Storylines of Neighbours
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Since it started in 1985, there have been many storylines shown during the Australian soap opera Neighbours.
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[edit] 1985 - 1989
In the beginning, the show mainly focused on two families, the Robinsons and the Ramsays, neighbours in Ramsay Street. The loud and fiery Max Ramsay (Francis Bell), after whose grandfather the street is named, ruled his household with an iron fist, and had a turbulent relationship with wife Maria (Dasha Blahova) while clashing with his sensitive son Danny Ramsay (David Clencie). Max had more time for his athletic oldest child Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien), involved in competitive diving. Max acted as though he owned the entire street and sustained a feud and rivalry with his more thoughtful, business-owner neighbour Jim Robinson (Alan Dale). Jim's wife had died in 1975, after which mother-in-law Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy) moved in to help raise Jim's four children. These were Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), studying engineering at university, bank teller Julie Robinson (Vikki Blanche), high school student Scott Robinson (then played by Darius Perkins, later recast with Jason Donovan), primary school student Lucy Robinson (Kylie Flinker).
Another resident of Ramsay Street was bank manager Des Clarke (Paul Keane). The engaged Des was jilted in the earliest episodes of the show. When he took in a lodger the applicant was Daphne Lawrence (Elaine Smith), the stripper from his stag party. She moved in and began a romance with neighbour Shane Ramsay. Disapproving of much of this was Jim's daughter, the moralistic Julie Robinson - who was Des's neighbour, former girlfriend, and employee.
Max Ramsay's wife Maria left him and moved to Hong Kong during 1985. Puritanical Julie apparently relaxed her strict morals by taking up with her new boss, the married Philip Martin (Christopher Milne). Julie and Philip moved away in late 1985. Max's sister Madge Mitchell (Anne Charleston) moved into the Ramsay home in early 1986 and quickly became a key character in storylines. Madge's daughter Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), an energetic tomboy, soon moved in, while Max moved away to Queensland. Max's son Danny settled into his new job of bank teller and moved away soon after, and Madge's son Henry Mitchell (Craig McLachlan) moved in to the house after his release from prison. Charlene began a romance with neighbour Scott Robinson and their Romeo and Juliet-style romance storyline was one of the show's most popular. Scott and Charlene's close friends were Des's latest lodger Mike Young (Guy Pearce), and the plain and studious Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Jane and her grandmother, the meddling Nell Mangel (Vivean Gray), had moved in to Ramsay Street in mid-1986. Mike and Jane later started a romance. Scott and Charlene's wedding was a key event in the series. Meanwhile Madge took up with Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and they later married. Platonic housemates Des and Daphne eventually fell in love, and later married. After leaving to care for her sick father, Daphne was badly injured in a car accident. She very briefly returned for her death scene in hospital where her final words were the whispered 'I love you, Clarkey'. It was the first death of a main character.
With Shane Ramsay's departure in 1987, all of the original Ramsay family members had all gone. Henry and Charlene also departed in the late 1980s, while Madge remained. She endured the disappearance of Harold, but was reunited with high-school sweetheart Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). The Robinson family was in turmoil when Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) started a sexual flirtation with her half brother Glen (Richard Huggett) - whom her dad had fathered during the Vietnam War - despite both knowing that they were related. Julie Robinson (now played by Julie Mullins) and Phillip Martin (now played by Ian Rawlings), and their children, returned in 1992. The various Robinson family members were gradually written out through the 1990s. Scott was last seen in 1989 after moving to Queensland, scheming businessman Paul Robinson fled to South America to escape legal problems in 1993, Jim died in 1993, Julie died in 1994.
[edit] 1990 - 1999
During the early 1990s the storylines were dominated by the various members of the Willis family who took over the house vacated by Des in 1990. They included Doug (Terence Donovan) and Pam (Sue Jones) and their several teenaged children. Doug and Pam moved out in 1994, leaving just their daughter Cody Willis (Peta Brady) living in a different house on Ramsay Street, and the Kennedy family moved in to their former home. The Kennedy family became central to many of the programme's storylines. Madge had moved away in 1992 and the nouveau riche Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gillmer, later played briefly by Colette Mann) and her various family members moved in to the former Ramsay residence. Cheryl enjoyed a long term romantic involvement with Lou Carpenter. In 1994 she gave birth to baby Louise Carpenter (Tessa Taylor, later played by Jiordan Anna Tolli). By 1996 the relationship with Lou had ended; later it was learned that Louise was not fathered by Lou but was the result of an affair. In late 1996 Cheryl died after being hit by a car, after which her various family members moved away, while Louise stayed with Lou.
