Actors Margot Robbie, Delta Goodrem, Jesse Spencer, Kym Valentine, and Carla Bonner will appear in the final episode of the long-running Australian TV show, Neighbours, according to reports. The return of stars as their original characters will assist the show in wrapping up its 37-year run. A 90-minute final episode will be screened on July 28, the reports noted.
According to sources, Margot featured in the show from 2008 to 2011 as Donna Freedman and has since gone on to star in Hollywood films including The Wolf of Wallstreet, I, Suicide Squad, Tonya, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Sources added that the actress will be seen in a cameo role on the show.
ARIA Award-winning singer Delta Goodrem will also return to the show. She was originally on the show from 2002 to 2003 playing the role of Nina Tucker. According to reports, the show helped launch her mainstream music career, when she performed her debut single, Born To Try (Innocent Eyes) in an episode of the show. The single debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA charts and peaked at No. 1, while the album spent 29 weeks at the top of the charts, stated sources.
On-screen siblings Billy and Libby Kennedy, played by Jesse Spencer and Kym Valentine respectively, will also feature in the finale. The pair started in 1994 as the children of Susan and Karl Kennedy, characters who remain a part of the show. Sources said that Network 10 has also announced the return of Carla Bonner, who started in 1999 as Stephane Scully. She has returned to the programme numerous times to reprise the role.
According to reports, the show's woes commenced when Network 10 and the show's producer Fremantle Australia failed to secure a UK production partner after Channel 5 decided to pull its partnership and funding.
Reports also stated that the chief content officer and executive vice president of Paramount ANZ, (Network 10's parent company), Beverley McGarvey, had previously expressed hope there could be a future for the show, however, it is now in its final week. Beverley told media sources that Neighbours is an iconic programme and the Australian screen production sector will be worse off when it's gone.
“It's a devastating loss for that skills gathering. And people often start on those big shows. No matter what way you cut it, Neighbours is still a loss and one that we're very very sad about. We didn't want it to happen (sic),” she was quoted as saying.
Daniel Monaghan, Paramount ANZ's senior vice president of content and programming, told sources, “When Fremantle told us they weren't going to be able to get the funding out of the UK - we needed that funding. Everyone needed that UK partner to keep the show. It was incredibly disappointing. It does good numbers on 10 Peach. It's got an incredibly loyal fan base. It's been around for almost 40 years. (It's) a stalwart (sic). But unfortunately, when they couldn't find a partner, it just wasn't a viable proposition for us. And we were really hopeful for a long time... But it hasn't worked out the way that we would have liked (sic).”
According to reports, it is expected that more former Neighbours stars will appear on the final episode on Thursday night.