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"Friends for Twenty Years" is the 4773rd episode of the Australian television soap opera ''
Neighbours
''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
''. The episode was written by Ben Marshall, directed by Jovita O'Shaughnessy, and executively produced by Ric Pellizzeri. It first aired on 27 July 2005 on
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
in Australia, as part of the soap's 20th anniversary. Planning for the episode began in March 2004, twelve months before the anniversary. Producers decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary on-screen in July, as winter ratings are usually higher.
Many former ''Neighbours'' cast members were invited back for the episode. Producer Peter Dodds said the biggest challenge was getting the returning characters and the anniversary episodes to relate to what was going on in the show at the time, but he believed he had found a good way to combine both the past and the present. "Friends for Twenty Years" was shot in early 2005. Most of the returning actors filmed their scenes at the show's studios in
Nunawading
Nunawading is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km (11 miles) east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Whitehorse local government area. Nunawading recorded a population of 12,413 at the 2021 cens ...
, while the others shot their appearance wherever they were based in the world.
The episode centres on
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Kimberley Davies. She made her debut during the episode broadcast on 15 January 1993 and departed on 31 January 1996. Davies reprised the role in J ...
's (
Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies (born 20 February 1973) is an Australian actress most famous for playing Annalise Hartman on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' from 1993 to 1996. She is sometimes credited as "Kimberly Davies".
Life and career
Davies w ...
) return to
Erinsborough
Erinsborough is the fictional suburb where the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb. ''Neighbours'' storylines primarily centre on the ...
to screen her
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary about
Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. ''Neighbours'' storylines primarily centre on the r ...
and its former residents, some of whom returned to town to view the documentary along with the current residents. More than 6 million viewers tuned in for the episode in the UK, while the critical response for the episode was mixed. Most critics bemoaned Annalise's new career as a film maker, while others were disappointed with the returning characters and thought the episode would only appeal to fans of the show.
Plot
At the General Store,
Boyd Hoyland
Boyd Hoyland is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Kyal Marsh. He made his first on-screen appearance on 5 June 2002. In 2007, Marsh quit the serial and his character departed on 3 August 2007 along with ...
(
Kyal Marsh
Kyal Reese Marsh (born 16 August 1987) is an Australian former actor and model. He was born in Clare, South Australia, Clare, South Australia. He moved to Melbourne with his family when he was one year old. He is now a managing director in the b ...
) and
Sky Mangel
Sky Mangel (also Bishop) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 February 1989. The character was originally played by Miranda Fryer until 1991 ...
(
Stephanie McIntosh
Stephanie McIntosh (born 5 July 1985) is an Australian actress and singer. She played the role of Sky Mangel in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2003 to 2007. She made a brief appearance for one episode in 2015 as part of the show ...
) discuss his new role as a father to
Kayla Thomas's (
Virginia Ryan
Virginia Ryan is an Australian actor who played the recurring character of Kayla Thomas in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. She also played Trish Jenkins in the Australian-New Zealand children's show, '' Holly's Heroes''. ) daughter. They are interrupted when Sky's father,
Joe
Joe or JOE may refer to:
Arts
Film and television
* ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle
* ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage
* ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971
* ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
(
Mark Little), suddenly arrives to see Sky. Joe explains that he had to come to town when he heard about
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Kimberley Davies. She made her debut during the episode broadcast on 15 January 1993 and departed on 31 January 1996. Davies reprised the role in J ...
's (
Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies (born 20 February 1973) is an Australian actress most famous for playing Annalise Hartman on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' from 1993 to 1996. She is sometimes credited as "Kimberly Davies".
Life and career
Davies w ...
) Ramsay Street documentary and he asks Sky all about Boyd and Kayla. Joe is also reunited with his former father-in-law,
Harold Bishop
Harold Wayne Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Ian Smith. The actor was offered the role by the show's creator and executive producer Reg Watson. Smith made his first screen appearance as H ...
(
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...
). At
Karl Kennedy
Karl Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Alan Fletcher. The actor previously appeared in the soap in 1987 as mechanic Greg Cooper. He made his first screen appearance as Karl during the episo ...
's (
Alan Fletcher) flat,
Toadfish Rebecchi
Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi (commonly known as "Toadfish" or "Toadie") is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Ryan Moloney. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 January 199 ...
(
Ryan Moloney
Ryan Moloney (born 24 November 1979) is an Australian actor, known for his portrayal of the fictional character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' since 1995.
Career
Moloney's first acting experience was with ...
),
Lance Wilkinson (
Andrew Bibby
Andrew Bibby (born 24 October 1980 in Sydney) is an Australian former actor who played Lance Wilkinson on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' in 1995, 1996–2001, 2005 and in 2022. He returned again briefly in 2018.
Early and personal ...
), Annalise,
Doug Willis
Douglas "Doug" Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Terence Donovan. Doug was introduced by executive producer Don Battye as the patriarch of the newly introduced Willis family. Donovan expl ...
(
Terence Donovan) and
Philip Martin (
Ian Rawlings
Ian Rawlings (born 9 March 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his long-running roles in soap operas '' Sons and Daughters'' and ''Neighbours''. He also appeared in the short-lived serial ''The Power, the Passion''.
Career ''Sons ...
) gather to reminisce and film more scenes for Annalise's documentary. The following morning, all of the locals gather in Ramsay Street for a party and the screening of the documentary. Joe reminisces about his time on the street, while
Max (
Stephen Lovatt) and
Stephanie Hoyland (
Carla Bonner
Carla Bonner is an Australian actress, known for playing the role of Stephanie Scully in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', a role she played from 1999 to 2010. She was also a guest on '' Celebrity Big Brother Australia'' in 2002. Following her de ...
