It was a must-see for generations, the home of Kylie Minogue and Margo Robbie before they became mega stars, the street that gave us Harold Bishop’s return from the dead and Bouncer’s dream, and where good neighbors became good friends.
As the soap moved from the BBC to Channel 5 and lost viewers in the UK over the years, for those who grew up in the 80s and 90s, it was always more than just a TV show.
From Paul’s affair with his wife’s twin sister – caught by the baby monitor! – and Todd is killed on his way to stop Phoebe from having an abortion, to the tornado and plane crash of recent years, Neighbors brought a typical soap opera, tragedy and sexy affairs, but as the sunnier, more glamorous Australian cousin of his British counterparts .
Image: How many early Ramsay Street residents can you name? Photo: Fremantle Media / Shutterstock
While the big screen and sophisticated dramas have received critical acclaim, the vast majority will never see the love that soaps build with their audiences. The characters are a constant in our lives, (mostly) friendly people who invite us to their ups and downs and provide hot topics for the school playground and, let’s be honest, office catch-ups.
And no more than Dr. Carl Kennedy, played by Alan Fletcher. After 28 years in Erinsboro, he and his screen wife Susan (played by Jackie Woodburn) are officially the longest-serving residents of Ramsey Street.
Despite Dr. Carl’s affair – who can forget Susan’s slap? – and an illegitimate child and a recent dubious investment, he and Susan stay together and he is perhaps the most beloved star of Neighbors. Not only a favorite on screen, he has also built a fan base as a musician – first with his band Waiting Room, and now as he prepares to release his debut solo album.
So, as we prepare for the end (sobbing), who is better to talk to about saying goodbye to Ramsey Street?
“We will finish filming the last scenes on June 10,” says Fletcher (we must not forget to call it that, the desire to write Dr. Carl is strong). “I’m currently on holiday from Neighbors until mid-May, so I’ll be back and do the last four weeks of the show that promise to be – that’s a big statement – probably the best Neighbors episodes ever made because we have many returning guests.
“It will be an absolute hurricane from the photos and I think the fans will like it.”
It has been confirmed so far that Harold Bishop (played by Ian Smith) is back, he says, and there are many others. Can we expect Kylie and Jason to bring back Scott and Charlene, maybe Margo Robbie or even Russell Crowe? And can Fletcher reveal anything about how it will end? Surely not everything could have been a Dallas-style dream? Or could it end up with a T-Rex attack like Byker Grove? (Yes really).
Image: The last episode of Neighbors airs this summer – could Scott and Charlene’s return be on the horizon?
“Well, I would love to [give a spoiler]”If I only knew,” says Fletcher. “Here’s the thing… I can’t tell you something I don’t know about. The ink is still drying on the last episode, they’ve been waiting to write it for as long as possible because they didn’t know who would come back … and now they keep it so carefully.
“These are such top secret things, I don’t know when I’ll find out. I guess … three weeks before that happens and my script gets in my inbox. So I could be cunning and call you then.” (Obviously Sky News keeps it that way).
“I guess whatever the last scene, everyone will show up and fill the studio,” he says. This has happened before, when the actors left the show, where they are filming their last scene and there may be just two people on the set, you know, discussing their love, and there are 150 people in the studio, in the dark, waiting for the scene is over.
“It will be exceptional, I know it will be. It will be so emotional. I think a lot of people just don’t know what to say. They will not know what to do. It will be like, what are we doing now? “
Carl and Susan move to the UK?
Image: Carl and Susan are the longest-lived residents of Ramsay Street. Photo: FremantleMedia LTD
As such popular characters, has he ever considered offering a spin to Carl and Susan? “It would be fun for Carl and Susan to travel around the UK and just happen to appear in every British soap as tourists,” he suggested.
“We can be at EastEnders and go for a drink at the pub, and I could go to the Doctors’ set and be asked to help save a life on the street. We were going to have a great old time. Go to Corey and then go to Emerdale. Brilliant. “
And if he could keep any Neighbors souvenirs? “There’s a souvenir that’s going to be an absolute capital to get your hands on,” he says. “This is the portrait of Kennedy’s three children, painted by Helen Daniels, sitting over our fireplace. He has been there for literally 27 years. This is a cracker.
“There’s also a picture of me from the ’70s, when I had a mustache and half-long hair, which was actually a play that belonged to me. So the first thing I’m going to do on the last day of filming is hurry and actually grab what belongs to me.
“But I do not know that there will be an opportunity to try to cunningly pinch something, because I believe that it will be stored as historic. It’s basically a story, everything will go to a museum, I think.
“I’m not looking for a pop star”
Image: Fletcher releases her debut solo album Dispatches later in 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Alan Fletcher
After Neighbors, Fletcher admits that acting can be “a little complicated because, of course, everyone connects me to Dr. Carl.” For now, he has decided to focus on music.
After playing with the rock band Waiting Room since 2004 – releasing two albums and touring the UK 10 times in eight years, and maintaining a weekly residency in Melbourne for 12 years – he began to realize his passion for American and folk music. in 2020
The resulting album, Dispatches, is expected to be released later this year, with the first single Sorry Is The Word, a duet with former Neighbors star Alice Platt (Jen Handley and later Olivia Bell; character swaps allowed in soap ) – issued earlier in April.
“The music I really want to work on and I’m looking forward to a little break so I can write and record music,” says Fletcher. “I have 10 songs right now, but you know what?” It is very likely that I will write another one that I like more, and some things will eventually load up. So, yes, I look forward to the future. “
He later added: “I’m not looking for a pop star or anything like that. I just try to play my music as honestly as possible and I don’t care if there are 10 people watching. “
Inspired by people like Willie Nelson, Whelan Jennings, John Prine, Chris Christopherson, Dolly Parton and Keith Urban, Fletcher says his solo shows will be very different from his Waiting Room appearances in the 2000s – which were often held during at university dinners as students turned out to see Dr. Carl on stage.
“It was party time,” he says. “There’s a lot of jumping around to be stupid, but this music is a little more restrained. And when I play in the UK, I’m going to play like three pieces, so it’s going to be more about the words and more about what I’m singing than the antics. “
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00:58 “Dr. Carl” sent this blocking message to Sky News readers in 2020.
What’s in the blue box?
Fletcher also has his “evening with” show, The Doctor Will See You Now, which will finally tour the UK in September after the abolition of COVID. And of all the questions people want to ask about Dr. Carl, the most common is the question of his sex life.
“Everyone wants to know what’s in Carl and Susan’s blue box they keep under their bed, because it’s their marital help,” he says, laughing. “It’s generally taken for granted that this is a big part of their love life – but no one knows what’s in it.”
Like the end of Neighbors, Fletcher remains silent on this issue. You’ll need to tune in at the end to see if revealing a blue box is part of the final hurray. Maybe unlikely – but weirder things happened in the soap.
Read more: “No kisses, only long, loving looks”: Social distancing in the soapy land Kylie Minogue pays tribute when the soap is cut after 37 years
The last episode of “Neighbors” will be broadcast in August. Alan Fletcher’s duet Sorry Is The Word is out now, and the album Dispatches will follow later in 2022.
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