Amid rafter-rattling laughs and outrageous Ramsay Street stories being swapped, the function room brimming with hundreds of Neighbours fans fell silent when Anne Charleston was asked how her close friend and legendary co-star Ian Smith was faring with his cancer fight.
“Smithy and I were talking on the phone days ago, and his voice was full of joy. He’s now, miraculously, in remission from what was deemed terminal lung cancer diagnosed in 2024,” smiled Anne, 82, to thunderous applause.
Anne, bona fide Ramsay Street royalty as Madge opposite Ian’s Harold, was among eight Neighbours favourites enthralling fans at a recent Partners In Crime event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic TV series in Melbourne.
“I loved my time on Neighbours. I joined the cast in 1986 and left in 1992, relocating to Ireland and living in a 200-year-old stone cottage. I returned to Australia and Madge was resurrected in 1996 until her demise from cancer in 2001.
“I knew filming that death scene would be harrowing, so I lightened the mood by asking the props department to hang some whips and chains behind our bedroom door,” she laughed.
“When Ian, emoting as heartbroken Harold, caught sight of the S&M paraphernalia, he burst out laughing. We both did!
“Coming back as Madge Bishop’s ghost in 2015 was a surprise, returning in 2025, after the show had been revived a third time, to play Madge’s long lost cousin, Agnes… it’s been a wild ride.”
INITIAL NERVES
As one of the 12 original Neighbours stars, David Clencie, who played Danny Ramsay, was the first person seen and heard when the show debuted in 1985.
“That first scene was nerve wracking. I was having a nightmare. My first word was Shane…referencing my brother, played by Peter O’Brien,” says David, 61.
“The reaction from fans at the Neighbours reunion was overwhelming. They’d flown in from all over the world. It was insane!
“When the show was axed by the Seven Network, we were devastated. But, in what is now television history, it was resuscitated by Channel 10, months later.”
David admits he and his “bestie” co-star, the late Darius Perkins (who played the original Scott Robinson, before Jason Donovan took over) were “pretty wild”.
“We were the Aussie Brat Pack. Far too much partying. Yes, we were naughty,” he smiles.
David remains haunted by Darius’ cancer death in 2019. “It was so sad. We’d had a long lunch weeks before, we hugged goodbye. It was the last time I saw him,” says David who, post Neighbours, went into real estate and even sold the homes of Anne Haddy and Stefan Dennis.
David also recalls showing a young Kylie Minogue around the set on her first day.
“She was a total delight, and she had such charisma you just knew she was going places.”
LONG LOST PALS
As they spot each other for the first time in ages, TV stalwart Rebekah Elmaloglou and her Neighbours mum Maria Mercedes embrace in a huge hug.
“When they cast Maria as Terese’s batty mother Estelle, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Not only do we both have Greek heritage, but I knew we’d have a ball… and I wasn’t wrong,” says Rebekah.
“Maria, a fabulous entertainer, would sing on set, and we laughed ourselves silly,” admits the vivacious star, who’s notched up over 2650 episodes since joining Neighbours in 2013.
Rebekah, chuckling, says, “she’s lost count” of the romances and marriages the writers concocted for Terese.
“I arrived on the show married to Brad Willis, had relationships with Paul Robinson, his brother Glenn and Paul’s son Leo!”
One storyline that stands out was her character’s breast cancer fight as, poignantly, her real life mother, Theresa, was dealing with breast cancer.
Rebekah, 51, who loves interacting with her fans, recalls a terrifying situation when a stalker jumped out from behind a bush and barged his way into her family’s Sydney home.
“I was a teenager, it was in my Home and Away days, he ran off when my parents arrived,” she says.
Captivating fans with impressions of Melanie Pearson’s distinctive, high-pitched laugh, bubbly Lucinda Cowden describes it as a cross between a seal honking and a donkey braying.
“I love Neighbours. I was there, on-off, for 37 years. The craziest storyline involved Melanie and Ryan Moloney’s Toadfish being clocked on the head, thrown into a cattle truck and winding up in the Northern Territory,” chortles Lucinda, 60.
“I miss the show madly since we stopped filming. It’s left a huge hole in my life.”
DREAM ROLE
Carla Bonner, who played biker chick Steph Scully on-off for over 20 years, agrees.
“I was 26 when I started on Neighbours in 1999, and it became a huge part of my life.”
“I’d jump out of bed every morning, so excited to go to work. It was a dream come true. I still laugh thinking of some of the crazy storylines,” says the proud mum of two sons, including actor Harley Bonner who played Josh Willis on the show.
“Beyond the weddings and endless romantic entanglements, there were prison stints and even time in a mental institution.”
But Carla, who now works as a spiritual-life coach, says she had several important lifesaving storylines.
“After Steph’s breast cancer scare, a fan in the UK told me she was inspired to get a check-up, and was diagnosed.
“There was also a story-arc where Steph came out as bisexual. A girl on social media reached out to says she was so confused about her sexuality, she wanted to end her life, until she saw how Steph handled it.”
Caroline Gillmer, 70, who played feisty Cheryl Stark for over 260 episodes, adored working with Neighbours legend Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter).
“We eventually married on the show. I was in awe of his talent and kindness.”
Caroline says when her scripts came in it was always a treat to see what “crazy, often over-the-top storylines” had been whipped up for her scenes.
“The trick was to not make it a farce. I had a ball on the show. When I was killed off (after being bowled over by a vehicle), it was like a part of my life was taken away.”
FANATIC FANS
Adding to the crazy storylines conversation, TV favourite Ian Rawlings recalls a totally non-PC scenario when some Chinese neighbours moved in and were accused of eating the Martin family’s dog!
“They also had me writing romance novels under the name of Phillipa Martinez. I even became an expert at cooking sticky buns,” laughs Ian, 66.
“What I love about meeting fans is they know more than I do about the characters I’ve played. Before playing Phil Martin, I turned up on Neighbours as Marcus Stone. I’d forgotten most of what Marcus was about, but the fans knew,” he says.
“Unlike Tom Jones, I’ve never had fans throw their knickers at me… but I’ve been asked to sign a few breasts in my time!”
And as the day comes to a close, Rebekah hints that Neighbours may not be over yet.
“Jason Herbison, our executive producer, has indicted there’s something afoot. As they say, stay tuned!”
