Neighbours legend Jason Donovan has shared that he was asked to record the theme tune for the new version of the series. Speaking on Scott Mills’ Radio 2 show he revealed he was approached, “But I declined, because I felt the moment had happened.” He went on to say that he doesn’t know who will be singing those famous lyrics when the show returns.
During the show Jason reminisced about his time on Ramsay Street in the 1980s and his brief return in the 2022 finale. Mills asked specifically about the famous wedding between Scott and Charlene. “For us, it is quite painful, it’s a long day, it’s a lot of shots and there was a lot of kissing… we went in quite hard actually. I do look back and think it was quite full-on”.
He also talked about the discussions with Kylie Minogue on the decision to reprise their roles as Scott and Charlene in 2022. “Producer Jason (Herbison) said ‘Would you be interested in doing a sort-of drive in at the end where everyone’s left the street and you guys come back at the last moment’. I reached out to Kylie on an email and said that we should sort-of think about this, and then Guy (Pearce) said yes and I think that sort-of solidified the moment. We thought it was the right thing to do.”
So, whilst Jason has taken himself out of the running to be the new voice of Erinsborough, there is an impressive rosta of musical talents with a connection to Ramsay Street that could take the role. Jason’s on-screen wife Kylie Minogue has dominated the music charts in 5 different decades, is about to begin a residency in Las Vegas as well as film “An Audience With Kylie Minogue” for ITV later this year. Other musical stars that have called Erinsborough their home include Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Valance, Delta Goodrem, Gayle & Gillian Blakeney and Jason Donovan’s half-sister, Stephanie McIntosh. Don’t forget that Stefan Dennis, better known as Paul Robinson, had a crack at pop stardom. His version of the theme tune would surely make us feel good.
Neighbours is currently in production in Melbourne and in the UK the new episodes will be available Monday – Thursday from 7am on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video, starting on September 18th.