Departing Soap Opera Brings Back Two Iconic Stars for Final Episode

Neighbours won’t leave the TV world without some fanfare. The iconic Australian soap opera will end its run after 37 years on air, and two of the series’ biggest stars are set to return to usher it into television history.

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return to the soap opera after 30 years away from the series. The pair will pick up as Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell, returning to Melbourne’s Erinsborough suburb for a final moment together. During the show’s run in the ’80s, the pair were popular with fans and executive producer Jason Herbison promised a lot with the announcement of their return.

“Scott and Charlene are the ultimate Neighbours couple and it would not feel right to end the show without them,” the message reads. “We are thrilled that Jason and Kylie have come home to play a very special part in our series finale.”

Minogue and Donovan posted their own teases for the return, sharing a look at the finale script to their respective Instagram pages. The pair were stars on the series from its premiere in 1985 until their exits at the end of the decade. According to BBC, the couple’s wedding episode in 1987 was viewed by over two million Australians when it aired. It shattered that viewership total after premiering to 20 million viewers in the U.K. a year later.

Both Minogue and Donovan went on to have careers in music, even performing a duet with Minogue titled Especially for You. He also held the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the 1990s. The pair also shared their shock when Neighbours ended up canceled earlier in the year. Donovan made clear that the time is now to celebrate the show, not mourn its end.

Other careers launched by the series include Margot Robbie, Liam Hemsworth, Guy Pearce and singer Natalie Imbruglia. No word on if any of these stars will make a small return, but fans will be pleased to see the popular pair return.