In late 1996 Harold, who was believed drowned but was actually missing and suffering amnesia, was spotted by Helen when he returned to Erinsborough, having been living in Tasmania. Helen's family initially thought she was losing her mind, but when Lou confirmed it was definitely Harold the two of them contacted Madge. Harold and Madge were reunited and they returned to live in Ramsay Street. In the late 1990s Philip Martin and his children lived with Helen Daniels in the Robinson house. Helen died in 1997. Philip and the children all moved away in 1999, and that year the Scully family moved in to the vacant Robinson house. Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) joined the storyline in the mid 1990s and he emerged as a key character in the show's storylines. Through the late 1990s and the 2000s many members of the extended Rebecchi family figured prominently in storylines.
In the late 1990s, Neighbours gained the reputation as being a somewhat conservative soap with topics such as sex generally not being included in the storylines due to its early evening timeslot (Earlier storylines involving controversial topics such as incest and teenage sex were often censored by the BBC in the UK, which may account for the reluctance on the part of producers to depict controversial issues).
[edit] 2000 - 2005
Madge and Harold lived as a couple until Madge's death in 2001. Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough) was a key character throughout the early 2000s. Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) and his family moved to Ramsay Street in 2002. Harold's son David Bishop (Kevin Harrington) and his family moved to the street in 2003. After more than a ten-year absence Paul Robinson returned as a regular in the final episode of 2004. In 2005 Toadie's aunt Janelle Timmins (Nell Feeney) and her brood of children moved in to Ramsay Street for an extended stay.
Starting 2004 racier elements were included in the storylines. Teenage characters began discussing issues such as sex and contraception in a manner which has not been seen on the show since the mid 1990s. In late 2004, the show depicted a lesbian storyline involving Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) and Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval). Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher) and Luka Dokich (Keelan O'Hehir), embarked on an intimate relationship, blissfully ignorant of the fact that they were half-siblings - sharing a mother Liljana Bishop (Marcella Russo). Stuart's fiance Sindi Parker (Marisa Warrington) was involved in stripping and prostitution. In 2006 there were strong indications that Katya Kinski (Dichen Lachman) had been involved in the pornography industry and had taken hard drugs. She was also shown stealing cars for shady associates from her past.
In 2004 the break up of long time married couples Karl and Susan Kennedy (Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne) and soon after Joe (Shane Connor) and Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha) led to much turmoil and many story twists. Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) duped Karl into believing that he was the father of her unborn child, continuing the charade long after she tragically miscarried in November 2004. After over a year of manipulation, Izzy's lies came to light in a spectacular fashion, and despite a last ditch attempt by Izzy to gain Karl's sympathy by falsely claiming that she was raped, Karl finally dumped Izzy for good.
[edit] Neighbours 20th Anniversary
Neighbours' 20th anniversary was composed onscreen of two simultaneous storylines, one which was Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies) returning to Ramsay Street to film a documentary about the street. The other storyline was about Paul Robinson arranging a joyflight to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lassiter's, which resulted in the plane being bombed, which turned into one of the most dramatic storylines in the history of Neighbours.
[edit] 20th anniversary documentary
Annalise Hartman returned to Ramsay Street to film a documentary for the BBC, which was to be about the street itself. The documentary, which aired on episode 4773, featured cameos by (in alphabetical order): Amy Greenwood, Angie Rebecchi, Beverly Marshall, Billy Kennedy, Brett Stark, Danni Stark, Danny Ramsay, Darren Stark, Debbie Martin, Felicity Scully, Gaby Willis, Gail Robinson, Hannah Martin, Hilary Robinson, Jane Harris, Libby Kennedy, Luke Handley, Mal Kennedy, Marlene Kratz, Matt Hancock, Melanie Pearson, Nina Tucker, Paul McClain, Ruth Wilkinson, Sam Kratz, and Sarah Beaumont.
[edit] Plane Crash
Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) decided to celebrate the re-opening and 20th Anniversary of the Lassiter's Hotel Complex in Erinsborough with a 1940s-style joy flight to Tasmania, followed by a night at another branch of Lassiter's casino and hotel on the island. Two tickets each were given to staff of the various concessions in the Erinsborough complex. The main characters who made up a large proportion of the travellers Harold Bishop (Ian Smith), Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) and Dylan Timmins (Damien Bodie). Additional characters employed in other roles within the hotel and shopping arcade were present on the flight, including hotel receptionists.
