others. He’s won a Primetime Emmy Award and been nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Natalie Imbruglia

Image source, Shutterstock

Although she’s appeared in several films, including Johnny English, since leaving the show, Imbruglia is best-known for her chart-topping single, Torn.

Her 1997 album, Left of the Middle, sold seven million copies worldwide. She picked up two Brit Awards and three Grammy nominations. Fans have more recently seen her win the third series of The Masked Singer UK as Panda.

Holly Valance

Image source, Shutterstock

After Neighbours, Valance’s picture graced the covers of magazines all over the world. She enjoyed chart success with singles such as Kiss Kiss, causing a stir by dancing naked in the video.

She moved to LA, where her biggest acting role was in Taken in 2008. She later moved to the UK, where she was a contestant in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2011, and married British property developer Nick Candy.

Russell Crowe

The Gladiator megastar appeared in four episodes of Neighbours in 1987, as a former cellmate of Henry Ramsey.

But that seems to have been enough for the legendary soap’s golden touch.

The Hemsworth brothers

If you’ve ever wanted to see Chris Hemsworth as a greased-up mechanic, you only had one chance, 20 years ago.

The actor, who has found fame in blockbusters such as Thor, appeared in one episode of Neighbours 20 years ago, and moved to its rival, Home and Away.

His brother Liam appeared in 24 episodes of Neighbours in the mid-noughties, before going on to marry(and divorce) Miley Cyrus and win starring roles in the Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mocking Jay.

Their elder brother Luke also had a stint on the soap from 2001 to 2002, playing football player Nathan, who was caught using steroids. He later returned to the show as a different character, car salesman John Carter. Since then he’s starred in Westworld and had cameos alongside his younger brother in the Thor films.

EastEnders has paid tribute to Neighbours with a video featuring none other than Dr Karl Kennedy himself.

It features tributes from the Eastenders cast, including Danny Dyer, who said he was "gutted" that the show was ending.

While most Neighbours fans in Australia enjoyed the final episode from the comfort of their own homes, Brian and Sarah Thorne watched from a very special living room - in the property best known as 28 Ramsay Street.

On the soap, it has been home to Karl and Susan Kennedy for decades.

In reality, it is a regular suburban home (only the exterior was used for filming) which the pair won a competition to spend a couple of nights in.

And as an extra bonus - in the build-up to the broadcast - actor Alan Fletcher, aka Dr Karl himself, paid a visit for "lunch and a couple of drinks".

Sarah said being able to watch the final episode in the Kennedy’s living room was "a magnificent, surreal experience".

“I loved every minute of the last episode. It was an incredible outcome - emotional knowing it was the last - but a real joy to be able to watch it."

Image source, EPA

As filming wrapped up on Australian TV soap Neighbours, the BBC went behind the scenes to speak with the cast and crew.

Actor Stefan Dennis - aka Paul Robinson - says it's been emotional.

“Seeing people from all through the years coming back, it’s like ‘oh wow, wow, wow, wow’,” he says.

“We had Smithy and Jason and Kylie, myself and Anne [Jones], so all old-school cast.

“Well, we’ve never had so much fun in our lives.”

Dennis is the only original cast member still on the show. He’ll miss playing Paul Robinson.

“It’s coming home to roost now the fact that what I’m actually doing is I’m saying goodbye to somebody that I’ve grown up with for nearly 40 years.

“I will miss the work that I love doing, but I’m going to miss the people more than anything.”

Image source, Shutterstock

One of the cast’s oldest members is Ian Smith, who played loveable “fuddy-duddy” Harold Bishop.

“It was a constant in your life, but now it won’t be there,” he says.

His character Harold first turned up on the show in 1987.

But in 1991, Smith left the show when his character Harold disappeared, presumed dead.

In 1996, he returned to the show (Harold was alive all along and had amnesia).

He stayed until 2009, then returned in 2011, and again in 2015.

Now, in 2022, after seven years away, Smith’s returned for the show’s finale.

“What’s it like coming back after seven years? Well it was very strange because up here[in my head] I had honestly told myself that that was it.

“I’d never thought I’d walk into Harold’s coffee shop again.

“It feels like the best, warmest, funniest reunion.”

The finale has already aired in Australia and among those watching were Vaya Pashos and Kate Bromley.

They are two of the three presenters of Neighbours podcast Neighbuzz - which has been running for the past seven years.

And Vaya was particularly tearful after watching the final episode."I’ve got 1,400 feelings all at once.

"I’m emotional, because there's a big online community with the UK and Australia and there are friendships that have formed discussing this show.

"And it's just how we've coped during the last few years in particular, just to talk about silliness and talk about television."

Her review of the finale?

"It was really beautifully done. The fact that they had such a short time to pull that together and what they were able to pull together is well, it's not really a surprise, given that Neighbours pioneered the way that drama was made during the pandemic.

"So I knew that they wouldn't disappoint."

For Kate, who brought her young daughter along in the cold night, the last show was "really lovely" and "really respectful of all of the characters".

“It's really unfair that it was cancelled. It's still such a great show."

Image source, Getty Images

While Neighbours has won plaudits for some of its socially progressive attitudes over the decades, it hasn’t been without its critics.

The soap was accused of not being diverse enough, and there were allegations of racism on the show.

Two Aboriginal-Australian TV stars, Meyne Wyatt and Shareena Clanton, last year alleged they witnessed racist incidents while working on set.

A third cast member, Sharon Johal, who has Indian heritage, said she faced racist taunts from white castmates, and felt further targeted when she asked for help.

In response, production company Fremantle Media held an independent review into the allegations.

Jason Herbison, who became the show’s lead producer in 2013, told the New York Times, external that the investigations were now resolved.

In a 2015 BBC article, Australian writer Clementine Ford said that the show didn’t “reflect modern Australia”.

“In Ramsay Street, the sun is always shining, the economy is always booming and, most peculiarly, the people are always white,” she wrote.

Sachin Joab joined the show in 2011 as a member of the Kapoor family, which was written out of the show (they left to visit a sick relative in India) and replaced by a white family after less than two years.

It “felt like a massive step backwards in terms of cultural diversity on the show”, he told Digital Spy soon after., external