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Neighbours reveals why Kylie & Jason had limited dialogue in finale

Neighbours producers respond to questions around Kylie & Jason's "silence" -and confirm sets have not been demolished.

EXCLUSIVE:

After the much-lauded Neighbours finale last week, there’s been quite a bit of discussion around Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan having next to no dialogue in their scenes.

This contrasted considerably to the outpouring for Guy Pearce who featured in a major finale storyline, while press have bizarrely speculated whether their ‘silence’ was due to everything from being paid by the word …to being unable to remember lines. Harsh.

Executive Producer Jason Herbison tells TV Tonight the timing of their secret shoot meant it stood apart from finale storylines.

“Our discussions with Jason (Donovan) and Kylie were always about making a small appearance. They didn’t want to overshadow the current cast or make the finale about them. We also filmed their scenes before I’d written the episode, so whatever we filmed had to fit in with that. I hate to see Kylie copping any criticism – she was nothing short of amazing on the day,” he said.

There have also been some reports stating that sets are being demolished on the Nunawading site.

This is incorrect.

“We haven’t made any decisions about the sets and nothing has been demolished,” Herbison continued.

“We are in the fortunate position of having the Nunawading studios for several more months and we will be utilising the site for other productions, including Riptide, which is currently being filmed. This gives us plenty of time to make provisions.”

Riptide is in production by Fremantle for 10 / Channel 5.

41 Responses

  1. Hi David, I have a question about the tram. Have they said what happened to it? I remember when they got it and there was a picture of it, and they said we had to wait and see where it fit into the story. But, did they buy it? I’m just curious to know what happened to it. Thanks.

  2. If the sets haven’t yet been demolished – is the Kennedy family portrait still there, or did someone end up with that prize??
    It would be fitting if Jackie or Alan got it.

  3. It was obviously that the Donovan and Minogue scenes were filmed at a different time and there was no interaction with the main cast or the wedding plot. They did the best they could with what they had.

  4. They didn’t need to say much, they re-lived their iconic first meeting on the show. Like Scott said to Charlene, “I know what you are thinking”, so did we, there didn’t need to be words.

  5. Still seems a bit strange. Like Jason didn’t seem that limited in what he said, mainly just Kylie. Why no Lou Carpenter appearance though?

    Anyway good to hear they haven’t demolished any sets. Maybe 10 is thinking about starting Neighbours up again? Doesn’t need to be on every week day. Can have an episode 1 or twice a week and make it run for an hour or 90 mins. Oh and this time don’t punt it off to 11/peach. I followed Neighbours there but I know it became harder for others and that helped in killing it off.

      1. Interview with EP Jason Herbison on Digital Spy says he had a personal call with Tom Oliver and asked him if he’d like to return, stating “I understand he’s at a different point in his life now…”

        digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a40782803/neighbours-jason-herbison-finale-mysteries/

        1. Yeah thanks for that. Finally one of the big mysteries answered. Excellent that Tom got invited but just sad that he thought to actually say no. Like they were able to get those like Kylie back but couldn’t even convince Tom is like wow. Seems he really wants to stay in hiding?

          I still have questions about other characters like Henry Ramsay and Mark Brennan not returning.

          1. He is 84. If he’s not in the health to appear then it’s absolutely right he, or those responsible for his care, made the call not to appear. There was a nice touch with the letter to Mr T Oliver though.

    1. Ratings weren’t great when it moved to 11 (10 Peach). They had already sought out funding in the UK. If they didn’t get the funding for most of the show from the BBC (then Channel 5), the show would have been canceled before it even moved to 11. But they should have advertised the show more on Network 10. It looks like Tom Oliver (Lou) retired from acting and wouldn’t want to return. If he was able to, he probably would have. There is talk there would most likely be specials (based on certain characters) and maybe reunion shows. I am sure it will return in some form, but not in the way we have known it as.

  6. On another note, I think 10 should play Neighbors from the beginning at 6:30 pm on Peach, I think it would rate well and there is the momentum for it now, or start it from when Madge was in the Ramsay house and Jason, Kylie, Annie and Guy are in it, all the character in the show/street were great then.

  7. Charlene could have said to Scott ‘hey do you want to go and rein act when we first met” Scott says ‘no Charlene we can’t no don’t!’ then she laughs and says ‘come on Scott!’ then they run up together, just something a bit more would’ve been good. Holly and Natalie got more airtime with no story line attached. Anyway, least we got to see them together again and it was great they came back, and Mike and Jane – amazing! I’m annoyed at the Producers for not being more creative and protecting Kyle and Jason from an aftermath of not getting enough airtime, their video on the street was great but they failed to capture that on air. I think Shane implied Scott and Charlene were going to rent the Ramsay house he just bought which puts them next door to Mike and Jane which is good, but it was rushed and vague, a bit like Neighbors was produced over the past few years. Also, what was with the promos of them holding a coffin up and saying someone will go forever?! Never happened.

