We have Clive Gibbons as a recurring guest character in Neighbours. The lovely Jane Harris has made two guest appearances after almost thirty years. Even the legendary Jim Robinson made an appearance as a ghost! And now it's been confirmed that actress Shaunna O' Grady is to reprise her role as Dr. Beverly Marshall and is heading back to Erinsborough!
It's always a pleasant surprise for Neighbours fans who have been watching the show since the very beginning to see a familiar face. But it's hard to believe that many of the fans who regularly tune into the Australian soap now, probably weren't even born when these characters left Ramsay Street all those years ago! Talk about making one feel old! But if it means we got to live through Neighbours-mania, when the soap was one of the hottest shows on TV back in the eighties and nineties, then no worries - we'll take old!!!
O'Grady - the second actress to take on the role of Beverly after Lisa Armytage - reminds long-time viewers of when Neighbours was in it's heyday; on BBC1; and on twice a day so that schoolkids didn't feel as though they were missing out! At present, it's not known when Jim Robinson's ex-wife will be appearing on our screens; how long for, or what the storyline involving her return will be. Beverly went through a lot during her time on the show: a violent ex; stormy marriage to Jim; mugging and subsequent miscarriage, a blackmail attempt... so no doubt there'll still be plenty of drama awaiting Dr. Marshall.
There are some very memorable characters who have left their mark on Ramsay Street long after they have moved on to pastures new. Here's ten characters we would love to see back in the Street again.
1. SCOTT AND CHARLENE
It goes without saying that we would all absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt want the eternal king and queen of Ramsay Street to return, as the most famous cul-de-sac in the world has never been the same since Scott and Charlene left for a new life in Brizzy! Even though it was great meeting their kids, Daniel and Maddie, we would still love for Mr. and Mrs. Robinson to, at the very least, make a flying visit.
There's a whole new, younger generation of Neighbours fans who'll never know just how iconic Scott and Charlene were, so perhaps it's time the characters came back but seeing as these are two roles that can NEVER be recast, it's fair to say that we'll never see Scott and Charlene back on the Street as we can't see Ms. Minogue or Mr. Donovan in any hurry to return to Erinsborough. In fact Jason Donovan once admitted on British afternoon talk show, ITV's Loose Women, that he'd never return. Go on, Jason - you know you want to!
2.THE ALESSI TWINS
There have been four sets of twins who have appeared in the soap including the current set of twins, the Tanakas. But Caroline and Christina Alessi were probably the only twins on Ramsay Street to have been played by real-life twins, Gayle and Gillian Blakeney. The twins bring back memories of Neighbours - not to mention life in general - in the early 90's. Twin-mania really took off as Gayle and Gillian seemed to be on every TV show and every magazine cover at the time - they even had a pop career!
The twins had some very memorable storylines on the show including Christina's kidnapping and Caroline's dalliance with her brother-in-law, Paul. In fact as Paul is still in the show, writers could find a way to reunite Christina with her ex-husband. But the question is would Gayle and Gillian, who have spent more than two decades living in California, want to return to Ramsay Street to reprise their famous roles?
3. GAIL ROBINSON
Well if we bring back the third Mrs. Robinson, why not the second one, Gail Lewis? Gail, played by Fiona Corke, was a firm favourite with viewers and out of all of Paul's wives, probably the only one who could handle him and didn't put up with his nonsense - but in the end she got tired of Paul's workaholic ways and left him while pregnant with their triplets. Since then, Gail has made a couple of brief returns to Ramsay Street and we've even met the triplets, but it would be great if Gail made a more long-term return to Ramsay Street. Sure it'd probably put Paul's current lady Therese's nose out of joint, but someone needs to sort that Paul out!
4. SHANE RAMSAY
It may be called Ramsay Street but... There are no more Ramsays left! So what better than to bring back one of the members of the original Ramsay family as well as one of the show's earliest characters, Shane Ramsay? It's unlikely that Peter O'Brien who played Shane would ever return to the soap, which is a Shane, sorry shame, because Shane did have some very good storylines including the Des-Daphne-Shane love triangle. Even though Des Clarke won her heart in the end, it was clear that Shane would always love Daphne and viewers couldn't help but feel a little broken-hearted for him.
5. HENRY RAMSAY
Who couldn't love Henry Ramsay? Before he appeared on screen, viewers were led to believe that Madge's son, who'd spent time in prison, was a bit of a bad apple. But once he arrived, it was obvious that Henry's main fault was that he often acted before he got his brain into gear, and he definitely had a heart of gold. He loved his family and friends and would do anything for anyone. A practical joker whose hairbrained schemes often went wrong, Henry provided much of the show's lighthearted moments. Unfortunately his love life was a bit of a disaster zone - but that was until he captured the heart of his beloved Bronny! Ramsay Street was a much quieter place when Henry left to start a new life in New Zealand, closely followed by Bronwyn Davies, and the two wed off-screen. When Brad Willis first appeared on the Street in the early Nineties soon after Henry left, some viewers thought he'd been brought in as 'the new Henry' - but the truth is there's only ever been one Henry Ramsay...
