Everybody Needs Good Neighbours!

Today is the day that I have to get out the tissues and prepare for some weeping. My favourite TV soap opera is finishing after 37 amazing years. ‘Neighbours’ has been with me ever since I was 8 years old and I originally watched every day with my nan. Now we are about to see the final episode with some returning famous faces.

I used to love coming home from school and checking in on the Erinsborough neighbours as they went through drama after drama. It had an optimistic way of presenting Australian life and soon became incredibly popular.

After a failed run in 1985, Channel 10 decided to start afresh with Neighbours and introduce new characters. It was this second run that was publicised in the UK and established the Robinson and Ramsay families that included Charlene and Scott and introduced us to Madge, Paul and Mrs Mangel.

In the school holidays I lapped up the early afternoon showing and sometimes watched it twice in the same day. When Kylie and Jason’s characters got married 20 million UK viewers tuned in. Kylie went on to be a popstar and Jason starred in West End shows such as Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat.

Although I lost touch with the show while I was at university I did reconnect and soon got back into it, following the stories as they moved from BBC 1 to Channel 5 in Britain. Sadly in April this year Channel 5 decided to drop the show and another funding company wasn’t found so the show had to reach a conclusion.

Neighbours should be proud of tackling difficult subjects such as cancer, sexuality and celebrating diversity in a way that felt natural and totally inclusive. The story team are excellent and ground breaking and its narratives will be surely missed.

And Sadly..

Tonight we see some of those superstars return for a much anticipated finale. Neighbours was a breeding ground for talent such as:

Margot Robbie, Jason Donovan, Annie Jones, Guy Pearce, Thor himself – Chris Hemsworth and his brother Liam, Kylie Minogue, Jesse Spencer and Felix Mallard.

So I hope some of you will check out the Neighbours Finale online. It will be a celebration of wonderful characters, including my favourites, Jane and Madge. I will be crying my eyes out and looking forward to when the cast do a UK tour next spring. Thank you for reading my article and If you enjoyed it please consider following my blog.

Happy Holidays

In the mountains snow is falling,

In the villages, bells are calling,

In the country, reindeer run,

In the houses, so much fun.

In the evening carrots and milk,

Presents wrapped and lined with silk,

In the morning, radiant faces,

People locked in warm embraces,

Merry Christmas everyone,

May your day be lined with fun,

Have a drink and eat mince pies,

May Christmas be bursting with surprise.

Kylie – still the Queen

Well last night marked the eighth time that I had seen Kylie live in concert since 2001 and it seemed even more special. The open air venue in Manchester was full of 8000 people and yet felt so intimate. Kylie was radiant and full of energy as usual.

Replicating some of the routines from her record breaking Glastonbury performance and adding some personalised bits, she kept a very enthusiastic crowd satisfied. Some inflatable air- Kylies also made their contribution.

Getting a boy on stage to sing Wild Roses a-cappella was a lovely touch. Kylie did her usual fast costume changes and seemed to feed off of the energy in the brilliant venue, Castlefield Bowl. Manchester was rocking and nearby residents were getting a great view from their balconies. So many were singing along to hits as recent as ‘Dancing’ to more fan pleasing oldies such as ‘The One.’

The night ended with confetti being thrown into the crowd lit by rainbow colours.

If you haven’t managed to get tickets for Kylie summer then consider buying her Number One – Step back in time – collection album.