    1. I watched the finale only last night and was left a little underwhelmed after the media hype of having Kylie and Jason – but to both of their wishes, it wasn’t supposed to be about them, so I felt it landed just right. Yes, Guy Pearce had far more dialogue than expected, but his character Mike’s interaction with daughter Sammy and with Jane, then him securing #24 from Shane, made sense he had to have more screen time.

      In one scene, there was a package or something that had TOliver on it and I assumed that played homage to Tom Oliver as he was missing. The reel that Karl and Susan played just before the end with a cavalcade of former characters was the vehicle which enabled them to be included. With some many characters over the 37 years, it would take more than 30 minutes to include all of them, even if they were available in person, or remotely.

  8. With a script not being written, that makes sense why a character wouldn’t have much to say. Either way, it was still great (and teary) seeing everyone back in Erinsborough. What I find curious, why do they have the studios only for a few more months? Do they not own them? Glad nothing has been demolished, but what happens when those few months are up! :-(

      1. Thanks David. Although, it’s kind of scary to think that the sets are only protected by a leasing arrangement. :-( Fingers crossed. Does Australia have a TV museum? It’s such a shame so many iconic sets etc have been lost over the years.

    1. I guess it gives Fremantle time to decide what to do with the sets. Hasn’t there been some chatter around potential for sets to be moved to various museums? That process alone would take months to conclude. Or maybe, just maybe, Fremantle are still trying to shop the show around to UK broadcasters for a revival next year (I can live in hope :P)!

  9. Doesn’t really explain why Jason still had some, although minimal dialogue, yet Kylie said a total of 5 words. Some even seemed to be dubbed later. Not even a hello to Mike.
    I think she said “home sweet home” then whimpered a “Jane” and a “Harold”.

    1. Guy Peace wasn’t even there at the same time that Kylie and Jason were. As it says there Jason Herbison hadn’t written the script yet. So they may have been fed some lines and others were adlibbed. It seems like it would have been very awkward to film. Kylie may not have known the best words to say. I think “home sweet home” may have been given to her, but everything else was up to her. That would have been awkward.

      1. Did you watch the episode? Mike and Jane came to greet them. Her performance was very awkward. Even when she was thinking to go check the window. Felt like an episode of Mr Bean.

        1. David is right. Did you see the faces of Guy, Kylie and Jason ever in the same frame / shot? I didn’t. The balcony shot was never shown in full, it was always in halves.

  10. Ironically by not wishing to take attention from the cast they, unintentionally, ended up taking attention away from the cast.

    I think it being filmed before the episode was written really explains it – all the other random returnees somewhat had motivation for being there. They just needed an extra scene or two here to justify why Scott and Charlene, not Kylie and Jason, turned up.

  11. I can’t help but wish they had been there the same time as Guy, how even more wonderful that would have been. Also a missed story opportunity was for Scott to be introduced to his half brother Glen and a shot of the two with Paul and Lucy would have been nice. But hey we got Scott and Charlene back with Jane, Paul and Harold, so I guess we can’t complain.

    1. I’m sure Scott and Glen would have crossed paths somewhere back in the early 90s when he first appeared (unless Glen has specifically mentioned never having met him since he returned to Ramsay Street). The same could be said for David and Leo, but I’m sure they’ve crossed paths with Scott and Charlene somewhere along the line since they discovered that Paul was their father (they’ve certainly both mentioned them before).

      1. I think Paul mentioned early in Glen’s return, a suggestion that he could meet Scott and Charlene. Either way, you would assume they met at the street party, but we never got to see that.

  12. Thanks for the update, David. Of course I knew as much, but have also seen the criticism’s on social media. Some even saying Kylie couldn’t speak with an Aussie accent, which was ridiculous, because she did slip right back into Charlene’s voice. When they filmed it, there were reports it was a small cameo, but somehow in the meantime, I was lead to believe they would be buying number 26.

  13. I thought it was just fine as it was. Just having them both there was enough.
    Kudos to Guy Pearce though for his involvement. He and Annie Jones (and the writers) did such a touching job of wrapping the Jane and Mike storyline from all those years ago up so nicely.
    I may have watched the finale three times in total now since last Thursday……

    1. I guess it’s hard to write dialogue for them if there was no storyline or context connected to them at the time, the scene had to be fairly generic so it could just be slotted in. I think it was fine as it was, it just needed to be a cameo, no big dialogue or story needed for them. The important thing for fans was just having them turn up and make an appearance.

      1. Well said, Andrew! I’ve said elsewhere that Kylie (especially) and Jason didn’t say much because the writers didn’t write much for them to say, and that’s exactly what happened. I had zero issues with their cameo – it was brilliant to see them back on Ramsay St and I feel that Jason Herbison did a great job of incorporating their (already filmed) presence on the street into the finale. Criticism of Kylie is harsh and unwarranted.

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