Kylie Minogue 'to return to Neighbours' for anniversary special, Madge Bishop confirms
Singer expected to return to Ramsay Street for a 30th anniversary special in March next year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It’s the news that (a small chunk of) the television-watching population have (sadly) been eagerly waiting for these last 20 years – Kylie Minogue has been hotly tipped to return to Neighbours.
Minogue is thought to be whipping on her character Charlene’s favoured overalls as the long-running Aussie soap nears its thirtieth birthday.
She is expected to appear in an anniversary special in March 2015.
And it was beloved Neighbours veteran Madge Bishop – well, actress Anne Charleston – who let the cat out of the bag, according to the Daily Mirror.
Charleston, who is currently starring in Edinburgh Fringe play The Matchmaker, said: “The Neighbours special thirtieth anniversary is coming up. I will probably be involved and it will go to air in March.
“I think Kylie is on board for the special and I imagine everyone will be in on it because it’s a big occasion.
“I look on those days with fondness and there is no way in hell I’d walk away from the special because it’s a celebration and I think we should all be involved in it.”
So there you have it. Unequivocal confirmation. Reportedly.
According to Julie Aspinall’s 2008 book Kylie: Queen of the World, “the first [Neighbours] episode was broadcast on 18 March 1985 and was greeted with a waft of indifference from the rest of the world” before the show found success on a different network.
“[It] was first shown on British television on 27 October 1986, when it was aired by the BBC in the morning and at lunchtime,” before the daughter of a senior BBC official said it should be broadcast when kids got home from school. Thus, a legendary British television staple was born, attracting audiences as high as 20million.
Kylie’s character Charlene left the show in 1988 after two years, while Madge Bishop died peacefully in the arms of her husband Harold in 2001, so it is unknown in what capacity Charleston will be brought back in.
The role, which saw Charlene/Kylie marry her on-screen (and later off-screen) lover Jason Donovan/Scott Robinson, catapulted Minogue into a household name.
The singer and actress recently hinted at the developments, tweeting: “So….. I bought overalls today.”
Donovan's management told The Independent that they had not heard of the special so could not confirm his appearance.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments