In the 37 years of drama on Neighbours, we’ve seen hundreds of characters call Ramsay Street home.
But it’s soon the end of the line for faces arriving on that famous address. Neighbours comes to an end this summer and the current residents will wave a final goodbye.
But just who should be crowned the all-time kings and queens of the cul-de-sac after the final credits roll?
We present our expert guide to the best Neighbours characters EVER…
Best Teen Couple
Scott and Charlene (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue)
How could any other at top the list of Ramsay Street romances than good old Scott and Charlene?
It’s doubtful the show would have achieved its mega-long run if these two characters hadn’t fired Neighbours into the stratosphere in the early years.
Their wedding is peak eighties Neighbours – big heart, big hair, big fashions and big laughs, all set to a big cheesy soundtrack.
Scott and Charlene set the template for one of the show’s most enduring and often-repeated stories – the teen couple overcoming the odds – and their families – to find their happy ending.
We’ve always wondered happened to the actors that played them, though. That’s showbiz, we suppose.
Runners up…
Ringo and Donna (Sam Clark and Margot Robbie): The only Erinsborough teen super couple to contain an Oscar nominee (Margot, not Sam). The pair’s romantic wedding was part of the show’s 25th birthday celebrations.
Mackenzie and Hendrix (Georgie Stone and Ben Turland): This pair proved that Neighbours can still pull a punch even in its final weeks. Hendrix’s death just days after their wedding left viewers in bits.
Best Mum and Dad
Karl and Susan Kennedy (Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne)
After almost three decades on Ramsay Street, this pair have raised their own three kids and taken in more waifs and strays than any other pair of Erinsborough residents.
The pair did split in the 2000s, but even then they couldn’t stop parenting. Susan found herself with three step kids after she married Alex Kinski, while Karl had his fourth child with Izzy Hoyland.
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Then the pair reunited later, stronger than ever. The list of the kids they’ve had through the door since is endless. Not to mention the ones Susan has put on the straight and narrow in her role as Principal of Erinsborough High.
Runners up:
Pam and Doug Willis (Sue and Terence Donovan): The residents of no.28 before the Kennedys, these two raised their four kids – including Brad who would return with his own family in 2013 – and always had an open door to any youngster needing a cuppa or a chat.
Toadie and Sonya (Ryan Maloney and Eve Morey): This pair were on the road to becoming the Susan and Karl: The Next Generation before Sonya’s untimely death. As well as their own brood – daughter Nell, Sonya’s son Callum and Toadie’s son Hugo with Andrea – the pair took in several teens and other neighbours needing support, including Steph Scully.
Best Bad Boy
Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis)
The JR Ewing of Neighbours, Paul started quite nice until his first wife trying to shoot him made him rather embittered, while a big bite of the corporate cherry handed to him by his aunt Rosemary Daniels turned him hard-nosed and greasy for more.
Like all great soap characters, Paul’s gone through many phases. His evil deeds left him on the run for a few years, he’s lost a leg, lost his business and lost his mind when a brain tumour saw him hallucinate an imaginary friend.
Meanwhile, he’s made countless enemies on the way.
Over the years Paul’s had six wives. This made for a great storyline where they ALL (apart from the dead one, obviously, although this is Neighbours!) came back to persuade Terese not to marry Paul – bet she wishes she’d listened to them now!
Runners up
Darcy Tyler (Mark Raffety): As the nephew of Susan Kennedy, and a doctor to boot, Darcy sounds like the most upstanding of men. Nope, he was a right wrong ‘un, making several characters lives, including Dee’s, a misery.
Finn Kelly (Robb Mills): The last great Neighbours baddie, a man so bad even mild-mannered Susan Kennedy tried to kill him! Finn eventually drowned in a grave he’d dug for someone he was about to murder. We’re sure there’s a life lesson in there somewhere…
Best Bitch
Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte)
Words cannot express the amount of entertainment Izzy has given us over the last two decades.
While some characters become bitches over time, Izzy was lauded as a ‘troublemaker’ by bosses right from the start.
She was quick to make a move on Karl – becoming a frequent thorn in Susan’s side from then on – and was one of the few women who could almost outsmart Paul Robinson in their relationship.
She later gave birth to Karl’s daughter Holly – delivered by Karl on a riverboat in London during his and Susan’s wedding (it’s a long story).
But her crowning glory came during one of her visits several years later. Izzy wanted Holly to have a sibling, but Karl refused to have another child. So Izzy stole a sperm sample from the hospital Karl had given for a research project and impregnated herself!
She’s now back in the show, leading up to the finale – claiming to be in love with Karl and Susan’s son Mal!
Runners up
Sarah Beaumont (Nicola Charles): By today’s standards, Sarah was actually alright, but back when she almost split up Karl and Susan, she was the most hated woman in soap. And she was the catalyst for THAT slap which Susan landed on Karl. Ouch!
Andrea Sommers (Madeleine West): In one of the show’s most bonkers storylines, Andrea turned up pretending to be Toadie’s dead wife, Dee. She seduced him and even gave birth to his child.
Best Rough Diamond
Joe Mangel (Mark Little)
Mrs Mangel’s son did not exactly share her buttoned-up demeanour and Christian values.
A proper Aussie fella, Joe liked a beer and a bet, but had a heart of gold – and if you wanted a socket fitted or a shed building, he was pretty handy to know.
We cried with Joe when his wife Kerry was killed (shot by duck hunters, as you do) but rejoiced when he found love a second time with Melanie.
He’s reappeared in the show over the years – romancing Lyn Scully for a time – and we can’t wait to see him reunited with Melanie later this year as he returns for the show’s finale.
