When Neighbours introduced a new family of five - the Kennedys - to Ramsay Street back in 1994, nobody thought, during a time when most characters remained in the show for two or three years on average, that two of them would still be on the show and going strong in 2019.
Viewers recently saw the show commemorate twenty five years since Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan (Jackie Woodburne) first appeared on Neighbours with a very touching scene in which Karl presented Susan with a piece of jewellery which already had 'Happy 25th Anniversary' engraved on it. "Oh well, it's got to be twenty five years of something" mused Karl in the very cleverly written scene, and as the two characters shared a knowing smile, viewers knew it wasn't Karl and Susan they were watching... but Alan and Jackie!
When the Kennedys were written into the show, Karl, Susan, and their kids - Mal, Libby, and Billy -they were brought in to replace the Willis family. How ironic then that Karl and Susan are now good friends with the new generation of Willises who made a return to Ramsay Street back in 2013! But not all Neighbours fans liked the Willis family moving out and the Kennedy family moving in, as in comparison to their zany and upbeat predecessors, the new family seemed a little bit, well, bland!
But now it's safe to say that twenty five years later, the Kennedys are every bit as legendary as the Ramsays and the Robinsons, and both Karl and Susan are the show's two longest-running characters. Sure, Paul Robinson has been on show since the very beginning but Stefan Dennis, who plays Paul, did he did take a break from Neighbours for eleven years.
And Karl and Susan did pack a lot into their twenty five years on the Street - And we do mean a lot! Wherever Karl and Susan were, drama wasn't far behind - just ask Izzy Hoyland and Finn Kelly! But it wasn't all doom and gloom. There's also a lot of fun and laughs for viewers especially with Susan's frustration at Karl's rather frugal ways, and Karl's oblivion to fellow residents and family members not being overly enthusiastic about his music! Here are just a handful of their memorable storylines - not necessarily in chronological order but they do go right back to when the Kennedys first appeared on Neighbours. And we're sure there's still plenty more amazing, funny, and gripping Kennedy storylines to come!
1. SUSAN WANTS ANOTHER BABY
Shortly after settling into their new home at number 28, it began to dawn on Susan how fast her children were growing up, becoming more independent and that they didn't need her as much anymore. She began to reminisce about them as babies and all their early years, and then the realization dawned on her that she wanted another baby. Karl wasn't keen on the idea but Susan went to her doctor... and was eventually told that it would be very difficult for her to conceive at her age - a revelation that left her crushed.
2. KARL'S FRIENDSHIP WITH KATE CORNWALL
A sign of things to come for sure!
Soon after the Kennedys arrival on Ramsay Street, Karl started treating a patient named Kate who was terminally ill. Karl was drawn to Kate and they became a lot closer than they should have been for two people in a doctor-patient relationship; spending evenings together while Susan was away... and even shared a kiss before she left to be with her parents.
Feeling guilty and distraught after Kate's death, Karl confessed all to a suspicious Susan who was understandably upset, and distraught that Karl insisted on being at Kate's funeral. But she eventually forgave her husband and the Kennedys worked on rebuilding their relationship. Little did Susan know at the time that a lot worse was to come for her marriage...
… and worse came in the form of a sultry brunette and a scheming blonde (just not at the same time!)
3. SUSAN REVEALS THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW HER MOTHER DIED
While chaperoning student and neighbour, Brett Stark, on a trip to Africa, Susan started experiencing flashbacks. Then feeling emotional one day, Susan broke down and confessed to Brett that she had helped her mother to die many years ago. Although initially quite shocked, the sensible and level-headed teen understood that Susan's mother was terminally ill and in a lot of pain. The difficult decision that Susan made as a teenager to help end her mother's suffering had been borne out of love and compassion. Brett, in turn, showed his teacher a great deal of compassion and reserved no judgement against her, thus creating a strong bond and deep friendship between the pair.
4. KARL STOPS PRACTICING MEDICINE
Karl had got caught up in a feud with friend and fellow neighbour, fiery Cheryl Stark, over her son Darren going out with Libby. The feuding pair eventually called a truce but tragedy was around the corner when Cheryl was hit by a lorry while out with baby daughter, Lolly. Karl tried to tend to Cheryl's injuries but sadly she died at the scene, leaving her children and partner, Lou Carpenter, devastated.
But then Karl discovered that Cheryl had been taking painkillers and feared that the drugs he gave her interfered with that and caused her death. Tests revealed that Cheryl did in fact have an allergic reaction due to the medication Karl gave her at the scene but her injuries were so severe that she could not have been saved, no matter what Karl did to help her. This did little to ease Karl's guilt and when confronted by an angry Darren who told Karl in no uncertain terms that he held Karl responsible for his mother's death, Karl made the decision to stop practicing medicine.
