Melissa Bell, Stephanie McIntosh for Neighbours 35th anniversary
Plus: Bruce Samazan, Olympia Valance, Paul Keane, Andrew Morley, Annie Jones, Damien Bodie & Scott McGregor.
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Melissa Bell
10 has now confirmed a recent TVT scoop that Stephanie McIntosh will appear in Neighbours.
She will be joined by Melissa Bell as part of the show’s 35th anniversary celebrations, to screen next March.
McIntosh played Sky Mangel from 2003 – 2007.
In a statement to TV Tonight, Stephanie McIntosh said, “I am thrilled to be back on Ramsay Street, at my old stomping ground to celebrate such a great milestone, it truly is a lovely honour to be invited back.
“I can’t wait for fans of the show to see what Sky has been up to and to have the opportunity to reconnect with her, as will I! It’s all very special and the storyline is awesome, remaining true and authentic to who Sky has been and is! Neighbours has held such a special place in my heart now and always will and even more special having my niece Jemma apart of the cast and that we can share this experience together.
“I feel very grateful to have been on the show and very grateful to be returning at such a wonderful and exciting time. I can’t wait to help celebrate the show that we have grown up loving that is the ever wonderful Neighbours.”
Melissa Bell played Lucy Robinson, primarily from 1991- 1993, but made several returns in 1995, 2005, and variously between 2013- 2016.
“I love what I do, I’m still very passionate about acting and it’s great to see the character evolving – like we all do in life. I have returned a number of times now, I’m probably the most consistent character to reappear which is quite an honour!,” she said in a statement.
“I was really interested in seeing how the character has grown and I’m also in a different space in my own personal life, so I was really excited to be invited back.
“I don’t want to give anything away but I absolutely love the storyline, it’s brilliant. For Lucy, it will be a full circle for her which I’m really excited about. It’s more a nervous energy, I just want to get back into and I feel I know the character so well now, it’s great to see what is in store for her this time around.”
Melissa Bell, Bruce Samazan
Update: 10 also confirms Bruce Samazan (Mark Gottlieb), Olympia Valance (Paige Smith), Paul Keane (Des Clark), Andrew Morley (plays Jack Callahan), Annie Jones (Jane Harris), Damien Bodie (Dylan Timmins) and Scott McGregor (Mark Brennan) to return.
Executive Producer of Neighbours, Jason Herbison said: “Neighbours has a reputation for going big with our anniversary milestones and the 35th will be no exception. We’re thrilled to be joined by an honour-roll of returnees, chosen to represent a cross section of past eras of the show. Together we’re in the midst of filming our most ambitious storylines ever and I can’t wait for viewers to see what we have in store.”
Network 10 Executive Producer of Neighbours, Paul Leadon, said: “35 years on Ramsay Street is certainly worth celebrating. We’ve seen romance, drama, births, weddings, feuds, even murders! But above all, we’ve enjoyed a cavalcade of memorable characters. And many of our favourites will be returning to Erinsborough to join the big birthday party. It will be a lot of fun.”
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11 Responses
When I first saw the returnee list I thought how would they bring Bruce Samazan back, he has no links still in the show. But, I had forgotten Bruce and Melissa Bell were a couple in the show, and btw also in E Street.
Great to see so many returning regulars.
Oh Bruce, my first TV crush! Will be great to see him back on our screens, even if only for a little while.
They’ve had some good excuses for people to return for milestones, I wonder what they will do?
Happy 35th Neighbours! As a loyal viewer it is disappointing to see the ratings now hover around 100k but believe the casting is letting the show down. To go from the stellar performances of Eve Morey, Madeleine West and Kerry Armstrong to Tim Robards and Rob Mills justifies the dwindling viewership. Here’s hoping the anniversary storylines are as good as they are promising!
Wouldn’t we attribute the channel as being at the heart of the numbers? I tried to float 6pm on 10 as a suggestion but network seems resigned to Peach. Producer Jason Herbison has reinvigorated the show with lots of contemporary ideas.
I completely agree that Jason is doing a terrific job reinvigorating the show, I just feel that the casting weakens the storylines. Thank goodness for Jackie and Fletch! Surely with Neighbours on year round, a 6pm summer switch to 10 would give it a boost. It could pull better numbers than Celeb Name Game!
Oh great. It will be interesting to see what Sky’s been up to since she left. And Lucy usually comes back to clean up Paul’s messes so wonder what he does this time. Is Neighbours staying on over the Christmas break again this year or was that a one off last year?
Neighbours will continue to air year round, no Christmas break.
I love the show, but I also liked the Christmas break, gave me a chance to chill and do other things outside for that time of year. I really hate that that had to change, it is an Aussie soap after all, not an English one.
Oh great. Thanks.