All the Neighbours finale details you might have missed as we say goodbye to our favourite Erinsborough residents

The Neighbours finale was a bittersweet experience for fans of the hit Australian show as they bid farewell to their favourite characters.

Ever since a petition to save Neighbours failed to prevent the cancellation of the long-running soap opera earlier this year, fans were no doubt wondering how exactly the show would be brought to a close. And despite the immense sadness at Neighbours ending after 37 years, it soon became clear that the final instalment would be one to remember. Plenty of former Neighbours stars ended up with huge success elsewhere and many of these returned as part of the Neighbours finale cast. 

For anyone wondering what time Neighbours was on last, sadly the finale air date has been and gone, with it available to catch up on via Channel 5’s on demand service, My5. Though even those who watched it on July 29th might well have missed a few details amongst all the emotional scenes and big returns…

*Warning: Spoilers ahead!*

The Neighbours finale moments you might've missed

Margot Robbie was back as Donna Freedman in Neighbours

She might not have made it back to Erinsborough in person, but there was no way Margot Robbie was going to miss returning as Donna Freedman in Neighbours. The character left Ramsay Street back in 2011 to pursue a design course in New York after the death of her husband Ringo Brown. 

Blink and you might just have missed Margot back in action in the Neighbours finale as Donna as she appeared in a montage of video messages from former residents to Toadie Rebecchi and Melanie Pearson in honour of their wedding. 

“Have an amazing wedding day, Toadie, and I love you guys so much,” Donna gushed from her New York home, before later going on to add. “The years living on Ramsay Street were honestly some of the best of my entire life. You all stood by me”.

Short and sweet it might have been, but the return of Donna Freedman in Neighbours was not only a wonderful throwback moment, but a sign of just how much her time on the show means to Margot Robbie.

We finally saw Mike and Jane’s Neighbours happy ending

Whilst Guy Pearce might have gone on to find success in everything from L.A. Confidential to A Christmas Carol, he never forgot his Ramsay Street roots and this meant one highly-anticipated Neighbours finale moment. For anyone who isn’t aware of the huge history between his character Mike Young and Jane Harris (played by Annie Jones), then the significance of his final decision might not be as clear. 

These two have quite the romantic past but when Mike returned for the Neighbours final episode it was to find Jane single again, but only just. Her ex-boyfriend Clive was very much still on the scene hoping to win her back but it’s not long before he comes to accept that his relationship with Jane is over. 

In the Neighbours finale he announces his intention to move to LA, whilst Mike and Jane finally admit their feelings for each other after all this time. Long-time Neighbours viewers might well have feared that they could never make it work, but Mike tells Jane that he’s put an offer in on Number 24. Although he and Jane are taking things at a slower pace, their joyful smiles and adorable embraces in the closing stages of the episode are the stuff of dreams for Mike and Jane fans.

After decades apart, it seems that love was well and truly brought these two Neighbours iconic back together at the perfect time.

Charlene and Scott Robinson’s Neighbours return was perfect

Though fans knew beforehand that Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan would be back as Charlene and Scott Robinson in Neighbours, seeing them back in action was something else. In pictures released before the last episode, Kylie Minogue rocked 80’s style curls as Charlene and her double denim outfit for the finale could be seen as a lovely nod to her character’s old overalls from her original stint on the show.  

After arriving back on Ramsay Street for a visit, the couple ended up paying Number 24 a visit and thinking back to the moment they first met there all those years before. The decision for the couple to drive back to Erinsborough was also a lovely nod to Charlene’s training as a mechanic - the very reason she left the cul-de-sac in 1998!

Susan Kennedy’s Neighbours journey ended in iconic style

Back in 2007, Jackie Woodburne’s Susan Kennedy became the longest-running female character on Neighbours so it couldn’t have been more fitting that she took centre stage as the Neighbours finale drew to its emotional end. Gazing around at her friends and family all gathered together and celebrating in the idyllic cul-de-sac, Susan reflected on the history of Ramsay Street and its residents.

Beginning at - well, the beginning, Susan wrote a heartfelt message in the history of Ramsay Street book, and whilst it worked completely in the context of the finale storyline, it was just as much a love letter to Neighbours as a show.

“The stories from those early days are legendary and their legacy still lives on today,” she declared. “There have been many families over the years, of all shapes and sizes, some of them unexpected. And friends who became like family whether they were related or not.”

Whilst Susan admitted to herself that things “seldom ran smoothly” on Ramsay Street, she believed they “usually worked out in the end”.

If fans weren’t already in tears, then Susan’s final words of narration would soon have had them sobbing as she continued, “I think you have to acknowledge everything, celebrate it all. The good, the bad, because all of that makes us who we are. Everyone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street. Even those who watched us from afar. Together, we have been the perfect blend.”

Susan’s words might not be the final ones to close out the Neighbours finale, but they are amongst the most impactful and emotional of the episode, as much for the viewers as for her fellow characters.

Toadie got his happily-ever-after with Melanie

Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi, generally known as Toadie to his nearest and dearest, has been a popular Neighbours character for 27 years now. Though the talented lawyer and devoted friend and neighbour hasn’t always had a smooth ride in the romance department. Toadie has been married four times during his time as a Neighbours regular - firstly to Dee, who faked her own death to avoid a criminal gang after a traffic accident whilst he was driving.

His second marriage to friend Steph Scully is short-lived and his third marriage to Sonya Mitchell ended in devastation when she passed away of ovarian cancer. The Neighbours finale, however, chose to give Toadie the happily-ever-after he deserves.

It is his wedding to Melanie Pearson which serves as the device to incorporate so many guest appearances from former Neighbours stars in the form of video messages from old friends to the newlyweds. Toadie and Melanie’s wedding and its aftermath sets the celebratory tone for the entire Neighbours finale and it’s a wonderful ending for such an important character.

Most characters stayed on Ramsay Street after all

As the Neighbours finale opened fans might well have been expecting Ramsay Street to be deserted by the end of the episode as pretty much all the residents had put their houses on the market. This includes the likes of Paul Robinson, whose daughter Elle had invited him via video call to live in New York near her, and Toadie. But thankfully the last episode didn’t see the complete disbandment of everyone’s favorite neighbours as most came to the conclusion that if home is where the heart is, then Ramsay Street is truly home.

Although some characters like Clive did decide to depart Erinsborough for a new life, the For Sale signs are gradually taken down by the majority of the others. So even though viewers won’t get to see what the future holds for the residents, at least we’re safe in the knowledge that many of them are still living side-by-side.

Neighbours got a theme tune run-down

Whether you’ve watched Neighbours since it first started in 1985 or only got captivated by its storylines in the past few years, the theme tune is pretty unforgettable. According to ITV, there have been no fewer than eight versions of the Neighbours theme tune in the Australian soap opera’s history. 

Eagle-eared listeners might just have heard a few of them in the Neighbours finale as the credits started to roll, with pictures of the cast past and present adding another level of nostalgia. Whichever Neighbours theme tune you recognize most, everyone is included by the choice to have this wonderful run-down. 

Ghosts made a welcome appearance in the Neighbours finale

During her final speech, Susan Kennedy also reflected on the people who “can’t come back” and wondered how they would look if they were still alive today. Although other long-running shows like Desperate Housewives also ended with the ghostly return of previous residents, in Neighbours it’s not so much of a major focus, but a subtle touch sure to have been appreciated by long-time fans. 

Susan sees Harold Bishop’s late wife Madge, as well as Doug Willis and Toadie’s late wife, Sonya smiling at her from amongst the people that meant so much to them in life. This small touch which might well have gone unnoticed by some watching at home was yet another reason the Neighbours finale was so brilliantly special!