Lucinda Cowden to depart Neighbours
"Mel's off in her truck and doesn't have any plans to return immediately," says Lucinda Cowden.
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Much-loved Neighbours star Lucinda Cowden has confirmed that she is leaving her role as Melanie Pearson, but it wasn’t her decision.
Cowden, who has played Melanie Pearson since 1987 told NeighBens fan podcast, it was “a bitter old pill to swallow”.
“I’m off, it’s true,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about it, it wasn’t my bloody decision. But yeah, Mel’s off in her truck and doesn’t have any plans to return immediately.”
She added that “it’s been a year of a lot of goodbyes”, as the hosts referenced other recent character departures including Toadie Rebecchi, Mackenzie Hargreaves and Haz Devkar.
Cowden explained that “all the contracts come up at the same time because we were all employed at the same time”, adding that she has known about Melanie’s impending departure since last December.
“I don’t think they knew what to do with Mel without Toad, or without the family and all of that stuff,” she said. “That’s maybe… I don’t know, I’m second guessing. And you just make up all this stuff in your head anyway to make yourself feel better.”
But Cowden will also join the soap’s 40th-anniversary tour in the UK next February.
Source: Digital Spy
- Tagged with Neighbours
8 Responses
I preferred Melanie when she was first one the show. I also loved when she came back. I also ain’t surprised she is leaving. There are other characters that seem to be better in the show. You know Mel will be back when Nell gets married in the street when she is legal to do so…..
Seems to be a lot of hyperbole about this as if she’s continually been in the show for nearly four decades when in reality she was in it for a few years before leaving in 1991 then only returned in 2021 for a few months before the end. I think as the show managed fine without her for 30 years it’s not as big a loss as has been made out now with her having been back on the show for just three years, including a year off air.
Still to be convinced that it was worth reviving really considering how perfect the ending was.
Lucinda’s episodes started airing in January 2021 and she appeared in the show until the finale in July 2022, so it was more than just a “few months” (it was actually about half the length of time of her original extended stint on the show was 1989 to 1991). She played a pivotal role in the series’ original ending and she has been an integral character since its return. I think the reaction to her departure is linked to a bigger concern about the number of characters whose initial one-year contracts weren’t renewed (which seems to have come as a surprise to all of them, to be honest). In any case, Lucinda is delightful and I hope we see her back on our screens sooner rather than later.
Sad but I’m fond of the idea of reinvention as Neighbours finds a new audience on streaming platforms. ‘Certainly not on Ten in Australia’.
It’s time for Dr Karl and Susan to become grey nomads, jump in the camper van and head north for final farewells as well.
Make room for new characters and perhaps even new fans in Australia.
Do we know that it is finding new fans on streaming? It’d be interesting to see what Amazon’s figures are, not that they’d tell anyone. I suppose if Amazon picks the show up for another 400 episodes, we’ll know…
I love Mel. The idea they didn’t know what to do with her without Toadie is pathetic. Mel had years before Toadie and they were barely together on-screen.
I agree with the other poster that they traumatised her character, and none of it came to anything. It sounds like what they really need is new writers.
This is a bad decision that should be reversed.
I’m kinda glad that Melanie is leaving as she, like many other characters, have just had one victim story after another.
As I’ve commented before, the show has too much shade and not enough light.
In one episode last week, we had Melanie breaking down in tears after being stood up by Vic, Therese making a landscaping order blunder because she was affected by alcohol (after Toadie walking out on her and leaving her feeling lonely and depressed), and Holly having a psych evaluation as she waits for her court hearing for keeping stolen money after she was abducted/ held captive for the 3rd time this year.
Given the amount of departures, including a couple of big fan favourites, I wonder if they’re trying to shake the show up a bit to up its chances of Amazon renewing their funding for another couple of years.
It’s a pity Lucinda is going, Mel is one of the few really interesting and original characters. The show has a fair amount of bland. They could get rid of many others – Terese, Jane, Byron, Nicolette…take your pick.