Runners-up
Stingray Timmins (Ben Nicholas): Stingray’s first scene saw him arrested for streaking (and nobody wants to be caught by the fuzz!). He was a loveable rogue who went from hero to zero to hero when he saved his baby niece Kerry’s life by donating bone marrow before his tragic death.
Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan): A good-natured larrikin, Kyle wouldn’t win any prizes for sophistication,– and neither would any of his family. He’s not got much in the brain dept – he lost his eyesight by staring at the solar eclipse for heaven’s sake – but his heart is another matter.
Best Tough Sheila
Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gillmer)
Brassy and larger than life – and that was just her hair!
Cheryl was woman enough to keep slippery Lou Carpenter in check, mother enough to keep troublesome kids Darren, Brett and Danni in line and formidable enough to keep the rowdy punters at The Waterhole on their best behaviour. All before lunchtime.
She overcame challenges ranging from a late-in-life pregnancy, giving birth to daughter Lolly, to being kidnapped my terrorists in South America.
Sadly, the one thing she couldn’t overcome was the combination of being hit by a lorry and some unwisely-administered medication from Dr Karl, which ended her life.
Runners up:
Angie Rebecchi (Lesley Baker): Toadie’s mum is a force to be reckoned with. You really don’t want to be a girlfriend of her ‘Jarrod’. She’s made many appearances over the years, and will return for the finale – so poor Melanie will be getting the full once over!
Janelle Timmins (Nell Feeney): Toadie’s auntie – if you imagine a Rebecchi from the wrong side of the tracks, you’ll get Janelle. Mum to her own brood of six kids, who she dragged up mostly by herself.
Best Oracle
Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy)
The wise woman of Ramsay Street, Helen was always there whether you were her family or not.
And she was no old lady sat under a blanket either, the glamorous gran was full of spunk, as they like to say in Oz.
Whether it was a painting trip to the Bungle Bungles, or running her own chauffeur business, Home James, Helen was always in the fast lane.
She has two lasting legacies. Firstly, the countless residents she helped live their best lives with her sage advice and, secondly, her rather interpretive portrait of Mrs Mangel, that remains on Ramsay Street to this day!
Runners up:
Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver): He may have started out as a dodgy used car dealer, but Lou became a dad and granddad figure to countless teenagers, always good for a beer, a chat or a laugh.
Marlene Kratz (Moya O’Sullivan): A woman with a first-class degree from the university of life, Marlene may have been wily, but she was also wise and a rock for many of Ramsay Street’s younger residents.
Best Busybody
Mrs Mangel (Vivean Gray)
The old ones are the best as they say, and never is this more correct than with Mrs Mangel (Only ever ‘Nell’ to a few very select friends).
Nothing that happened in that cul-de-sac escaped Mrs M’s highly-critical gaze, and she wasn’t slow to let people know if goings on didn’t meet her approval.
She was more than just an old battle-axe, though.
Read more: Why was Neighbours axed? The real reason revealed
Mrs Mangel’s little crush on Harold Bishop brought out her softer side. And we’ll never forget her bitterly playing the organ badly on purpose at his wedding to Madge!
Meanwhile, she had a great affection for granddaughter, Jane. It was tough love, though. You wouldn’t want to be Mike knocking on the door to ask Jane out. Poor lad!
Runners up…
Valda Sheergood (Joan Sydney): Residents who thought Lyn Scully was a bit much had a rude awakening when her aunt (later mum as it turned out in a typical Neighbours twist) rocked up. As well as being into everyone’s business, she also romanced Lou and Harold. Heaven help ‘em!
Harold Bishop (Ian Smith): A big fusspot of a man – on one hand a pussy cat, but on the other a man of strong morals who was quick to speak up. Running the coffee shop, he was in the prefect spot to know all the Street gossip.
Best Pet
Bouncer
Ask anyone to describe a notable event in Neighbours and they’ll soon say ‘Bouncer’s dream’ – the now legendary scene where he married neighbouring dog, Rosie.
But he was more than that. Wonder-dog Bouncer sounded the alarm when Madge was trapped in a fire by answering the phone, he also survived road accidents and a poisoning after eating deadly mushrooms.
Bouncer even secretly fathered some pups with a pretty pooch over at Anson’s Corners – the dirty dog!
Runners Up
Bossy : Sometimes it was hard to decide who was cuter, Kyle or his Kelpie puppy. (The correct answer is Bossy, btw)
Dahl: Brett Stark’s pet galah liked to sit on his shoulder while Brett walked around. In times of trouble he was often the only person Bret had to talk to. Aww.
Best Hunk
Rick Alessi (Dan Falzon)
We won’t wax lyrical too long on these next two categories, as frankly who was following the plot when these beauties were on screen?
It’s fair to say Dan Falzon, as Rick, had his TV Hits poster on the wall of approx. 95.6% of teenage girls bedrooms in the early 90s (and quite a few boys as well, we’re sure).
Runners up:
Joel Samuels (Daniel McPherson): Frequently in his Speedos, Joel saved the show thousands on their costume budget.
Drew Kirk (Dan Paris): A cowboy with a penchant of celebrating his Scottish heritage in a kilt. And a pair of eyes you could go for a swim in. What else do you need to know?
Best Babe
Flick Scully (Holly Valance)
One of the most beautiful girls to sashay down the cul-de-sac (and there’s been a few), Holly went on to have a pop career which mainly involved her wearing very few clothes.
Runners up:
The Alessi Twins (Gillian and Gayle Blakeney): Two for the price of one with these two, who were the face(s) of early nineties Neighbours.
Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies): The classic blonde Aussie beach babe, Kim found later fame in Hollywood, but did return for the show’s 20th anniversary.
Okay, we said no arguments, but have we missed anyone from Neighbours off that really deserves a mention? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.
