When the touching finale of Neighbours aired last month, the majority of viewers thought that it was an appropriate conclusion, but getting there wasn’t simple for the show’s writers and storyliners.
With only four months to plan and shoot the soap opera’s conclusion, Channel 5’s decision to discontinue the show was made public in February.
We recently heard in recent interviews from some of our favourite Neighbours that there were ideas for enormous plots beyond that point that tragically had to be discarded, as you’d anticipate with any long-running continuing soap.
Here, we’ve gathered ten tales that either was dropped entirely or were given the axe.
1. Karl and Susan’s financial concerns
The Kennedys suffered a terrible blow at the start of the year when Karl mistakenly placed their entire life savings in Montana Marcel’s brand-new start-up business. When Montana was taken into custody, the money was gone, making Susan and Karl very angry.
Many viewers had the suspicion at the time that this plot had been specifically designed to set up the last episodes of Neighbours and Karl and Susan’s potential departure.
The storyline, which would have lasted longer, was mostly forgotten about once the nostalgia of the latter months set in, which turned out to be the opposite of what had been expected.
2. David’s abrupt exit
Takaya Honda had made the decision that 2022 would be his last year as David Tanaka before Neighbours was cancelled. Fans weren’t informed about this, and after the programme was cancelled, the plans to write him out were abandoned.
Originally, David’s dramatic final months in Erinsborough—which included Gareth Bateman’s passing and imprisonment—were all meant to build to his departure from the programme.
Takaya stated in a recent conversation with Digital Spy: “If the story had continued, it would have been different and longer. To make it shorter, certain aspects had to be altered, but hopefully the result was the same.
“Although it was cut short and I’m not entirely sure what they had in mind had it continued, I don’t believe the audience will feel cheated out of a satisfying ending to the story.
“Within the confines of the available on-screen time, there was still enough of room to thoroughly and entertainingly tell the tale. It was nevertheless a thrilling rollercoaster ride.”
3. Mackenzie’s successful outcome
Regardless of whether the show lasted or not, Georgie Stone, who played Mackenzie Hargreaves, said to Digital Spy that 2022 was probably going to be her last year there.
Georgie recounted how the Neighbours casting news leaked before the cast was informed: “Finding out you’re losing your job via social media is not fun.
“I believe I was going to leave this year anyhow at some point, but I was unhappy that future generations of young actors wouldn’t be able to enjoy this experience on the show.”
Following the terrible passing of Mackenzie’s spouse Hendrix Greyson, the show’s creators had tentative plans to write her a happy new chapter. There wasn’t time to explore this on screen because Hendrix passed away just a few weeks before Neighbours finished.
In June, screenwriter Shane Isheev tweeted: “We knew the show was ending, but [Hendrix’s death] was planned before we lost the actor. Additionally, the stunning Georgie wanted Mack to enjoy the full soap experience.
You may believe that if we had gone on, we had plans for Mack to find love once more and live happily ever after.
4. Byron as a consistent
Early in July, Jane Harris’s son Byron Stone made an appearance on TV, but he left again before the conclusion. Joe Klocek would have done the part whether Neighbours had continued or whether the show had been cancelled after his casting.
Byron was supposed to relocate onto Ramsay Street and become a regular character with some significant storylines in mind.
He is a character that we would have gotten a lot of mileage out of and he would have remained around for a while, according to Shane Isheev, who spoke to Digital Spy.
5. Victor’s entrance disrupts Jane’s life
Jane’s family would have had a busy year overall because Isheev also revealed that Victor, the father of Nicolette and Byron, would be joining Erinsborough.
The plot had to be abandoned because there wasn’t enough time left before Neighbours concluded to fully develop it.
In a later interview with Digital Spy, the actress who played Nicolette Stone said: “I would have wanted to have been able to experience those stories, but a couple things that I knew were going to happen for [Nicolette] aren’t occurring right now.
“We had no time for Nicolette’s father, who was scheduled to arrive. I was particularly interested in learning more about the dynamic between Jane and Nicolette and how the dad would influence it.”
Isheev clarified in a different conversation with Chatterbox Radio: “Even down to the person we wanted to play that part. Vic would have entered and might have been a little charming. I believe that if Clive and Jane had remained together, he would have tried to convince her to leave Clive. Possibly approaching Wendy and charming Vera.
“With the Montana plot, Karl and Susan lost all that money. He would have gotten involved in that and perhaps even made matters worse for them.”
6. Paul and Terese’s reunion will take time
Let’s face it: Paul and Terese were always going to get back together before Neighbours ended. Some fans, meanwhile, questioned the plot’s execution given how swiftly Paul had brutally plotted to ruin Terese’s reputation as a professional after their breakup.
Executive producer Jason Herbison acknowledged that there would have been a much slower build-up to the “Praise” reunion if the programme had continued in his post-finale interview with Digital Spy.
As Herbison clarified: “We would have spent more time to bring them back together in an ideal world. But in Paul’s case, I believe it is better to know the devil than not.
“They are equals and Terese hasn’t always walked in a straight line. Paul won’t ever change, so I’m delighted I was able to bring the two of them back together. But she accepts it, as Terese noted in her remark. That doesn’t guarantee that she won’t ultimately tear the note up!”
Seven. A second Rodwell
When the Rodwell family was first conceived, the neighbours’ bosses had plans for at least one other member of the family.
The producers decided to introduce just one child of Andrew and Wendy because there was only so much screen time available to give the clan after Neighbours was cancelled.
Wendy’s on-screen persona Candice Leask recently shared with Digital Spy: “Originally, a younger son was intended. Then they opted to keep Sadie as the daughter once we reached our end date.”
8. Wendy’s past is made known
When Wendy initially moved to Ramsay Street, her eagerness to please sparked a commotion. There were, however, explanations for this attitude in Wendy’s past that viewers were never given access to.
According to Candice Leask: “The plot of Wendy’s story would unfold and change. They intended to investigate the reasons behind her behaviour. Finding out why she wanted everyone to like her would have been interesting. When she went to talk to others, I believe she was really nervous.”
9. Terese and Estelle face new conflict
Another character added at the last minute for a brief run was Terese’s mother Estelle, but in the original plans for the show’s future, she would have played a different role in a different plot.
As he stated to Digital Spy: “We still have Byron and Estelle just so we can see those faces because we didn’t want to lose out on seeing some of them appear.
We regrettably can’t share another extremely important tale with Terese and Estelle at this time.
10. the earthquake in Erinsborough
Additionally, according to Shane Isheev, the David’s prison narrative was originally intended to include certain well-known characters from the show’s past, such as the 2016 antagonist Jacka Hills and fan favourite Darcy Tyler.
He explained to Chatterbox Radio: “One of the original concepts I had for David going to jail was for him to run into some of the previous antagonists from the programme.
“We were preparing for a possible earthquake that may have caused a significant mass breakout inside the prison. Additionally, it was a chance to freshen up a few of the Erinsborough sets.
“I wanted to do a mass prison breakout, where legendary villains from Neighbours past link together and cause mayhem on the programme,” the author said.