Mal had been running a handyman business with Darren and agreed to let Karl work on a project with them - much to the fury of a very resentful Darren. But when Mal was seriously injured during a freak accident, it was up to Karl to save his life with an on the spot tracheotomy. Darren, who witnessed the whole incident, realised that Karl had to make a split second decision as his mother lay injured, and Karl did what he thought was best. Understanding this, Darren called a truce with Karl who felt that the time was right to go back to being Dr. Karl again.
5. THE KENNEDYS 'ADOPT' TOADFISH REBECCHI
Now if this isn't one of the most heart-warming of friendships, we don't know what is!
Karl couldn't see any redeeming qualities in his son Billy's new best friend Jarrod 'Toadfish' Rebecchi. A bit of a prankster, loud, and always seemingly leading Billy astray, Karl longed for the day when Billy would no longer be friends with Toadie and Karl wouldn't have to come home to find Toadfish and his mullet lounging around his house!
Toadie
But when Toadie's parents moved away, he moved in with the Kennedys so that he could finish school. From that day on he slowly but surely became part of the Kennedy household, and Karl and Susuan took great pride in watching Toadie grow up from a ratbag kid into a sensible and respectable young man, who had a good job in law and loved his young family more than anything. Karl and Susan supported Toadie during Dee's disappearance; Sonia's death, and the whole Andrea Sommers debacle. And Toadie came to regard the Kennedys as a second set of parents.
6. KARL'S BIOLOGICAL FAMILY
When Karl discovered that his dad Tom was not his biological father, he set about finding out details about his biological father, Ronald Davies-Smythe. The two men met but sadly only kept in touch for a short time before Ronald passed away. After years of believing that he was an only child, Karl discovered he had a whole bunch of half-siblings, as Ronald had fathered many children with different women. Years later Karl tried to contact many of them but wasn't met with very positive responses. One of his siblings was Jemima Davies-Smythe, who initially politely declined Karl's invitation for them to meet - but turned up in Erinsborough anyway and ended up performing the marriage ceremony for David and Aaron!
Karl was delighted to have found one of his siblings but Jemima irritated Susan no end, who desperately wanted to see the back of her annoying sister-in-law. But it turned out that Jemima was only testing the Kennedys. A wealthy woman, Jemima wanted to be sure that the Kennedys liked her for her - and not her bank balance. Naturally the kind-hearted Kennedys passed the test with flying colours, and a new bond was formed between the Kennedys and Jemima who still gets a mention, and the tram café - Erinsborough's latest hotspot - was a gift from her to Karl.
7. SARAH BEAUMONT
Oh dear - Sarah, Sarah, Sarah... Karl and Susan had no idea what they were letting themselves in for with her! Mind you, she was merely the warm up act when it came to destroying the Kennedy marriage - the real star of the show for that was Isobelle Hoyland!
Susan couldn't help teasing Karl when he hired their neighbour, glamourous, former model Sarah to be his new receptionist. Feeling secure in her marriage, Susan didn't think she had anything to worry about. And in any case, Sarah was in a relationship with handsome police officer, Matt Compton. But it was when Matt called time on their long-distance relationship that the problems began. Hurt and upset over the end of her relationship, Sarah broke down while at work, and Dr. Karl was on hand to provide a shoulder.
But what started as a comfort hug soon turned into a passionate kiss. The pair broke away feeling guilty, and agreed to put the kiss behind them. That was easier said than done, as the encounter had stirred something up in them both. And Susan, totally oblivious to the tension between them, encouraged Karl to tutor Sarah with her nurse's aide course and even got them to play golf regularly.
It was months before the truth came out, and everyone remembers that famous episode where Susan belted Karl across the face and threw him out of the house. It took a great deal of time and effort but Susan eventually forgave Karl and took him back. The Kennedy family breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah married Dr. Hannay and left the Street. But Sarah's ghost continued to cast a shadow over the Kennedys and their marriage for years. Even the Karl and Susan were delighted when Mal married Catherine O' Brien, the only fly in the ointment was that the bride was Sarah's sister, meaning that there was always the possibility of awkward Christmas dinners and other family events.
After having two children, the Hannays divorced and Sarah made two more visits to Ramsay Street, dropping more bombshells on the Kennedys as she returned...
Like what you've read so far? Check out part two for more Karl and Susan Kennedy storylines.
Photos from YouTube
Wordcloud by Angel Noire
It's now been over 25 years and the Kennedys are still going strong. If the show really does get cancelled, Karl and Susan Kennedy will be the characters that have been on the show the longest. As the Aussies would say, good on them!