Around this time, Reuben "Roo" Hausman (Richard Cawthorne) had tried to convince Dylan to assist him in robbing a petrol station. When Dylan refused, Roo threatened to kill his brother Stingray (Ben Nicholas) unless the two performed the robbery and hand the money over to him. In a separate incident, Connor O'Neill (Patrick Harvey) had faked a burglary in his bikini shop so that he could use the insurance money to finance his daughter's operation. On the morning of the flight, he confessed this crime to co-owners Toadie Rebecchi and Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher), and promised that he would soon take the matter to the police.
Several of those given tickets chose not to fly, or gave them away: Harold gave his tickets went to his son David (Kevin Harrington) and daughter-in-law Lijana (Marcella Russo); Karl gave his to his ex-wife Susan Smith (Jackie Woodburne) and her fiancée, Alex Kinski (Andrew Clarke); Lou gave his to Serena, who invited Connor; Toadie never used his, refusing to fly with Connor. Dylan kept his ticket and invited his girlfriend Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh), while Paul invited his girlfriend Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) and daughter Elle Robinson (Pippa Black).
During the flight, a warrant was issued for Dylan's arrest for the armed robbery. Police were sent to meet the plane on its arrival in Tasmania.
Unknown to all on board, a bomb had been placed in the undercarriage of the Douglas DC-3 aircraft, in close proximity to the plane's engines. The device was timed to explode as the plane was mid-flight over Bass Strait. Viewers however were aware of the bomb's presence, having witnessed the unknown terrorist planting the device next to a photo of Izzy and Paul in a previous episode. A while into the flight the device exploded, terrifying those on board. Though the plane remained relatively intact after the explosion, controlling the aircraft was difficult and the fuel soon ran out from its wrecked underside. When the engines eventually gave up the plane descended violently into the ocean below, sinking not far from the shore of Tasmania.
Susan and Izzy surfaced together, unable to see any of the others, though Elle could be heard screaming nearby. Izzy located Elle, but lost track of Susan in the process. Connor and Serena were trapped in the wreckage of the plane, and were forced to remove their life jackets to reach the surface of the water. Both lost consciousness from exhaustion. Connor later found himself washed up on a deserted stretch of coastline, but Serena was nowhere to be seen.
Paul, Izzy, Elle, Alex and Sky were found by rescue helicopters in the 24 hours following the crash. Susan remained missing for three days, eventually being found washed up on shore in a dazed, semi-conscious state. David's body was recovered the following Thursday, but Liljana and Serena remain missing, presumed drowned. Connor and Dylan washed up safely on shore, but did not reveal themselves to rescuers, taking the opportunity to be assumed dead and escape arrest.
Dylan soon learned that Stingray was facing arrest without him. He returned home on November 9, interrupting his own funeral in the process, so that they could be arrested together. The pair were convicted but eventually exonerated.
Several weeks later Harold, working with the Salvation Army, discovered Connor living on the streets and persuaded him to come home. Connor never told the police of his crime.
On March 28, 2006 it was revealed that the bomb was planted by Robert Robinson (Adam Hunter) in an attempt to kill Paul, Elle and Izzy - all of whom survived the crash. For several months, he had been masquerading as his identical twin Cameron (also Adam Hunter), who was in a coma. Robert placed Cameron's fingerprints on various weapons while visiting him, and left them for police to find along with diaries in Cameron's name that planned the bombing. When Cameron finally awoke and fled the hospital, Robert simply took his place in the bed. Cameron was left with no memory of a period during which all evidence indicated he had committed several murders.
Robert's actions have since been exposed and he has been arrested, remaining in prison to the present day. Cameron returned to his father's house, but was tragically killed a few weeks later after Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt), mistaking him for Robert, swerved his car and ran him over.
In addition to the bombing, it was believed that Robert may have killed Connor, who discovered the comatose Cameron and disappeared shortly afterwards. It would seem this was not the case, as on March 16, 2007, Toadie received a box of Saint Patrick's Day gifts from Connor, which had been mailed from China without a return address. No further explanation has been offered as to the actual reason for Connor's disappearance.
[edit] 2006 - Present
Thorughout 2006, Neighbours featured several highly dramatic storylines and the introduction of several new villains. It was learned that the bomb on the plane had been planted by Paul Robinson's son Robert (Adam Hunter) in an attempt to kill his father, his sister Elle (Pippa Black), and Izzy. Also shown for the first time was Robert's comatose twin brother Cameron (also played by Adam Hunter). Robert remained on the loose, continually plotting Paul's murder. This vendetta led to Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) accidentally killing Robert's twin Cameron after mistaking him for Robert. Max was then intentionally driven insane by Elle for revenge. The other key villain in 2006 was Guy Sykes (Fletcher Humphrys), an old acquaintance of Katya Kinski who was heavily involved in the Robert/Cameron storyline. Katya was shot and arrested after being blackmailed by Guy. In early 2006, a relationship started between the 18-year-old Stingray Timmins (Ben Nicholas) and 14-year-old Rachel Kinski (Caitlin Stasey), although the two did not actually sleep together.