) learn that they are no longer allowed to adopt Kayla's daughter or any other child. At the hospital, where
Paul Robinson (
Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis (born 30 October 1958) is an Australian actor and singer best known for playing the role of cold-hearted and ruthless businessman Paul Robinson in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' from its first episode on March 18, 1985. He departed ...
) is recovering from having his leg amputated, his sister,
Lucy
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
(
Melissa Bell), visits and tries to encourage him to wear his false leg.
Paul and Lucy eventually turn up to Ramsay Street and Paul tells his aunt,
Rosemary
''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...
(
Joy Chambers
Joy Chambers (born 1947) is an Australian actress, author, and businesswoman.
Career
Chambers is known for such television soap opera roles as Rita Merrick in '' The Restless Years'', Dr Robyn Porter in ''The Young Doctors'', and Rosemary Danie ...
), that he is not selling his business to her. He then announces that he is staying in Erinsborough and is moving into Number 22 Ramsay Street. Annalise worries that the sun is too bright to show the documentary outside and insists on a change of venue. The group gather in the Scarlet Bar for the screening instead.
Connor O'Neill
Connor O'Neill is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Patrick Harvey. He made his first screen appearance during the episode on 19 April 2002. Harvey was still in school when he won the role of Connor. ...
(
Patrick Harvey) turns up at the last minute and greets Toadie, which makes Lance jealous. Annalise thanks everyone for coming and for the use of their home videos, before explaining that the film is currently an untitled rough cut. The documentary begins with Annalise standing in Ramsay Street, talking about what it meant to her. It then cuts to various past residents, who talk about their time on the street. As the documentary ends, Harold stands up to announce that the documentary should be called ''Neighbours'' and the audience make a toast.
Production
Development
Producer Peter Dodds joked that the production team first started thinking about the 20th anniversary after ''Neighbours'' had been on air for ten years.
He said that due to the show's success, the team began to think in terms of decades and knew that they would have to have a big celebration in 2005.
The actual planning for the anniversary episodes began twelve months before the anniversary.
Line producer
A line producer is a type of film or television producer who is the head of the production office management personnel during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or TV program. A line producer usually works on o ...
Linda Walker revealed that initial discussions began in March 2004.
Although ''Neighbours'' celebrated its official 20th anniversary on 18 March 2005, the producers decided to broadcast the celebration in July that year when the winter viewing numbers are usually higher. Dodds stated that the crew had always anticipated an on-screen celebration, as well as off-screen celebrations with the cast and crew.
He explained "With the celebration on camera, it was important to get past cast to come back, and we're very proud with how we've involved the actors from years ago. It's a very affectionate couple of episodes."
The storyline saw
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Kimberley Davies. She made her debut during the episode broadcast on 15 January 1993 and departed on 31 January 1996. Davies reprised the role in J ...
(played by
Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies (born 20 February 1973) is an Australian actress most famous for playing Annalise Hartman on the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'' from 1993 to 1996. She is sometimes credited as "Kimberly Davies".
Life and career
Davies w ...
) return to
Erinsborough
Erinsborough is the fictional suburb where the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' is set. The show focuses on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the suburb. ''Neighbours'' storylines primarily centre on the ...
to screen her BBC documentary about
Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. ''Neighbours'' storylines primarily centre on the r ...
and its former residents.
Dodds told Michael Gadd from ''
The Newcastle Herald
The ''Newcastle Herald'' (formerly branded as ''The Herald'') is a local tabloid newspaper published daily, Monday to Saturday, in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the only local newspaper that serves the greater Hunter Region and ...
'' that the anniversary week would be "a case of fans playing 'spot the cameo'" as popular actors returned to the show.
He also called it "a great challenge" getting the returning characters and the episodes to relate to what was going on in the show at the time.
The producer said "But I think we've found a great way to combine the past and the present."
Dodds later commented that it was not difficult for the script writing team to come up with scenarios that allowed the actors and characters to come back to the show.
He explained that when a character leaves they go into "a state of suspended animation" and they are often referred to, making it easier to bring them back.
Actor
Alan Fletcher, who plays
Karl Kennedy
Karl Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Alan Fletcher. The actor previously appeared in the soap in 1987 as mechanic Greg Cooper. He made his first screen appearance as Karl during the episo ...
, described the anniversary episodes as being "a reminiscence that doesn't interfere with plot."
He said the episodes would celebrate the show's past, without dominating the present, and added that the scripts were "nicely crafted", believing viewers would like them.
Casting
Walker explained that each actor was approached to appear in the episode and some of them were difficult to track down.
Walker thought
Nicola Charles
Nicola Charles is a British- Australian author and actress, known for her role as Sarah Beaumont in Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''.
Career
Charles trained as an actress and dancer in the UK and started her career in British televisio ...
(
Sarah Beaumont
Sarah Beaumont (also Hannay) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Nicola Charles. Shortly after Charles moved to Australia, she was encouraged to try out for a part in the serial by a drama coach. The ...
) was the hardest cast member to find as she had stopped working in the acting industry.
Walker said "We found out one of the shows she last worked on was on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, so we asked colleagues in London to ask the BBC to ask Nicola if she would get in touch! There was lots of detective work, and late night phones calls, and tracking down actors by friends of friends of friends."