As old faces popped up at the “Save Erinsborough High” protest this week, one character in particular stood out to fans who are now demanding a full redemption and return.
Played by actor Lach Miller, we first saw Richie Amblin in 2019 as a student at the school where he was disruptive in classes with teacher Elly Conway, teasing her about her failed marriage and also her former relationship with Finn Kelly. He was also embroiled in a scandal when Elly was blackmailed into buying alcohol for another student, Dean Mahoney.
Redemption eventually comes around and he became part of a friendship group with Hendrix, Yashvi, Harlow and Mackenzie. A major storyline for Richie was discovering that Mackenzie was transgender and being active in the protests when she was prohibited from using the girls toilets at school. The two became closer and eventually started dating.
Their relationship was also featured in the streaming-only Neighbours spin-off, “Erinsborough High” and the couple dated for a year. When we last saw Richie he left under somewhat of a cloud after lying about his sexual activity with Mackenzie to impress his friends and even rating her sexual performance on an online app. When Mack found out she was devastated and broke up with Richie.
We didn’t see Richie again but Mackenzie moved on to a relationship with Richie’s former friend, Hendrix Greyson. Of course, they married but Hendrix tragically died just days after their wedding.
Richie popped back up in Monday’s episode, being one of the vocal mob who invaded the school, at one point reminiscing about the protest they had there for Mackenzie. Terese’s guards soon stopped Richie and he was dragged away, feet first.
Richie’s scenes this week were brief, but his presence and comedic timing made an impact with viewers who took to social media demanding that Richie returns to Ramsay Street.
One fan said “I really hope Richie is in a few more episodes. I don’t like the way things ended with him and Mack, but if he’s matured over the past two years then I’m willing to forgive.”
Other comments included “I’d love to see him back, he was such an underrated character.” and “There is definitely room in new Neighbours for Richie… make him part of the shared house.”
With Mackenzie starting to take an interest in moving off after the death of Hendrix, some fans see Richie as the perfect suitor.
“I hope Richie accidentally-on-purpose bumps into Mac and they rekindle their romance… he should stick around because he was hilarious today!” one fan wrote and that sentiment was widely shared “THIS should be how Mackenzie gets over Hendrix!”
We don’t know if there are plans to bring Richie back, but judging fan response, there would be a lot of love for him if he did find his way back to Ramsay Street.