6. THE WILLIS FAMILY
It took a while to get used to the Kennedys when they were brought in to replace the Willis family. But now, while none of us can ever imagine Ramsay Street without Karl and Susan, it would still be fab to see the Willis family again. Despite having their ups and downs, they tried not to take life too seriously; loved practical jokes, and were an incredibly loving, close-knit family. While Neighbours brought back a new generation of Willises six years ago, we still love the Nineties incarnation which consisted of Pam and Doug and their four kids, Adam, Gaby, Brad and Cody. We've already seen the return of Brad (albeit played by a different actor) and sadly Doug and Cody have been killed-off but it would be awesome to see the remaining original Willis family make a comeback including Gaby's son 'baby' Zac who would now be in his twenties. And seeing as Therese, Piper, and Ned still live on Ramsay Street, the possibility of a comeback isn't that unlikely.
7. GLEN DONNELLY
Perhaps Paul Robinson has been so traumatized by the knowledge that he has a half-sibling, that he's done his best to permanently eradicate all thoughts of his dad's illegitimate son from his mind. When was the last time anyone heard Paul mention his half-brother Glen? True, the two hated each other so much that it's unlikely that they're on each other's Christmas card lists, but anyone who didn't watch Neighbours in the early nineties would be forgiven for not knowing that Scott isn't Paul's only brother.
Glen's exit from the show was under very tragic circumstances as a fall from the Lassiter's roof meant that he was never going to be able to walk again. His bid to file a lawsuit against Paul turned very bitter and led to Paul having a nervous breakdown. In the end Glen felt that his only option was to leave Erinsborough with the help of a friend, leaving his fiancée Gaby Willis devastated. As Paul is still in the show, it would be brilliant if they brought Glen back to really shake things up for his dastardly half-brother.
8. DES CLARKE
Ramsay Street hasn't been the same since 'Clarkey' left - the original occupant of what is now the Kennedy house. Des was in the show from the very first episode until the early nineties when he left with his young son Jamie to start a new life in Perth. Des managed to pack in a lot during his time on the show, including finding out he had a half-sister; being reunited with his long-lost father, and his very unlikely romance with Jane Harris. But the storyline we all remember Des for was the loss of his beloved wife Daphne after a fatal car accident. Who can forget Des's pain as he watched Madge and Harold marry while he was struggling to come to terms with Daphne's death? It was wonderful to see Paul Keane reprise his role as Des for the show's thirtieth anniversary episodes but the only downside is that it just wasn't long enough. Come back Clarkey!
9. SUSAN COLE
We have Paul, and we also have the lovely Clive Gibbons, two characters from the early days of Neighbours. Now wouldn't it be great to throw Susan Cole into the mix? For those of you whose memories need refreshing, Susan was the former mistress of Madge Ramsay's ex-husband Fred, and the mother of his child, Sam - remember the baby Charlene claimed was hers but was in fact her half brother? Yep, it does sound very Bold and the Beautiful, but it was definitely Neighbours!
Susan began a relationship with Paul Robinson (as every woman naturally does!) while sharing a house with Clive, not realizing that Clive was secretly in love with her. Dr. Gibbons did eventually get the girl but sadly for him the girl was still in love with Paul despite having agreed to marry Clive. Susan left Erinsborough having ended her engagement to a heartbroken Clive. It would be great for her to reappear on the Street and stir things up for Paul and Clive... but where would that leave Sheila?
10. MATT ROBINSON
Reading this list of former Neighbours characters who should grace the Street with their presence again, it's amazing how many of them are connected to Paul Robinson in some way. Not that that should be a surprise - after all he's been in the show longer than anyone else despite a long absence from the show in the Nineties. So we'll throw in another Robinson - Matt Robinson, the son of Paul's cousin Hilary.
Matt, played by Ashley Paske, was the street's resident heart-throb back then. Matt worked hard to forge a bond with his birth mother, Hilary, as well as to overcome his battle with dyslexia, but it was his breakup with Gemma Ramsay that led to him leaving Erinsborough for good. Hilary does make the odd appearance from time to time so it would be fantastic if we see Matt with her - even though viewers understand that mother and son have had a falling out.
Who would you like to see make a dramatic return to Ramsay Street?
Photos: YouTube
Word cloud by Angel Noire
Crikey I've just heard that Glen will be returning with Lucy. Never in a million years did I think he'd make a comeback. I don't think he's ever been mentioned since he left. Also I'm pretty certain that the actor who played Glen slagged off the show for some reason so I'm astounded that he's back again. But of course I can't wait to see the drama unfold and Paul's reaction to Glen being back. Is he coming back as a regular?
Nell Mangle!