Neighbours stars ‘snubbed’ from reboot – blindsided, fan backlash and ‘devastated’

Iconic Aussie soap opera Neighbours is gearing up for a return to television next week.

With filming underway, some cast members have found themselves in the dark, claiming they had “no idea” the show was coming back.

Neighbours bid adieu earlier this year after an impressive 37-year run, culminating in a spectacular finale in July that witnessed the return of cherished characters like Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue to Ramsay Street.

READ MORE: Neighbours legend expecting second child with wife and shares exact due date

However, in a shocking move, it was announced that the series was making a surprising comeback, set to grace Amazon Freevee from September 18,

Neighbours has been a launching pad for numerous Hollywood superstars, including Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe, who made early career appearances on Ramsay Street.

While some of these luminaries are set to return for the reboot, many are conspicuously absent. Let’s delve into those who were left out in the cold.

Takaya Honda

Former Neighbours star Takaya has said he didn’t know that the show was being brought back.

A video shared on Twitter showed Erinsborough favourites Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Stefan Dennis excitedly discussing the comeback, as they confirmed that they would reprise their roles.

Honda – who starred as David Tanaka in the show – then shared the tweet, but admitted it was news to him and other cast members.

“Just FYI the cast is finding this out right now,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Give us time to process,” added the actor, who had been on the programme since 2016

“We don’t know anything.”

Matty Wilson

Matty, who played Aaron Brennan, also took to his Instagram Stories to say: ‘Did not see this coming,’ following the official announcement of a Neighbours reboot.

He Instagram Stories to express his shock alongside several of his fellow cast mates, who appeared equally stunned by the news.

It is yet to be revealed if Aaron will be back in Ramsay Street but fans have been campaigning for his return.

Georgie Stone

Actress Georgie Stone, who famously played Mackenzie Hargreaves in the Australia soap opera, announced that she found out about the reboot online like everyone else.

At the time, she wrote online: “Thanks for all the DMs! Only found out Neighbours was returning when you all did, so I have no idea if I’m coming back! But thanks for asking and wanting more of Mackenzie.”

Craig McLachlan

The actor played Henry Ramsay – the brother of Kylie Minogue’s character Charlene – from 1987 to 1989 but was not one of the many old cast members brought back as the show wrapped after 37 years.

A spokesperson said it was “devastating” for the star when he wasn’t invited to return and blamed “cancel culture”, referring to the fact that McLachlan previously faced sexual harassment charges, which he was cleared of in 2020.

Ben Mendelsohn

Ben Mendelsohn, 53, played Warren Murphy on Neighbours for a total of 19 episodes in 1986 when he was a fresh-faced 17-year-old.

Despite going on to Hollywood roles in Star Wars, The Dark Knight Rises, hit TV series Animal Kingdom and Netflix series Bloodline, Ben told Yahoo back in 2016 that Neighbours was still his “most widely known” role.

He added: “I look at some things I’ve done over the past several years and I think ‘Oh geez, how did I get through?’ But I don’t look back shame-faced at any of it really.”

Despite gushing over his time on the show, he will not be appearing in the reboot yet.

Neighbours returns on September 18, with new episodes available for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US on Mondays through Thursdays

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk