There are many theories about how 37-year-old Australian soap Neighbours will end on 29 July. Disappointingly, none involve Jason Donovan’s 1980s mullet returning to the show to trail its own spin-off series. One theory is that Dr Karl will be revealed to have no medical qualifications. Another is that Hendrix’s pulmonary fibrosis will be cured by a lung transplant, ideally not performed by Dr Karl, before a heartbreaking reunion with Mackenzie, who would be well advised not to hug Hendrix too tightly. A third suggests that Harlow, her young life blighted by the misfortune of being kidnapped by a cult, makes a triumphant return to Ramsay Street, performing her new single The Leader is Good (The Leader is Great) as cast members past and present sway arm in arm and the credits roll for one last time.
My favourite, though, is the suggestion of Alan Fletcher, who plays Dr Karl. “I’m not going to give away any spoilers,” he sensibly told reporters, then added: “But through the magic of technology, many people who couldn’t physically be with us have other ways of returning.” Neighbours has deprived death of its sting many times, not least when Madge Bishop, who died from pancreatic cancer in April 2001, returned to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary in 2015. Perhaps she’ll be back to cheat death yet again.