2006 also saw four new residents move into Number 30 - Frazer Yeats (Ben Lawson), Pepper Steiger (Nicky Whelan), Rosetta Cammeniti (Natalie Saleeba) and Will Griggs (Christian Clark). The 2006 finale week featured the wedding of Paul and Lyn Scully, however he broke up with her hours after the wedding after revealing that he cheated on her. Lyn left town after seven years on Ramsay Street, leaving Stephanie Hoyland (Carla Bonner) as the last remaining original Scully on the show.
In early 2007 came the third wedding of Karl and Susan, this time in London. Appearing at the ceremony was Izzy, who had left the show pregnant with Karl's baby (unknown to Karl and Susan) in 2006. She went into labour at the wedding, though she never confessed the truth to them. Karl and Susan left London, with Susan knowing the identity of the baby's father, as she overheard Izzy telling her new boyfriend that the baby is Karl's. Susan told Karl back in Australia, and he returned to London for several weeks to spend time with his new daughter Holly. The first six months of 2007 also saw the unexpected death of one of the younger characters, Stingray, the stalking and kidnapping of Pepper Steiger (Nicky Whelan) by Mary Casey (Rowena Wallace), the arrest and imprisonment of Sky after she was arrested for murder despite being innocent of the crime, and Steph and Max Hoyland's marriage ending.
January 2007 featured the brief return of Louise Carpenter (now played by Adelaide Kane). March saw the departure of Dylan Timmins (Damien Bodie), who left the street soon after his brother died.
In July 2007, both Janelle Timmins and Bree Timmins (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) departed, leaving Janae Timmins (Eliza Taylor-Cotter) as the last remaining member of the Timmins family in Ramsay Street. Late July 2007 saw the introduction of the Parker family: Steve (Steve Bastoni), Miranda (Nikki Coghill), Bridget (Eloise Mignon) and Riley (Sweeney Young) as well as several other new characters, such as Ned's (Daniel O'Connor) illegitimate son, Mickey Gannon (Fletcher O'Leary), Ned's former High School sweetheart and mother of Mickey, Kirsten Gannon (Nikola Dubois) and Oliver's (David Hoflin) long-lost mother and brother, Rebecca (Jane Hall) and Declan Napier (James Sorensen). Also in July 2007 came the wedding of Frazer Yeats (Ben Lawson) and Rosetta Cammeniti (Natalie Saleeba), as part of the much anticipated Neighbours revamp.
Late 2007 featured the returns of Valda Sheergold (Joan Sydney), Daniel Fitzgerald (Brett Tucker), Libby Kennedy (Kym Valentine), her son Ben (Blake O'Leary) and Darren Stark (Todd MacDonald).
The 2007 season finale had the teenagers of the show attend an illegal dance party held in a warehouse, when the roof eventually collapsed, trapping the party attendees underneath. This event concluded with Jessica Wallace (Heidi Walkenburg) passing away beside Ringo, trapped beneath the wreckage. On the same night, Rachel spent the night with her teacher Angus Henderson (Jonathan Wood), continuing the storyline into the 2008 season as the teacher-student affair is investigated by Daniel Fitzgerald, who is the high school's guidance counsellor and a teacher. The roof collapse spawned several storylines, including Ringo dealing with losing his new girlfriend, a class action lawsuit against the Erinsborough Council, Zeke's relationship with his new girlfriend and Jess's best friend Taylah Jordan (Danielle Horvat), and Elle and Riley writing several news stories about the collapse.
Early 2008 saw the departure of Janae Timmins, who was the last remaining member of the Timmins family, to go to Cairns to be with her family, Harold Bishop, after sixteen years spent on the show, to travel around Australia, and Valda Sheergold, who left the show once again to return to Shelley Bay. New characters joined the show, including Taylah's cousin Ty Harper (Dean Geyer), an aspiring musician and university drop-out, and Daniel's ex-wife Sam (Simone Buchanan), who joined the show for a five month guest role.
May 2008 saw the return of popular character Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha). She was revealed to be the one blackmailing Paul Robinson about his affair with Kirsten. She stuck around for 3 weeks and then left in June.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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